Sasha’s Story

Sasha was born at full term, at 39 weeks of pregnancy. There were no complications during the pregnancy, and nothing indicated that anything was wrong. Doctors said the delivery went without complications, and the baby was born completely healthy—scoring 8–9 on the Apgar scale. The family was released fr om the hospital on the fourth day. Over time, his mother began to notice that the right side of Sasha’s body was very tense: he couldn’t open his fist, and his right leg moved less actively than his left. A neurologist at the children’s clinic reassured her that this sometimes happens in children and that everything would return to normal. But time passed, and there were no changes. An independent specialist was able to diagnose Sasha with right-sided hemiparesis. At 9 months old, the boy was admitted to the Lyubertsy Children’s Hospital, wh ere an MRI confirmed the diagnosis. After regular massage sessions and physical therapy, Sasha took his first steps at 1.5 years old, and by age 2, he was already running. He is now 4 years old. He undergoes hydrotherapy three times a week. Periodically, he attends courses in hand therapy, physical therapy, and Bobath therapy in Moscow—at the “Rodnik” and “Vmeste Sila” rehabilitation centers. Unfortunately, there are no opportunities to organize rehabilitation in the city where the family lives. Sasha walks independently, dragging his right leg. Working with the fingers of his right hand is very difficult for him, but despite this, he enjoys his hand therapy sessions, which are conducted in a playful manner. Specialists praise the boy for his diligence and consider him a promising child with a favorable prognosis. Sasha really enjoys playing with toy cars, playing soccer, swimming in the pool with his favorite coach, Anya, and listening to his mom read him Albert Ivanov’s funny stories about the adventures of Khoma and the ground squirrel. The family is requesting assistance to cover the cost of rehabilitation at the “Together We Are Strong” Rehabilitation Center. Only his father works in the family, and there is no financial support from relatives: both grandmothers are disabled and require medical care and medication themselves. The family’s financial resources have long since been exhausted.