WE NEED YOUR HELP
THE MAGIC HOUSE SUMMER NEWSLETTER
2006
Our year program for orphan graduates is drawing to a close…and we find ourselves with many more gray hairs and as someone recently quipped: “A Ph.D. in patience!”
After four seasons with five challenging teenagers, we could fill a book with stories of incidents and happenings. Instead we’d like to introduce you to our newest addition and tell you her story!
Last year, a colleague who runs the Russian NGO called Children’s Hearts sent us an email with a brief description of a 2-year-old orphan named Elena Morozova. There was a typical photograph of a small girl propped up against a worn orange carpet with her hair combed neatly and a wan smile on her face. The photo sat on our email for nearly nine months, as we tussled with setting up our residential program in Tuchkovo Russia.
One winter day, when I was cleaning out my In-box, I stumbled across Elena’s photo and the description of her heart defect again. The language was Greek to me, and so we began researching the terms connected with her diagnosis. We soon discovered that Tetralogy of Fallot is a very serious heart defect, often caused by alcohol consumption when the mom is pregnant. Children typically might survive to be a teenager, but without surgery, they would not live longer. My own heart was suddenly involved.
We made some phone calls and found that Elena was indeed still in the same orphanage, and had just been scheduled for an angioplasty in Moscow. Her orphanage was 12 hours north, so this provided us with a unique opportunity to meet her and talk with doctors on her visit to Moscow.
After much negotiating with doctors and staff, we caught our first glimpse of Elena as she made her visit to the Cardiac Center in Moscow. I remember thinking she looked like a miniature doll, complete with tiny feet and hands and a waist the size of a baby.
Elena stayed alone for 2 weeks in the hospital for her angioplasty and we visited several more times. Our decision was made.
For the next two months, we chased papers needed for her foster care, and discussed at length the urgent need for her open-heart surgery. As an orphan, she had little chance to receive the surgery on her own, which was another compelling reason to take Elena into our family.
Three days before her third birthday we piled into our aging Toyota van and trekked north 12 hours to Borvochi Baby House to pick her up. I remember very clearly the last miles to Borvochi…as we followed a winding forest road through miles of untouched lakes and woods. The clouds were just breaking over the horizon, and as the sun burst open from behind a large gray mass of cumulus clouds, we crested the hill and descended into the village of Borvochi. I remember thinking that this was probably the same way it would be for Elena today…emerging from behind the clouds into a vast blue sky of light and hope.
Those moments of meeting Elena and preparing to take her home are etched forever in our memories. She was (and is) a sparkly, spunky toddler with bright blue eyes, mischievous smile and hair blonde and fine as cornsilk. She latched onto Sasha (our 4 year old) immediately and hasn’t looked back since. The caretakers all gathered around us as we dressed her (they give you kids naked from the orphanage!) and they each gave small nuggets of wisdom about our new ward. Perhaps the funniest advice was regarding her inability to eat…which was proven wrong immediately in our van and she began the 12 hour ride home during which she ate anything and everything we offered! (And still does!)
At just twenty pounds, Elena is small and fragile. She has trouble breathing during and exercise, and needs lots of sleep and special care. She cries easily and clings to her new parents with a fervor that increases daily. Her small heart has a large hole that doesn’t allow blood to reach her brain or body with the frequency or amount it should. Her lips are often blue, though her angioplasties have relieved some of the stress on her system for delivering enough blood. Her prognosis after surgery, according to cardiologists in Moscow and Boston is very good, and she can look forward to living a normal, healthy life after surgery.
And so…our reason for sharing this story is to give you the opportunity to help give Elena the Gift of Life! Boston Children’s Hospital has offered to do her surgery for $37,000. This is a cost far below the average $300,000 most American hospitals offer. As Elena is still legally a Russian orphan, so she cannot qualify for US insurance yet. We do plan to adopt her legally…but her surgery is the first priority. We believe that her chances for a full and healthy recovery lie in having the surgery here in the US. We are grateful to Boston for agreeing to waive most of her fees. Dr. Emil Bacha has agreed to be her surgeon, and as soon as the funds are raised we can schedule her surgery immediately!
Your tax free donation can be sent via Paypal at our blog site: www.housemagic.blogs.com or via personal check to
The Magic House
Attn: Elena
PO Box 296
Montpelier VT 05601.
We can be reached via email at info@hosuemagic.org or telephone at 802.479.4142
We believe this is a rare and wonderful chance to save the life of a child, provide her with a loving family and support the efforts to give disadvantaged children a chance in life!
We pledge to keep an ongoing total posted on our blog site, as well as details regarding her progress and surgery!
We would love to hear how your lives and families are going…so please drop a line and have a wonderful summer.
With Peace,
Jennifer, Pavel, Sasha, Elena and the Magic House
2006
Our year program for orphan graduates is drawing to a close…and we find ourselves with many more gray hairs and as someone recently quipped: “A Ph.D. in patience!”
After four seasons with five challenging teenagers, we could fill a book with stories of incidents and happenings. Instead we’d like to introduce you to our newest addition and tell you her story!
Last year, a colleague who runs the Russian NGO called Children’s Hearts sent us an email with a brief description of a 2-year-old orphan named Elena Morozova. There was a typical photograph of a small girl propped up against a worn orange carpet with her hair combed neatly and a wan smile on her face. The photo sat on our email for nearly nine months, as we tussled with setting up our residential program in Tuchkovo Russia.
One winter day, when I was cleaning out my In-box, I stumbled across Elena’s photo and the description of her heart defect again. The language was Greek to me, and so we began researching the terms connected with her diagnosis. We soon discovered that Tetralogy of Fallot is a very serious heart defect, often caused by alcohol consumption when the mom is pregnant. Children typically might survive to be a teenager, but without surgery, they would not live longer. My own heart was suddenly involved.
We made some phone calls and found that Elena was indeed still in the same orphanage, and had just been scheduled for an angioplasty in Moscow. Her orphanage was 12 hours north, so this provided us with a unique opportunity to meet her and talk with doctors on her visit to Moscow.
After much negotiating with doctors and staff, we caught our first glimpse of Elena as she made her visit to the Cardiac Center in Moscow. I remember thinking she looked like a miniature doll, complete with tiny feet and hands and a waist the size of a baby.
Elena stayed alone for 2 weeks in the hospital for her angioplasty and we visited several more times. Our decision was made.
For the next two months, we chased papers needed for her foster care, and discussed at length the urgent need for her open-heart surgery. As an orphan, she had little chance to receive the surgery on her own, which was another compelling reason to take Elena into our family.
Three days before her third birthday we piled into our aging Toyota van and trekked north 12 hours to Borvochi Baby House to pick her up. I remember very clearly the last miles to Borvochi…as we followed a winding forest road through miles of untouched lakes and woods. The clouds were just breaking over the horizon, and as the sun burst open from behind a large gray mass of cumulus clouds, we crested the hill and descended into the village of Borvochi. I remember thinking that this was probably the same way it would be for Elena today…emerging from behind the clouds into a vast blue sky of light and hope.
Those moments of meeting Elena and preparing to take her home are etched forever in our memories. She was (and is) a sparkly, spunky toddler with bright blue eyes, mischievous smile and hair blonde and fine as cornsilk. She latched onto Sasha (our 4 year old) immediately and hasn’t looked back since. The caretakers all gathered around us as we dressed her (they give you kids naked from the orphanage!) and they each gave small nuggets of wisdom about our new ward. Perhaps the funniest advice was regarding her inability to eat…which was proven wrong immediately in our van and she began the 12 hour ride home during which she ate anything and everything we offered! (And still does!)
At just twenty pounds, Elena is small and fragile. She has trouble breathing during and exercise, and needs lots of sleep and special care. She cries easily and clings to her new parents with a fervor that increases daily. Her small heart has a large hole that doesn’t allow blood to reach her brain or body with the frequency or amount it should. Her lips are often blue, though her angioplasties have relieved some of the stress on her system for delivering enough blood. Her prognosis after surgery, according to cardiologists in Moscow and Boston is very good, and she can look forward to living a normal, healthy life after surgery.
And so…our reason for sharing this story is to give you the opportunity to help give Elena the Gift of Life! Boston Children’s Hospital has offered to do her surgery for $37,000. This is a cost far below the average $300,000 most American hospitals offer. As Elena is still legally a Russian orphan, so she cannot qualify for US insurance yet. We do plan to adopt her legally…but her surgery is the first priority. We believe that her chances for a full and healthy recovery lie in having the surgery here in the US. We are grateful to Boston for agreeing to waive most of her fees. Dr. Emil Bacha has agreed to be her surgeon, and as soon as the funds are raised we can schedule her surgery immediately!
Your tax free donation can be sent via Paypal at our blog site: www.housemagic.blogs.com or via personal check to
The Magic House
Attn: Elena
PO Box 296
Montpelier VT 05601.
We can be reached via email at info@hosuemagic.org or telephone at 802.479.4142
We believe this is a rare and wonderful chance to save the life of a child, provide her with a loving family and support the efforts to give disadvantaged children a chance in life!
We pledge to keep an ongoing total posted on our blog site, as well as details regarding her progress and surgery!
We would love to hear how your lives and families are going…so please drop a line and have a wonderful summer.
With Peace,
Jennifer, Pavel, Sasha, Elena and the Magic House