Newsletter October, 2008

Dear friends,

Leaving behind the golden shimmer of autumn we have now entered into the dark and rainy month of November. Children are already excitedly waiting for the approach of the New Year's holidays, and we are gradually making preparations for them. Children write letters to Grandfather Frost, in which they tell about their most treasured dreams.

This is not as straight-forward as it may seem. It is difficult for a very ill child to believe in miracles because they see little hope of happening the main miracle - improving their own condition. This is why it is all the more wonderful to see the beaming eyes and joyful smiles on the faces of children, who because of suffering are mature beyond their years.

In our city there are many patients who suffer from a rare genetic disease called “mucoviscidosis”. In October we took care of about 10 people with this diagnosis and provided them with special nutrition and medicines.

In this issue of our newsletter we would like to tell you a wonderful story about Cinderella and a kind fairy.

What girl would not dream of becoming acquainted with a famous fashion designer? Well one such girl called Christina had her dream come true. She not only attended a show by a talented St. Petersburg fashion designer Alena Akhmadulina but she also had the chance to talk to her personally and was presented with a beautiful dress.

Before the fashion show started the girl was brought to a beauty salon where she received a “make-over” and was presented with a beautiful dress to wear. Christina was left in awe from the whole experience of mixing with famous people who were all very friendly. Christina says that she still cannot believe that it has not been a dream.

Our little patients visited a shopping and entertainment center - "Mercury". Together with their favorite characters from the cartoon serial “Smeshariki” they took part in competitions, sing-songs and danced in a circle. At the end all children had the possibility to be photographed with the Smeshariki.

Another lifelong dream of several our patients also came true: they visited a circus show – the Zapashny brothers. The children thoroughly enjoyed the colorful show with graceful performing animals and courageous trainers.

It is difficult for us to imagine someone who has never visited a zoo. However, the onset of a severe disease can force one to be bed-ridden with the reduced possibility of social entertainment. For Masha F. we arranged a trip to the St. Petersburg zoo. And although the day was rather rainy and cold, the girl went with great pleasure from one section of the zoo to another admiring the rich variety of animals and birds.

This month marked the renewing of our lessons in the School of Crafts at the Ethnographic Museum. During the weekends the children went there to learn modeling, drawing, making dolls, painting, and also to learn more about the history of folk handicrafts.

Among our patients there is one girl, Tamara, who does not like to leave her home at all. She refused for a long time to go to the School of Crafts and contended that these lessons would not be interesting for her and that she would not be able to make something beautiful with her own hands. However, modeling on a potter's wheel fascinated her so much that on the way home Tamara pleaded with her mother to buy her some clay and a wheel!

We are very grateful to the management of “Ice Palace” for providing our patients with the opportunity to attend the most interesting performances and to watch the most popular artists from the city.
The admirers of figure skaters Elena Vaenga and Elena Berezhnaya visited the show «Ice Heart». First of all, it was a gift for all the mothers. Fully engaged in the care of their sick children, they rarely have the opportunity to visit such shows. We are glad that they enjoyed the experience very much. Some of the mothers talked about how they could never have dreamed of having the opportunity to attend such a show.

In the children's department of Scientific Research Institute of Oncology our tireless colleague Elena Valentinovna arranged a special make-up room. Children were visited by make-up artists from a film studio set who painted the faces of the children. During the evening fairy-tale monsters, fairies, witches, pirates and ghosts were reportedly seen walking through the corridors of the hospital! According to the good old tradition the holiday would never be complete without a tea and cakes party.

As is customary at the end of our newsletter we introduce to you one of our employees. This time we would like to tell you about our psychologist and psychotherapist Eleonora Liubovskaya. She has been working with children with cancer for more than two years. Her professionalism, tactfulness and compassion help her to render psychological assistance to families of our patients even in the most difficult situations. We know that many of the parents are very grateful to her for her concern and support especially in cases regarding the loss of a beloved child.

We are happy that we can share our small successes and achievements with you and tell you about situations which face our employees on a daily basis. We hope that what you have read touches both your heart and your soul. Please share this joy with your friends and pass this newsletter on to some of them. If any questions arise, don’t hesitate to contact us. We are always happy to hear from you.

Yours faithfully,

Fr. Alexander Tkachenko, Children’s Hospice, October 2008
Detski Hospis/Children’s Hospice