We met with Sergey in Strasheny in the youth group and soon after on May 20 of 2000 we got married. God has given us three sons; Andrey (5 years), Samuel (3 years) and Peter (1 year). We are thankful to God for the grace He has given our family. Andrey and Peter were born healthy, but Samuel had several birth defects. The physicians stated: "fourth degree scoliosis of the chest section of the spine; deformity of the ribs (right side). Samuel is walking and psychologically developing as a normal child, but I am often crying seeing his little body deformation growing worse from year to year. His curvature of the spine is immense. Several ribs grow combined under the chest. Twice a year Samuel has to wear a corset for 15 days in a row. For two weeks he has to walk and sleep in it. It is not easy to make him wear it, because of the discomfort and pain he feels in his body.

But this is the only therapy offered for children like Samuel in Moldova. We have called a medical clinic in St. Petersburg - Russia, and would like to bring him there for a medical exam and possible treatment. The cost of it is high. Some have advised us to find an opportunity for surgery in western Europe or USA, but we are concerned that he could get paralysed after surgery. Please help us to make the right decision, please pray for us. We consulted several families who went through surgeries with their kids. Some operations were successful, but they also said the procedure should be done as soon as possible. We want to do something as long as he is a child but for our family to gather the necessary funds is impossible. Sergey is working as a driver and earns around $140 a month. The surgery however will cost us at least $20,000.