Newsletter June, 2008

Dear friends:

Welcome to the June edition of our monthly newsletter.

Many of our patients left to sanatoria or to the country to have a rest and to gain strength before a new school year. However, many families stayed in the city. Unfortunately, not every family is able to afford a summer holiday. That’s why we try to make the summer bright, unforgettable and cheerful for those children.

Events:

The main event of June has certainly been the Anniversary of Children's Hospice. We have been carrying out our ministry for already 5 years making the lives of severely sick children more joyful and interesting and caring for their physical and spiritual condition.

We have prepared this celebration very long and seriously. For many months schoolboys of St.-Petersburg and our volunteers had folded paper cranes in memory of Japanese girl Sadako Sasaki. On June 1, we arranged a concert for our patients and after that we released five thousand balloons with paper cranes attached to them into the sky. Bunches of white, red and blue balloons melted away in the summer sky, an orchestra played, and we remembered everyone who had been with us, who had courageously struggled against his disease and who continue to struggle against an illness now.

We have also some sad news: the condition of both Christina and Yura remains very serious. We support their families during this hard period.

Christina is daily visited by our nurse who treats her stitches and changes her bandages.

During his illness Yura stopped going out of his home. Especially for him our friends arranged a boat trip on rivers and channels of St.-Petersburg. It was an unusual excursion because the boat not only drove on channels as usual but also went to the delta of the Neva River, and the boy received an opportunity to steer the boat himself. We hoped that the fresh sea air and the clear lovely weather would distract Yura’s and his mother’s minds from cares of illness.

Victoria V. died on June 30. She felt very bad in her last days and we tried to bring at least some happiness to her. Victoria loved white roses very much. Our social educator Olga Shargorodskaya brought a bouquet of roses to her. Both of them were very surprised: it turned out that Victoria dreamt of exactly such present overnight. On the next day we presented Victoria with 99 magnificent white roses. And one day later there was another surprise in store for Victoria. Victoria was visited by “zoo at home”. Animals of the “zoo at home” were absolutely tame: one could feed, stroke and hold them. There were rabbits, an owl, a little young deer and other animals. Victoria and her mother liked all inhabitants of the zoo so much that they even suggested to leave the animals for a while at their place. Victoria was so happy that she almost ceased paying attention to the strong pains she was constantly racked with. Within seven hours after that she did not need to take pain-killing medications.

Now she has passed away. We grieve about her and ask you to remember her in your prayers.

Conference

At the beginning of June a conference “Present and Future of Children's Oncology” took place in Moscow. Rev. Alexander Tkachenko, Valeria Tovpyga, the executive director of Children's Hospice, and Hospice oncologist Svetlana Safonova told about our activities and shared our work experiences.

Music Festival

On July 14 our children visited a festival of military brass bands. Children liked this colorful show and solemn, beautiful music very much.

Dreams Come True

Our project «Dreams come true» continues its successful work.

Recently we arranged a remarkable holiday for Dasha T. When we asked her what did she dream about, Dasha confessed that she would like to arrive at her graduation ball in a carriage and in a beautiful dress. Dasha chose a dress, and we arranged for her coiffure and make-up in the best beauty salon of the city. As she appeared on the threshold, a carriage was waiting for her. She smiled, her bearing was majestic and her eyes were beaming - Dasha looked wonderful on such an important day for her.

Dreams of two more children came true. Stas I. was presented with a bicycle, and the presentation was made before the beginning of a bicycle marathon.

Cyril B. received a real laboratory microscope. Cyril has an inquiring mind and he is seriously interested in natural sciences. The microscope is a necessary thing for his researches and has been his long time dream.

Our People

In this issue of our bulletin we’d like to introduce to you our social educator Elena Mishina. Lena began her work at Children’s Hospice not long ago, but even during this short time she has proved herself to be a real professional.
Lena’s patients were not easy to work with. There were children who were so accustomed to being alone and isolated that it was very difficult to persuade them to go out somewhere. However, after Elena’s accession everything changed. She was able to find an approach to each child and to convince their parents that interacting with other children is necessary. Elena is a very responsible person, but she keeps her sense of humor in any situation.

Vacations

As the majority of Hospice employees will have vacations in August, we shall provide all of our patients in July with necessary medicine and care means for 2 months.

We have shared our small successes and achievements with you and told about things which our employees face every day. We hope what you have read touches your heart and soul. Please share this feeling with your friends and send this newsletter to some of them. If any questions arise, don’t hesitate to contact us.


Yours faithfully,
Fr. Alexander Tkachenko, Children’s Hospice, June 2008
Detski Hospis/Children’s Hospice