Oxymoron: Russian Children's Rights

This probably isn't the best time for me to blog because I'm stuck somewhere between anger and sorrow. You see, I have been given the gift of this beautiful little girl as my daughter, and as much as I rejoice in that, it brings me great sorrow to know there are children who will likely never be with forever families. Some of these kids, I have met, played with, loved on.

Igor

Katya

Vika

Sasha

Alyosha

You are not forgotten!

You may not mean anything to your government, but you do to me, and to Polina. We talk about you. We name dolls after you. I cry for you in private.

You are not forgotten!

And then there's the children on the list of approximately 250 that was provided for the Russian Children's Rights Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov. What an oxymoron that is. Russian Children's Rights??? The only children in Russia that have rights are those of the privileged, like Mr. Astakhov himself. But then again, his kids and wife live in France because Russia isn't good enough for them...oxymoron.

Speaking of moron....well....I'll just let you fill that in yourself.

Back on-topic.

Astakhov has said that no children will leave to America, not even those that have been introduced to American couples as their parents and been told they are coming to take them home. Those kids don't care where their families live, just that they have families. Well, they *had* families until the Russian government took them away. Now those children feel abandoned by two families. Apparently the Russian government either doesn't understand what that does to these children, or they don't care.

I go for the latter. You see, this really is not about the kids. It's about politics. God forbid Russia let these children go home to their families at the risk of appearing weak.

No Russian government, you don't look weak. In fact, you have shown the work how wicked, evil, viscous you choose to be.

Half of these children have been returned to their biological families or placed in foster homes you say. FANTASTIC. Only, correct me if I misunderstand, but you already revoked the rights of the biological family or these children never would have been available for adoption to begin with. And what about the other half. And what about the kids who aren't on the list? Do you have hundreds of thousands of homes to place these kids into? And what about the kids who need medical care they won't get there, like my Polina. What about them? What about

Igor

Katya

Vika

Sasha

Alyosha

What about them?

You don't care. They don't matter. That must be the case because there is no other reason you would be causing the emotional pain you are putting these kids through by keeping them from their families. You would be willing to find a solution to let your children find homes and healthcare they need. You wouldn't leave them in your neglectful and abusive orphanages as recently demonstrated through videos and deaths.

There's simply no other explanation than you don't care and they don't matter to you.

Where there's a will...

Anybody who knows Polina knows that there is no lack of will in this girl. In fact, she's the strongest willed little woman I know. When she puts her mind to something, there's no stopping her!

Today, we went to get her new KAFO's (knee, ankle, foot orthotics) and as soon as she saw them, she said, "I'm gonna walk!" As the doc tried to fit them, trim them, and make adjustments, Polina just kept telling him she was going to walk. He was so patient and so kind. By the end of the appointment, I was fighting back tears...so if you're a big Polina fan...get your tissues NOW!

I love how she asks for gum - a true sign of where she came from!

Now, don't forget that Polina still needs surgical correction to her right foot and both legs. Her foot surgery is scheduled for August 1st. For now, the lucky girl got a new pair of shoes with a wedge in the right foot to help even her out for weight bearing. In the picture below, you can see how the right shoe in front is lifted at the sole.

And, if you've been following our story, you know that Polina's legs have both been broken. The left one is healed incorrectly and the right one still appears to be broken. None of the doctors or therapists have seen anything like it. Here is a picture of the Xray.

 

 

You can try to imagine how I felt when the doctor showed me this. I was angry! I don't know how it could have happened and been undiscovered. She wouldn't have felt it, but I can't imagine it didn't bruise and swell like crazy. Whatever the case may be, it just goes to show that orphans need parents who are able to pay attention to them and the changes and needs within their bodies. Blaming doesn't do any good, it is what it is, and now it's time to move on and fix it.

 

I do have a theory as to how it happened. In fact, when the doctor showed me, my gut immediately told me what happened. Polina had braces similar to the ones she got today in Russia. There is a big difference in how they work in the knee. I attempt to show you that in this next video.

 

 

 

What I believe happened to Polina's leg is that a well-meaning, but untrained caregiver attempted to put her into her brace and pushed her knee too hard (probably after casting causing her bones to be weaker) and the bones just snapped. I am thankful for the health care that Polina received in Russia. It is better than she would have gotten in a lot of places and she was lucky enough to be sponsored to receive care. I am especially thankful for those people. However, I'm even more thankful for the advancements and care available to her here in the US!

 

The following pictures are of her showing off her new hardware and standing with something to help her balance.

 

 

What an amazing day!

Russian TV & Big News

First, the BIG news everyone has been asking about.

Polina will have surgery on her right foot on August 1st. We are so blessed to have decided to get a second opinion and found Dr. Sinclair at Mercy Children's of Kansas City! He will remove the ankle bone from Polina's foot as it rests on top of her foot rather than to the side. This surgery will make it so that her foot will no longer slant and will make an L-shape. This will allow her to keep shoes on her feet (WOO HOO!) but more importantly, it will allow her to attempt to stand on her feet following the next surgery to fix her broken legs. Hopefully that surgery will take place before the end of the year.

It is still unknown rather Polina will be able to walk or not. It is going to depend on how strong her thighs are, and we won't know until after these surgeries are completed and we start trying. One thing everyone knows is that this girl has got the WILL! She wants to walk and she does what she puts her mind to!

In other news, Russian TV send a camera man to meet us on our last trip to KC. Below is a link to their story. It's around 11 minutes long and it's all in Russian. Even if you can't understand Russian, I encourage you to watch, look at these children, and let your heart be broken for what breaks His. Put your life in perspective, and find a way to help families that are adopting children from similar situations, rather it be through financial, spiritual, or emotional support.

http://tvrain.ru/articles/Po_tu_storonu_zakona_kak_zhivut_pervie_zhertvi_zakona_podlecov-345874/

Dear Mr. Astakhov

Dear Mr. Astakhov,

Since you said that Russia would "take care of their own," a video showing great physical abuse in one of your orphanages has surfaced, it was discovered that your doctors never discovered my daughter's two drastically broken legs, and now a child whose parents you blocked from bringing them home has died because, again, your system failed to detect a major medical condition. Is the location of this child's burial being hidden because of your innocence? How does it feel to have the death of innocent children on your conscience? Or do you have a conscience at all sir?