His story started in Kiev his birthplace. Raised without a father with limited care from his alcoholic mother he was taken to the government orphanage. At his early age he started to experiment with cheap drugs made of cleaning supplies and toxic chemicals. Last year his fingers started to numb. Slowly he started to loose sensitivity in his feet. It became harder to walk and hold things in his hands.

When he finally was taken to the hospital he was told it was too late. Vova was diagnosed with Tetrapares, partial paralyses caused by heavy metals accumulated around his spine. From that point his health condition started to decline very fast. For some bureaucratic reasons, he was placed in the orphanage for the mentally retarded children far away from his home.

When I met Vova he showed me a pile of crosswords he did with the help of the nurse. Only the grace of God prevents him from going insane. We talk about life, about what has happened to him, and about how we can help him. At the end of our conversation he whispered: “Man, get me out of here”.

The head doctor of the orphanage told me that prior to our visit, there was a big argument between the boys. It was nasty. Boys yelled at each other and called each other names. One of the boys called Vova ‘a drug addict’ he responded by calling his offender ‘a psycho’. The doctor interfered in this conflict and listened to the both sides. Her response was that both of them are right and that is why they ended up at this orphanage. And since they don’t have a choice and this orphanage is their home now, they should find the way to deal with each other and live in peace like brothers.

It was hard for me to handle this situation. It was painful to look at a 17 year old boy in a wheel chair. What I know for sure is that neither Vova nor any other children do belong to the orphanage; they belong to their mothers and fathers.

For some reason God introduced Vova to me. I’ll do everything He wants me to do to help this boy. He needs a new home, treatment, therapy, and a real family, but first of all he needs Salvation. Please, pray for Vova who has lost everything but hope.