Seizures twist his arms and legs so that they can break and the mother embraces her son and holds him tightly not to let that happen. They can sit for hours like this. Mom shakes him and tries to stop her son's groans and crying with her songs, but this does not always help. Mom also starts to cry, she feels how her son suffers, she feels his pain, but can do nothing to help him. Imagine how it is to watch your flesh and blood, the love of your life is dying in terrible throes!

Joni was born sick, very sick... He barely survived. Mother Maya’s pregnancy was not easy, but they did not let her visit the doctor. “You, lazy bitch, invent various illness just not to do any housework. But we know better than the doctors how to get rid of the rubbish in your head! Just take the broom and sweep here!” – her husband’s grandmother kept telling her, a poor pregnant girl, and the girl did everything that a “good” daughter-in-law was meant to do, just not to make her husband angry.

It turned out to be almost impossible to talk to her. Her 11-year-old son, Joni, screamed and cried, pulling out of his mother's arms, then asking to be taken in her arms, then doing something that could not be described in words. It was such an endless horror that we wanted to run and cry ourselves.

-Maya, when did you learn about your son’s illness - during your pregnancy or when the boy was born?

Maya: My pregnancy was not easy, so the doctor told me to stay in bed, but, actually, I had no chance to sit down, I had to do all the housework. He was born sick and miscarried. He spent 1 month in the intensive care unit. My husband’s family did not want to accept the child. When we came home, they forbade me to go out from my room, they did not buy him baby-formula : “Don't get in our sight, take this monster away, he has no right to be a member of our family” ... On the sly, I asked the neighbors for baby-formula. I had to give watery corn porridge to the sick baby. 

- Maya, did anybody support you? What did your husband say?

Maya: My husband did not pay attention to us at all. As if we did not exist. When Joni’s attacks became more frequent, and his crying became loud, they just through us away. I went to the village, to my parent’s place. They were happy to accept their grandson, but it was dangerous for Joni to live in the village. He often had attacks and the ambulance was not always able to come. 

In 2016, Joni got a high temperature and we were immediately brought to Tbilisi by ambulance. My poor boy, he was burning! He was taken to the intensive care unit and the doctors told to me: “Ma’am, go home now, because he will have to spend here not just a day or two. He is very bad, and he might not survive”...

I fainted hearing these words, I just collapsed onto the floor and was not able to get up. I spent 4 month sitting on the chair near the intensive care unit.I had no place to go, I had no money to buy him any food or diapers. I started working as a cleaner at a shop near the hospital. In the morning I was with my son, in the evening I went working, and at night I slept on a chair near the intensive care unit. They did not throw me out, thanks to them for that. 

- Maya, you were completely alone at that time? 

Maya: God was with me! I was by my son, and nobody else cared about that. Good people, mothers of other seriously ill kids, sometimes treated me with a dinner, sometimes helped me with diapers. Sometimes they even let me have a shower at their place. This is how we spent 4 months in hospital. After that they forbade me to take the boy to the village.

- Why? 

Maya: They said that if I do not live near the hospital or in a 10-minute-distance away from the ambulance, the next attack might kill him. So we had stayed in Tbilisi. The Children Hospice “Tsitsinatela” sheltered us for a while, I was so happy! I could spend 24 hours with my son there. I learned how to change tubes in my son’s throat there. I cried, I thought it was painful for him. But, finally, I learned how to do it. We could not stay in the hospice for more than two weeks, so then we moved to a shelter for the victims of domestic violence. We lived there about six months, but the neighbors were annoyed with the kid’s crying, so we had to seek for another shelter. Can you imagine how it is to seek for a place to spend a night when you have a sick child in your arms? 

- Has the child's father ever been interested in Johnny's condition?

Maya: When Joni was in the intensive care and the doctors told me there were just a few days left for him to live, I called him and asked him to say the last farewell to his son. He came, and when he saw the state we were in, he asked to forgive him, he hugged Joni and said that he would take care of him ... but days passed, and he did not appear... then they told me that he committed suicide, jumped off the bridge. Maybe I should not have called him to see his son. I don’t know.

 - Maya, was there a moment in your life when you were happy? 

Maya: Maybe in my childhood, I don’t remember. There is nothing left in my memories of my life before Joni. 

- How did you find yourself in Zugdidi?

Maya: When I was told that our time in the shelter was going to end and that I was not entitled to live in the shelter anymore and that I had to move to a rented apartment I started crying. How? How could I pay the rent? With whom could I leave my son if I started working? A girl, quite a stranger, saw me and said that I could live for some time in her rented apartment in Zugdidi, where she did not live at that time. The same day I packed up and moved. I can’t go to my parent’s house in the village, because it means killing my son. 

- What is the major problem for you now? 

Maya: My major problems are probes! Aspiration probes! I should change them daily, but because of the lack of money I have to wash them! You know, they are disposable. I am putting my child's health at risk, every time I pray not to introduce any infection. We need diapers, baby food, a blender, medications - that’s all! That’s all! Probes, diapers, medications and food. Nothing else. If only Johnny was good! Well, you see how bad he is ... I do not want him to get worse. 

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Friends, show this unfortunate mother and her long-suffering son Divine mercy, help in any way you can, turn their existence into life! They need absolutely everything: medications, food, probes, tubes. God will reward you for your kindness!

   In our Fund we are sure that there is nothing impossible for the Lord. He will lend his hand to everyone who suffers. Is there anybody who can provide accommodation for some time? We will fight for that. There are so many miracles! There is nothing impossible for the Creator! 

   We have learned about the grief of this brave mother so that our heart would also ache, and the Lord would dwell in it forever! 

You can contact Maya, she is a sweetest woman, you will see it yourself talking to her. Here is her phone: 571 04 75 48 (Maya) Address: Zugdidi 76 Chachava Str.

   Please repost our publication. Let your friends know about the grief of this family! It’s extremely important!

God gives us chances to care about the people who are unable to take care of themselves. Those poor people are sent to us by heaven so that we could prove not by words, but in deeds that we trust in God!

Friends, there is one more request - if you know about any misfortune of a neighbor or friend do a godly deed, drop us an email at: office-fsp@fsp.ge

Our Fund’s accounts are:

#GE15TB7194336080100003

#GE42LB0115113036665000

#GE64BG0000000470458000

(purpose: Maya Marshania)

You can also transfer money from our website.

It is also possible to transfer money from ОРРА, TBCpay and ExpressPay terminals. (You can read more about rights and responsibilities of the Fund following the link https://goo.gl/GY2Gus )

There are three things you will never get back: time, word and opportunity. So, don’t waste your time, choose kind words and never lose the opportunity to save one more life.

We have already helped many disadvantaged people! Let’s support Maya and Joni. Noone is immune to bad luck! And who knows, maybe someday we ourselves will need help of strangers!

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