Help with Food
Star of Hope Romania's Dorohoi Day Care center staff tells us in an unedited story about the Ilies Family, these folks are super.
Mihai and Viorica Ilies family consists of three children; two boys and a girl, all with disabilities. The Ilies family lives in the village Lozna, near of DorohoiRomania; one of the poorest areas in the north part of Romania. They started to attend to our day care center in 2004. Now the family is living in the countryside where the parents work in agriculture. They used to come to the center 3 times per week. A difficult thing is that their trip from home to Dorohoi and back took 3 hours. But they believed this was the best way for their children and their family to get assistance.
Their troubles began from the first day after their marriage when Mihai’s parents rejected both of them because they were not in approval of their marriage. A year after came their first child, Sebastian that they would call Seby.
People from medical services told them that a child with a disability will not live more than a month. After a year and two months Viorica, the mother, gave birth to the second child, Eduard (Edy), who was born with the same disability. The doctor who helped her to give birth said you have a handicapped child at home and now you've given birth to another one. Let him die!" From then with two disabled children, their best friends departed from them, the relatives were not on their side anyway but in that moment they told to Mihai and Viorica that their family is cursed.
Without any information, no house and no support, they isolated themselves into a rented room without a basic comfort: without fire during the winter time, with very modest furniture and a very small kitchen. Without any help, the Ilies Family started to raise up their kids. During the first 2 year's the mother made a hard effort to raise them and many sleepless nights followed, also there was not proper food for her of for the boys. After these 2 hard years the mother started to feel very sick and when she went to hospital Viorica was diagnosed with hepatitis C type.
After some investigations Seby and Edy boys were diagnosed with so many disabilities: deficit attention, hyperactivity, severe mental retardation, microcephaly, epileptic syndrome occasional, pyramidal syndrome. When she received all these information she felt it was the end of her life. How to manage with two sick children and also with her health problem?
The children were sick, growing heavy, rejected by others, marginalized. The kindergarten rejected them too, on the street people were looking strange to us and walked just upside down. But one day we just looked up next to a banner where was writing down Star of Hope Foundation - Down syndrome. We didn’t understand much at that time, but I realized it was something different, as our little boys. It was like a miracle that we have seen that banner. Since that day I can say that the meaning of our life had changed forever, our lives began to acquire color and see it differently. Our boys had one three years and another five years when we met Star of Hope center from Dorohoi town. Here we began a recovery therapy for our boys. We started to attend to support groups for mothers and fathers following counseling sessions, different courses on disability issue and other activities. All these gave us so much hope and strength to move forward, to raise our kids, to not give up”, told us Ilies family.
At the beginning these 2 little boys didn’t know anything, even their name said the specialist at the Day Care center for Children with disabilities of Star of Hope. They started to attend weekly to our center and to follow the therapies, even it was very difficult to work with them because of their hyperactivity. Our specialists applied different therapies learned from international volunteers and specialist and applied strategies of integration in kindergarten and school. After working with them day by day the boys were integrated into a kindergarten and after few years in a normal school in their village. Soon we started to see a hidden talent in Seby and we encouraged him to develop it, Seby loves to run. He won different competitions organized in his village. Encouraged by his results Star of Hope registered him to the National Special Olympics and we had a great surprise last year, in 2015: Seby won again!
Seby
Seby is the one who continue to go to school. Now he is able to go by himself and to come back home, to help in the house, to manage the computer (basic things), to have friends in the center and at school. The normal school is difficult for Edy but he use to come in our center for different therapies but also for having fun with the other children, being the only place where he found out good friends for him. Both of them, Seby and Edy participate in activities organized by children’s club: dancing, drawing, developing computer’s abilities, playing games, celebrating their birthday or Christmas. Day Care center of children with disabilities Dorohoi is a place called second home for them but also for many other children.
“The support groups for parents from Star of Hope were a constant emotional support and encouragement for us. Star of Hope Foundation was and it is for us the second family. They were near to us in very difficult times, encouraged us, offering counseling to us to pass more easily through the hardships. Thank you Star of Hope that you didn’t give up to us. You have helped, transformed and lifted up many mothers and fathers who were fallen" said Viorica Ilieş.
Edy
The annual five day family camp is coming up this July 2016. With your generous support, this event will host 300 people this year. For many, this gathering of families from many regions of Romania, including Moldova, will be the only sponsored trip they have ever attended. It is a chance to fellowship with other families who have children with disabilities, to receive the Word of God, and to hear inspiring testimonies and victories of people in similar situations. They learn tools for good coping skills, communication techniques with their children, and are nurtured in HOPE.
This year, SOH Board member Kay Metsger and Development Director Laura Raica will attend also Tent Missions CEO Lennart Eriksson, will speak, teach and baptize any wishing to complete this call in their lives. Last year, 75 people responded to the gospel teachings and went forward, responding to the call for salvation.
It is our hope that YOU partner with us to help sponsor as many families as possible. No contribution is too small and greatly appreciated. We believe God for a miracle harvest from your faithful seed and for a supernatural touch upon our Star of Hope families. May God richly bless your sowing and reaping for a time like this.
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