Bethany 23HA

Girl, Born December 2006
Osteogenesis Imperfecta
melx-23

UPDATE Dec 2011:  “Bethany has just passed the course of treatment and the doctor-orthopedist has told that there are wonderful forecasts for Bethany’s walking independently. There is no need for any surgery for Bethany to start walking soon without any help. She needs to get orthopedic footwear and to do exercises routinely in this footwear 3-4 times a day.  Bethany is simply gold child: obedient, kind, never whines, very strong desire to study and develop, can already long and with interest to be engaged in doing something. She has one more talent: she sings very well. Bethany will definitely be an honors’ student and pride of family.”

From volunteers who met her:  This radiant girl lives in a Russian orphanage. She suffers from OI, Group 3. She was bedridden for the most of her life; until she was almost 4 years old she could not sit and could not turn over. She had multiple bones broken by simply moving around in bed. Only one year ago volunteers found her in a cast from head to toe. They have begun raising money for her rehabilitation in the American Medical Center in Moscow. As a result, she is now sitting vertically first time in her life. The first time she was able to look out the window, she saw the bleak Moscow landscape of late November and there was no limit for her joy! She takes such pleasure in being able to see that the street cleaning guy has a “soft” hat and that birds are “fuzzy .” Despite having such a handicapped childhood, Bethany is unbelievably bright. At three and a half she knew all colors, 1 to 10 numbers, could recite many children rhymes, and she has a perfect music pitch! According to the nurses, Bethany radiates positivism and humor to such degree that children from the hospital gather in her room for a good laugh, a song, or a story. When it was time for her to leave the hospital and to part with the nurses, she broke down crying for the first time, despite all the physical pain of the hospital procedures. She desperately wants to belong, to be part of a family. 

Update Sept 2011:  Bethany is extremely bright child…despite of the orphanage environment, her mental development is far beyond her age group. You should see how she responds to the questions and how she comments…she is so funny and so cheerful. She can sit without a help, but she is still not walking.

Update November 2011:   Bethany's bones can break very easy.  She is a «crystal child». She was born on december 2006 and most of her life spent in hospitals in the plasters.  Bethany is an amazing kid: despite numerouse bone breaks she never loses her optimism and joyful approach to life. She is very clever girl and in many ways intellectially exceeds other orphanage kids. When she was not even 4 she knew all colours, knew lots of songs and poems. She loves to draw and sing songs. Extremely communicative girl, real talker!  To some extent Bethany was lucky – one year ago a  volunteer fund started to look after the girl. The fund found a nanny for the period of hospitalization, paid treatment at European Medical Center in Moscow and organised massages. Unfortunately, Bethany was rather late to start her treatment. But thanks Bethany's strong will , her courage, she made a great progress. She started to crawl, move legs. She stopped being scared to move and even was trying to escape during massages. And one wonderful day Bethany sit the first time in her life!  Later Bethany started to stand on her feet.  Bethany has a lot of  internal positive energy and strength to fight with her illness.One thing which she does not have – loving and caring mother. That is why Bethany, who is not crying when she breaks her bone and during the pain, cries so sadly when she leaves one of her nannys in the hospital. When she will no longer see a person whom she liked and who took care of her and to whom she wanted to say the best word in the world: MAMA

Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUqdzhFYzOw&feature=channel_video_title and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_NSWYxPVBk&feature=related