Ukraine, Oct 2012 – Day 3

Oct 3, 2012
Ukraine

We traveled this morning to a neighboring city, where they warmly welcomed us at their special needs school. We arrived early to set up and families were already lined up waiting to see us. We dove right in and started evaluating and ended up seeing over 45 children. One of the remarkable stories involved a teenage boy who was first seen by us in 2010 at which time he was carried in by his mother. In 2011, he returned and received a wheelchair from us. This trip, he was able to take independent steps with a walker. He told us that walking was his biggest wish! We were also able to give a wheelchair to a 9 year old girl, who instinctively began moving the wheelchair on her own. Her mother was so happy and said she could not believe her daughter was able to do this. We enjoyed watching her leave independently.

We saw a very wide range of ages and diagnoses, and were able to educate parents on ways to continue care at home. We were also able to give away lots of equipment including walkers, wheelchairs, beniks, braces, and developmental toys. Once we had seen all of the children, the director expressed her gratitude and presented us with a gift made by the children of the school.

Tomorrow, several families will come to see us here in Kramatorsk. We truly appreciate all of the encouraging words and prayers!