Oksana and her family live in the town of Liman, Donetsk region.
The woman is a single mother of two children; her 11-year-old daughter Olenka suffers from cerebral palsy since her birth. Nevertheless, little Olenka is a very happy and busy girl. She knows poetry  and moves around in her wheelchair on her own. Sometimes she even tries to help Oksana with the household chores.

Oksana doesn’t see herself as a hero for not abandoning her daughter with such a disability. “She is blood of my blood, – Oksana says. – I believe that if I met another disabled child in need, I would take her into our family”.

For three years now, Oksana and her children live in the safe area after moving from dangerous frontline town of Avdiyivka. In their old house, there was no basement and no other shelter to escape from shooting.  Missionaries urged Oxana to leave Avdiyivka for a safer place but he woman agreed to leave her home only after the house flooded. CBN-Emmanuel has been supporting the family and helped them buy a house in the safer area of Ukraine.

Now that the children don’t have to hide from shelling, it’s time to continue improving Olenka’s health and help her start walking. Two years ago, the girl had a surgery on her hip joint and she had a long period of restoration wearing plaster. The doctors give positive predictions about Olenka’s health but a lot of work still needs to be done.

In July, Olenka and her mom became beneficiaries of the medical project organized by CBN-Emmanuel in partnership with “Pope for Ukraine” Initiative and had a restorative surgery in Lutsk. 

The surgery was performed according to the method of Professor Ulzibat when the altered parts of the muscles are dissected with a special scalpel. The operation is not traumatic and does not require long recovery. Removal of muscle contractures (a condition in which joint mobility is limited by involuntary tension of the muscles) can significantly increase the volume of movements and contribute to the acquisition of new motor skills. This is another step to the cherished dream of the family  – to help Olenka start walking.

At the moment, Oksana and her daughter are already at home thanking all of the caring people for their support. Without this help their life would be even more difficult.

We thank Pope Francis and all the caring people in all the Catholic Churches who answered tthe call to help for the victims of Donbass!