In the US doctors have been helping children with cerebral spastic infantile paralysis to literally get on their feet for more than 50 years. At the same time, medicine in our home country states that cerebral spastic infantile paralysis is practically incurable, by this giving up for loss of lives of numerous children who can be helped. Mashenka Lutshenko has suffered the same fate. Doctors do not know how to treat her and propose to her parents – Yury and Mariannah – to resign the child away to a children’s home. (You can take a look at some extracts from Mariana Lushchenko’s medical patient’s card).
Naturally, Mashenka’s parents refused this proposal and started to struggle for their daughter’s recovery with all their might, and she in her 4 years of age is not yet able to walk, to talk or to feel such an interesting world of childhood in its every bright manifestation. Marannah and Yury do not consider their daughter’s illness either a God’s punishment or a fate’s will. They Turned Masha’s treatment into daily thorough exercise; each second is used for the good, for the development of the child’s damaged brain in accordance with the special methodology of Glenn Doman - an American physiotherapist.
More than half a century (!) ago Glenn Doman founded the Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential, IAHP in Philadelphia, USA, and he has developed an original methodology calculated for the stimulation of nerve cells. As a result of its implementation sick and brain injured children begin to develop, to move and to talk thus catching up with the children of their age in the intellectual growth. For instance, from 233 children who were not able to walk 109 (49%) obtained the ability to walk without any outside assistance for the first time in their lives! From 123 blind children 105 (85%) were able to see for the first time in their lives and 84 of them have learned to read! (the numbers are taken from the statistics for the 5-year period of work of the existing Institutes of the Achievement of Human Potential)
Such indicators couldn’t fail to impress Mashenka’s parents. Doman’s methodology has become their light at the end of the dark tunnel. Having learned that even 100% recovery and rehabilitation of the child is possible they have started on their own to apply the methodology components, having obtained their knowledge from different available literature and internet resources. Masha’s mom and dad started to live “in accordance with the time clock”: each 20 minutes – an oxygen mask, a massage, exercises for coordination; muscle function stimulation, patterning (with the volunteer help) meaning crawling imitation; “a hill” and other special exercises.
Mariannah works by this methodology six days a week, 9-00 a.m. through 22-00 p.m.
Time is the main enemy of the children with nervous system injuries because it is possible to influence the brain development most effectively during the period of its active growth – up to 6-7 years of age. Masha will soon turn 5. Time doesn’t wait!
You know, it is tremendous work: to be unceasingly occupied in exercising a child precisely in accordance with the schedule, making the child develop. Closer to each evening the mother and the child are both depleted. But this gives the parents hope that some time Masha will be able to walk and to talk because they just cannot and have no right to resign themselves to Masha’s disability!
But the exercises developed by the parents on their own are not enough. Doman’s methodology is an original one that is why only its small part is available to the general public. Besides, cerebral spastic infantile paralysis in every case depends on the degree of the nervous system injure, so to have a successful treatment it is necessary to apply an individual approach. Due to this it appears that it is simply impossible to find in the public information sources the information on the theory and practice of the kind of treatment Masha requires. To obtain treatment in accordance with the Doman methodology it is necessary to go to one of the Doman Institutes and to be examined by the specialists.
So, not even hoping for any reply, Masha’s parents wrote to the Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential, IAHP, in which they described their exercises, their strong belief in the methodology’s capability to raise Masha to her feet, together with their huge will to work with the child in accordance with an individual program written by specialists. And they’ve got a reply! The Institute staff were very impressed by the independent work performed by the parents and they are urgently inviting them to visit the Courses of the Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential, IAHP, which are to take place in Madrid, 31 January though 4 February, for the development of the individual program of work with Masha and achievement of maximum effect from the exercises.
The cost of the dream, of so long awaited trip, of many months of hopes and tremendous work is 30 thousand UAH. (This sum includes the course cost, cost of obtaining visas, transportation, board and lodging). It’s exactly the price of a “start in life” for little Masha!!!
An ordinary family in which only father works and the savings of which were long ago spent on the child’s treatment simply does not have such a sum!!
How long would you be able to lie in bed without sleep neither moving nor talking? An hour? Two hours? A day? What if to imagine you would have to spend your entire life in such position? As for Mashenka Lushchenko, she will spend all her life this way if doctors of Doman Institute don’t help her…
Each hryvna from your donations can help to raise the child to her feet!
The parents’ belief and love help Masha make progress in the treatment; they also can make a miracle in the end! We should help the miracle happen!
And let’s hope Ukraine will have more and more of such self-sacrificing parents so that sick children could get well and healthy ones would grow clever and talented!
PLEASE, HELP MASHA AND HER PARENTS!
Tel. of Mariannah Leonidovna - Masha’s mother: +38 (067) 955-50-07
Ways of donation for Mariah Lushchenko’s treatment:
The account for donations in UAH:
Банк получателя: «ПриватБанк»
МФО: 305299
ОКПО: 14360570
Номер счета: 29244825509100
Назначение платежа: пополнение карты № 4405 8850 1358 4633, Лущенко Марианна Леонидовна ИНН 3044918989
Card validity term: till July 2011 года
You can also help Masha making a donation via Webmoney system:
U218603173603
R301989571004
Z646175817832
Vkontakte group of Masha Lushchenko
Other ways to make donations (donations via the Internet, money transfers from Russia etc.)
To obtain additional information you can always address the staff of the Happy Child foundation.
