Special revelation. Chapter 4: My first pneumonia, «Hello, sea!» and new challenges (Part 2)

in Team Ukraine3 years ago

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And here’s the great news! In 2003, the Social Security Service provided families with special needs with travel vouchers to the Azov Sea in Berdyansk. After buying tickets and packing, we were all really looking forward to this trip. Of course, not everything went according to plan. As our parents were taking us to the train station, the bus got stuck in traffic. We were worried we would miss our train. However, everything ended well. At night, lying on the bunk bed in the sleeper carriage, I looked out of the window at the bright moon and couldn’t wait to see the sea. The train swayed as it carried us towards the coast.
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At the sanatorium (it’s a combination of a recreational and a medical facility that provides short-term complex rest, recreation and medical services), we were examined by doctors, prescribed treatments and medical procedures, and allocated rooms. During the day, we visited massage therapists and therapeutic baths, were given exercise therapy, and drank mineral spring water. We also went swimming, either in the estuary or the sea, relaxing on the beach. In the evening there was a lot of entertainment in the area: karaoke, discos, toy shops and a grocery market. Sometimes the sales assistants gave us some of those bracelets that glow in the dark. While our parents were having fun at the dance, we explored the sanatorium. We were free to roam around the premises until 23:00. That’s how 21 days of rest passed.
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When we got back home to Kyiv, there were two surprises waiting for us. Because of a lifetime of physically demanding work cleaning buildings, washing windows and sweeping stairs, my mom started having pains down one side of her body. An examination revealed gallbladder stones. She needed surgery. After surgery, my mother could not lift heavy things, and she had to follow a special diet. So in early December 2003 she had another surgery, and I was left with my grandmother. The good thing was that the anesthesiologist called us right away and said everything had gone well and my mother was fine.
Our troubles didn’t end after mom was discharged home: I came down with pneumonia again. We called the pediatrician, and she advised me to go to hospital so I could be looked after by professionals. But we did not have the opportunity to do so. Mom couldn’t come with me because she couldn’t lift me after her surgery. My grandmother also couldn’t take me because she was sometimes called into work, and my grandfather and uncle Vitaly also had full-time jobs. Naturally, there would be nurses at the hospital, but would they look after me any better than my family?
So we stayed home, and I was prescribed some antibiotics in injections. One of our neighbors was a medical worker, so she gave me the shots. That’s how we celebrated the New Year in 2004. But to be honest, not everything was as gloomy as it seems at first glance. Besides, in Ukraine people say that at home even the walls have healing powers. In my room I could watch TV, read books, eat homemade food, and stay warm. Of course, I still had to have Ceftriaxone injections. Since then, we have treated my bronchitis and inflammation at home.
And once again summer came, and finally we were about to go back to Berdyansk. My mother and I decided that my uncle Vitaly should join us on the trip. It was a good idea, because he was helping not only us, but the other parents too. He always bought us delicious ice cream. Once, a circus came to the sanatorium, and the children with special needs were able to watch the show for free – under Vitaly’s supervision, of course. With his help, I was able to walk to the second floor of the office building and play on the gaming console, I could swim more regularly in the sea, because he held me up in the water.
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Other vacationers complained about the families with children with special needs. Unfortunately, many people did not like to be near us, either when swimming in the sea, or eating in the common dining room. For example, if a baby dribbled or had a seizure, it immediately caused people to scowl at the parents. Again, we felt rejected because we wanted to be with everyone and like everyone.
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As a result, we never went back to the Azov Sea.
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