Mariana's Story

(This testimony was spoken in Russian; the transcript below is an English translation.)

Hi, my name is Mariana, and I am from Ukraine. There are six of us in the family. In 2002 a tragedy happened in our family — my dad and mom were in an accident. My dad, sadly, did not survive to reach the hospital. My mom survived, but with serious injuries: a concussion, bruises, fractures. This is my grandmother, my mother's mother — while my mom was in the hospital, she cared for us. Afterwards, my mom raised us by herself.

At 10 years old I had already started to work — to support the family, to help my mom, to help my parents. There were times when my mom went days without eating; she fed us, clothed us, and worked for our good.

Three years ago, I almost lost my mom. We took her to the hospital, and no one would take her case until that doctor arrived. And when the doctor arrived, I heard her say that one more minute, and my mom would have been gone. It is very hard without a mom. He saved her, He protected her — and glory to God for that.

Many things have happened in my life, and I have been through a lot, and I am very grateful to God that I came to the Orphan's Hands. Thanks to this organization, I have a goal: to achieve something in life and to be successful — to strive for something, and to always overcome, no matter what.