A mother in crisis unable to afford medical care for her child
Thank you for your compassion for people in crisis and taking the time today to find out more.... Today we're going to tell you about Nastya who recently arrived at the Women's Crisis Centre.
After a lifetime of poverty, abandonment by her husband and having a daughter who is constantly ill, Nastya reached breaking point.
Nastya grew up in deprivation but hoped married life would bring some happiness. Her hopes were quickly shattered when her husband became a violent alcoholic. She attempted to escape but he would find her and scare her into returning. When their daughter Vera was born prematurely in 2019, weighing less than 3lbs and with obvious neurological abnormalities, he abandoned them and disappeared from their lives.... with him went her only income and she was unable to work with a sickly baby.
Nastya too turned to alcohol to mask her problems and Vera frequently had pneumonia in her under-developed lungs. Treatments, not covered by the Russian healthcare system, were out of reach as she could barely afford food. Her reliance on alcohol increased along with the weight of guilt at not being the mother she knew her child needed.
Desperate for help, Nastya took a 1,500km journey from Syktyvkar, to the Women's Crisis Centre in Volkhov.
They were welcomed in with open arms and soon after, Alina, who runs the Crisis Centre, threw a party for Vera and bought her a gift to celebrate her second birthday, something Nastya could not have previously afforded to do.
In addition to frequent pneumonia, Vera has severe developmental delays, including her speech.
This is an age when children typically use between 200 and 1,000 words but she is hardly talking.
At the time Alina wasn’t certain how she could help with Vera's development, but did know she could immediately work with Nastya on her addictions and confidence at parenting which would begin to improve Vera's life.
Alina runs the Crisis Centre on a very strict budget using our regular support plus food and clothing contributions from the local community. Medical support for residents are always extra. Please help by coming alongside Vera and Nastya and showing them our love 🙏
Vera needs three months of intense therapies at a specialist centre.
She needs sessions to work on her foot and hand movements as well as speech and physical therapies. She'll also need a CT scan and assessments by a neurologist. This course of treatment costs around £1,000.
If you would like to bless Vera, you can donate towards our dedicated medical fund.