Mariana from Mariupol was two years old when she spent two months with her mother in the basement at the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war in Mariupol. They almost couldn’t go out due to the constant Russian bombing of the city. Due to the shock, the girl lost her ability to walk and had to learn to keep her balance again after fleeing from Mariupol to Lviv in Ukraine, according to the Lviv Okhmatdyt hospital.
“There were very strong explosions. The city was buzzing. Due to the powerful shock wave, the cart with the daughter was thrown against the wall. Marianna hit her head hard. The daughter was silent and did not react for a whole day. She cried until the next day in the evening. Such was a strong shock. I had the impression that she simply lost half of her consciousness. And after some time, her stomach started to work very badly. We didn’t have much food with us. There was no way to cook properly either. Lips, fingers turned blue, eyes closed. The daughter did not react to anything. I didn’t know whether I would be able to save her,” recalls the girl’s mother, Maria.
When Maria realized that her daughter was already in a very bad condition, she decided to leave the city, taking the risk. First, they moved to Berdiansk and then to the Lviv region in the west of Ukraine. The little girl received rehabilitation assistance at “Okhmatdyt” hospital.
“At the time of admission, there were complaints of frequent falls while walking and running. Mom was very worried about this trend. We examined for imbalances and found these imbalances. We have not established any other reason for these, apart from the stress experienced by the child during hostilities,” said the head of the children’s rehabilitation clinic, Oksana Hdyria.
Physical therapists, psychologists, and a speech and language therapist worked with the girl. During the rehabilitation course, specialists improved the quality of walking and balance. A year and a half later, the girl can move independently without falling.
