Newsletter February 2008

Dear friends:

Many interesting events have happened in the life of Children's Hospice in February. With this newsletter we will introduce the most important of them to you.

Our physician Michail G. Malinin took part in the conference “Rare genetic diseases” organized by National Association of Organizations for People Ill with Rare Genetic Diseases. He reported about Medical Institution of Children’s Hospice and about its services. It will help us to draw the attention of parents of children with rare genetic diseases and of specialists in this area to us.

Our new neurologist Natalia E. Novikova began her work in our Hospice very successfully. We care for many children requiring her help and counsel.

Children’s Hospice extends its relations with city hospitals. We cooperate with specialists of Saint Princess Olga City Children’s Hospital, Pediatric Academy, and Scientific and Research Institute for Children’s Infections.

Quite recently our doctors gained new equipment that has enabled them to do electrocardiograms and electro-encephalograms for our patients in-home. This has broadened the spectrum of highly specialized medical services we are able to provide.

In February we visited the Horse Rehabilitation Center “Dar” (“Gift”). The Center cares for dozens of horses abandoned by their owners or discharged by horse sports schools. Ill, crippled, and downtrodden animals are fed and treated there.

“Everything is subordinated to the main goal – learning the horses’ nature and unfolding the priceless gift of compassion in humans” – this quotation from the Center’s booklet reflects in the best way the atmosphere of the place where we have brought our children.

The Center’s workers told us about each horse with great pleasure. We could see how much love, care and power they give to their pets. Calm, beautiful, and well-groomed horses took food from children’s hands with dignity and craned their velvety heads to make stroking them comfortable for kids.

Children liked feeding horses so much that Roma D. said to us on the way home that it would be his favorite pastime henceforward. Roma was afraid of such big animals before and never fed them. However, the good nature of horse center’s inhabitants had an influence on him too.

As children came back from the trip to horses, they were surprised: a cowboy and an American Indian awaited them. The actors amused children with songs and old stories about hard life of cowboys and Indians and they questioned children at the same time about what they knew about horses. They had a good talk, then entertained the children with tea and delicious sweets. While drinking tea everyone was invited to share their impressions: to draw a little picture or to write a short story.

In February a remarkable exhibition “Christmas in the Fountain’s House or On a Visit to Astrid Lindgren” finished its work. Veronica Alkmim Franza, the project’s artist, created a whole world of Lindgren’s fairy-tales. Our children were guided to the garret of Kalle Blomqvist (Bill Bergson), and made a plan how to find the Great Mumrik. Then they visited the villa of Pippi Longstocking and tried her boots on. After that they came through a chimney to the roof, from where a view of Stockholm was revealed to them. And on the roof, under cover of a big chimney, a little house of Karlsson-on-the-Roof was kept.

After this travel, the children watched a performance by Small Theater of Fountain’s House about Emil of Lönneberga.

It is worthy to mention that all works for the exhibition were made by children of Design School and by pupils of primary classes at Psycho- Neurological School No 584 in St. Petersburg as well as by children from a number of ordinary and specialized schools of Stockholm. Our patients liked the exhibition very much, and some of them considered it very important, that such colorful and professional works were made by physically and mentally disabled children their age.
The month of February was marked by another important event, this time for soccer fans. A new football season had started in Russia, and our old friend – Football Club “Zenith”-- invited us to its big celebration. Many stars and famous people of St. Petersburg congratulated the footballers on winning the Russian Football Championship 2007 and wished good luck in the new season. Our children have already prepared fan scarves and hats and are waiting for good weather to come to the stadium and to support the team.

Every year on the 15th of February we celebrate the World Day of Struggle against Cancer in Children. This year we decided to arrange the celebration one day earlier because this way many more children being treated in the Oncological Scientific and Research Institute could watch the performance. We were a little bit scared to arrange a noisy celebration in such a serious institution as the Scientific and Research Institute, but everything turned out a cozy and merry family feast.

The children were entertained by Clowns Obiedala (Overeater) and Menushka (Menu Man) who arranged musical and dancing competitions. After the show the children received wonderful gifts from our partner charitable foundation “Umka”. The kitchen of Children’s Department at the Oncological Institute arranged tea for all guests. We know how difficult it was for children’s mothers to permit such a “hospital regimen violation” because they were very afraid of infections and chills. Therefore we thank them cordially for their courage and optimism.

But the main present was made in the evening.

As it was growing dark, a multitude of colored fires flashed behind windows. It was an unforgettable spectacle! Fire rockets soared into the sky and unfolded into marvelous flowers. Red, yellow, and green sparks flashed everywhere. Charmed mothers and children watched out of the window. For some of the kids that was the first firework display in their lives. Looking at their exalted faces, we wished most of all that each of them would be safely discharged home.

Treatment of oncological diseases lasts always very long and is very severe. That’s why we try to make the life of children being treated in such a hospital more interesting and joyful. For this purpose our social educator Elena V. Churbakova arranges every week master-classes in various handicrafts. Children draw, model and make articles of various materials. Elena tries not only to show to the children what and how they can make but also to tell them the history of these handicrafts. Some hand-made articles are directly connected to certain feasts. So they made presents for Christmas and New Year’s, for Valentine’s Day and for the Day of Motherland Defenders on 23rd of February. Elena has noted with a smile that children manage to make absolutely different articles even from utterly identical half-finished products. And not only the children. Mothers and grandmothers join the young masters with pleasure.

After their daily nap all children peep out into the corridor and wait impatiently for “Aunty Lena”, then they cut, glue, and paint with absorption. The impression from these classes lasts the whole week. It is so pleasant for a child to make a birthday gift for his mother or a friend by hand, to decorate his ward or to see his drawing on the wall of the hospital department!

In February we fulfilled the dream of Marphei B. Most of all in the world, after his mom of course, Marphei loved cars. He had always dreamt to take a drive by a big beautiful car. Once a luxurious limousine stopped before his house. Little Marphei and his parents got into the car and went for a drive into the city. However, the boy was much more interested in the car itself than in sights outside the window. Marphei felt badly and was fretful, but after the drive he was merry for the whole evening, even though he was very tired.

A couple of days later Marphei’s condition worsened and he was delivered to ICU at City Children’s Hospital. On the 28th of February Marphei passed away. We will always remember him: a merry boy of inquisitive bent having keen, searching eyes.

Please share this newsletter with your friends, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Thank you for your attention and cooperation.

Yours faithfully,

Fr. Alexander Tkachenko, Children’s Hospice, February 2008