Budapest, Drugs and Sushi

I traveled with Bethany back to Budapest on Monday so she could catch her early morning flight- Tuesday.
I also went to Budapest because one of my therapy patient's sister asked if I could buy medicine for her son (early 20's). Apparently, their doctor told them that if they can buy the meds he needs in Hungary, they would be saving A LOT of money!
I agreed right away, but later it occurred to me that if I was traveling by train, I would most likely have my bags checked by a customs agent upon entering Ukraine. AND- the last couple of times we went into Hungary by vehicle, the customs officials had asked us if we were carrying pills (along with asking us if we had cigarettes or alcohol).
I was pondering what to do (if the customs agent did end up asking me) going back and forth between being truthful or half-truthful or just plain lying if I was asked. I was justifying the lie by telling myself that these people were good people (my patient's family) and that they deserved a break on the cost of the meds. But, then I thought- well, what if I say I do not have pills and they find the meds in my bag. That would most likely be really bad. And then I thought, you know, I don't want to lie. I want to be truthful. God is going to take care of this. So, I decided that if they asked if I had pills, I would say yes and show them.
So- I got off the train in Chop, went through the line to get my passport checked and stamped and then dutifully brought my bag over to a waiting customs official. She began by asking me (in Ukrainian) my nationality. I thought she was asking where I lived, so I said Uzhorrod- which made her laugh- but then she realized I understood English (after I showed her my USA passport), so she continued in English.
She then asked what I was doing in Ukraine- she was genuinely interested. I told her I was an occupational therapist and volunteered at the Children's hospitals and worked with people in their homes, blah blah.
After hearing this, she got so excited and started telling me she has back pain and needs some help and that her 3-year-old grandson has cerebral palsy and wanted to know if I could help him...
So instead of asking me the standard questions and looking through my bags; we exchanged phone numbers, talked about getting together soon and our mutual love for Transcarpathia.
Phew.
Thank God.

Also, I ate some good vegetarian sushi in Budapest. 🍣

Train ride from Budapest to Chop...

I miss this little guy. If I understood the nurse correctly, Alyosha left the Children's Hospital in Uzhorrod and went to the baby/toddler orphanage in Svalyava.
This is the last pic I took of him.
Below that is the first pic I took of him this past February.

Visit to Baby Orphanage

The orphanage that we visited last week was in a town called, Svalyava- about 1 hour and 15 mins by car. A team of Ukrainian, young adults have been visiting weekly to play with the kids and bring needed supplies for the past few months, so we asked if we could join them. I was also interested to meet with the head director/doctor and ask if they needed any help with therapy.
Our friend, Bethany, had brought diapers and clothing from the US, so when we sorted through everything, we reserved a pile to bring to the orphanage with us. The director was very happy to be given the supplies- he said diapers and clothing for the kids are their top needs.
We were able to meet with the director, a young guy in his 30's- Vasily Mihailovich. We were very impressed with this guy and the orphanage- the building was clean and had awesome murals painted on the walls. The furniture was in great condition and there was an amazing therapy room! The kids had a great yard to play in and were divided into small groups with 3-4 "nurses" caring for their needs.
I was really impressed with this orphanage! I could tell that the director truly cared about these kids and the condition of the building.
I did ask if they needed any therapy help, but the director said they have a big team of doctors, nurses and therapists to see to the kids needs. Awesome!

If any of you readers are interested and have a desire to help- we would love to receive any baby/toddler clothing, diapers, soaps/shampoos, etc for these little kids! Let us know- we can tell you how to get it to us as cheaply as possible.

Some more pics: Bethany playing with a spunky little guy; Mike was quite popular- the kids were drawn to his silliness; S came with us. She had a good time, but kinda broke down when the other kids tried to touch her...

Last week, we had a wonderful time being with our friend, Bethany, who came to work with us for a week. She spent most of her time volunteering in the abandoned babies room at the Children's Hospital in Uzhorrod and entertaining Solomiya. We also went to an orphanage for children ages birth-5 years old, the abandoned babies room at the Children's Hospital in Chop, a program for kids at the Roma- Church of the Living God in Rodvonka and an exhibition of tiny monkeys. As well as hanging out with Ukrainians and sampling pizza all over Uzhorrod.
The first few pics are from the orphanage. Followed by pics of tiny monkeys.
Lastly, the kids at the Roma church.

Weekly Visit to Chop

Mike, Solomiya and I joined our friend, Ernesto, for another visit to the Children's Hospital in Chop. We brought diapers and wipes that the nurses had asked for, and also a box of chocolates for the staff.
The head nurse introduced us to a 4-month-old that is a recent addition to the hospital; he weighs 2 kilograms. That's just a little over 4lbs! The nurse said that his mom was not feeding him.
I posted some pics below. So sad- this little baby was being starved. You know what I want to write: wtf. Seriously. What the hell is someone going through that they come to the point where they are starving their child. (i'm not being sarcastic- seriously, what are they going through?). God, please help them. But... I can't write it- too risky; might offend. So we'll pretend it's not there.
We were talking with Ernesto afterwards and he said that since the Ukrainian government began giving families money for having children (due to the country's declining population rate/growth- an incentive to have more babies and increase the Ukrainian population), Roma families will often have as many babies as they can, use the money for themselves and not care for their own children.
Next week, we're going to start our weekly visits on Wednesdays. I'm also going to ask the nurse about doing some OT with the babies while we are there.
And- next week Bethany will be coming with us! Very excited to have our friend from NY come and volunteer for a couple of weeks!