Faces of The Fellowship: Rostik

The Fellowship  |  January 16, 2019

A man and young boy smiling, standing next to each other.
Faces of The Fellowship: Rostik

Sergei had poured his heart and soul into building a small business in western Russia, and then it went bankrupt. When this happened, Sergei immediately worried about his 6-year-old son, Rostik. Sergei and his wife had spent most of their earnings on getting medical care for Rostik, who needs visits to a neurologist, psychologist, and speech pathologist due to serious complications that occurred during his birth.

Rostik went without oxygen for several minutes shortly after he was born, which led to serious developmental delays, mainly affecting his speech. He also has issues with rapid weight gain and, at the age of six, weighs 75 pounds. So medical care is vital – as is psychological support. In school, Rostik often is bullied. In class, he is teased for speaking differently. He often comes home crying, but has a hard time verbalizing what went wrong. Thankfully, therapy helps him communicate and cope.

But when Sergei lost his business, he suddenly had to choose between purchasing food or paying for Rostik’s medical bills. “I have lost the only means that I have for helping my boy,” said Sergei. “I don’t know if I have the strength to start again.”

Then, The Fellowship stepped in. The joy on the family’s faces when The Fellowship‘s package arrived – filled with much-needed food as well as vouchers to purchase new clothing – was indescribable. With this care, they knew they could save enough money to help pay for Rostik’s treatments.

Tears flowed down Sergei’s cheeks as he expressed his gratitude. “Knowing that there are people out there that care and will help us get through this challenging time has renewed my determination to start over and to find a means to support my family.

“Thank you so much to The Fellowship! With your help, I know we will find a way to take care of ourselves again.”