Dasha's Diaries: Masha

As we completed one patient, Talu and Ira were right there with the next one in line. Some of these precious families traveled many hours to get to the clinic in a variety of ways. Many came by public bus, some by car and others by special vans the rehab center sent out into the oblast going from village to village picking up patients.It was an entire day's effort for these families and many of the parents took off work to bring their children to the clinic.

One of the transport vans that brought families from afar

Masha was one of the patients that really stood out. Talu had been visiting with Masha, her Mama and Grandma in the waiting area and eagerly brought her to our station. Upon first glance, we knew Masha was special. Her light brown hair was carefully braided and fastened in loops around her head. She was very bright and to our great surprise spoke English quite well. Masha was 11 and never owned a wheel chair. The only means of transportation she had was a stroller which was too small but like all Ukrainians, the family made do with what they had.

Let's stop here for a minute and talk about what I call the Ukrainian "can do" spirit. Not once this week did I meet any "victims" of circumstances. The families and individuals we helped had a spark of ingenuity and a strong sense of dignity. When they came to the clinic they wore their best clothes which were clean and neat. The children, although some were acutely disabled, were extremely well cared for, had on fresh clothes and we never smelled a poopy diaper! When a child has not been cared for but has been "cleaned up" for a special occasion, it's obvious. I am a detail person and I notice the smallest things. These precious children had immaculate, well trimmed fingernails, spotless ears and tidy hair. Many of the children we served drooled constantly but not one of them had chapped lips, cheeks or sores on their faces from drooling. The children were adored and given them the best possible care. It was inspiring for all of us to see such dedicated parents and grandparents whose complete energy and attention was given to attending the disabled child.

Back to Masha's story. Cindy asked many questions about Masha's condition, which I believe was Cerebral Palsy, and Masha answered many of the questions herself, in English. English was one of her favorite subjects in school and she conversed with us easily.

Cindy and Ura quickly bonded and Ura's incredible sense of

Masha waiting patiently to "try on" a chair

what a person might need in a wheel chair proved to be invaluable. It was no time at all on the first day that Cindy announced she no longer needed Angela to go back to the storage room because she and Ura were "on the same page" and didn't need translation. Now is that a God thing or what?

Fitting Masha with just the right chair proved to be challenging but after three attempts, Cindy and Ura came up with the perfect seating for her. Cindy tried to fit her with a walker as well but Masha's legs would just fold up when she put any weight on them. The fitted chair gave Masha a new sense of freedom because she could wheel herself around. A pair of fingerless gloves was given to her to help with traction on the wheels and keep her little hands clean.

Masha had the Ukrainian "can do" spirit and she was not about to let her disability stop her from doing what she wanted. I don't know who was happier when Masha left the clinic; Masha and her family or our team of four. She was an enormous encouragement to us all.