I could not imagine that I would dream of death ...

REPOST RIGHT AWAY, MY GOOD MAN! HELP YOUR FRIENDS TO GET CLOSER TO THE WORK OF MERCY!

These words belong to a 54-year-old woman who is at the age that is sometimes called the prime of life. But Eliso became related to death...

When you bury half of your family at once - father, mother, brother, sister, nephew - your life is not at all important. Eliso's heart was crushed with grief, but her misfortunes did not stop. They continue to this day.

For eight years, Eliso has been fighting poverty and cancer together with her sick husband and her bedridden mother-in-law. Three sick persons can hardly breathe in this tiny, rented room - the walls burst from dampness, the bed can be squeezed out of moisture. Dampness slowly makes its way into the bones so that even a healthy person loses the ability to move. From time to time, one can hear a disgusting squeak and fuss of mice. Sometimes they spoil the food that the family got with a lot of effort. In the eyes of the hostess, full of tears and suffering, one can clearly read: “My God, why?" Winter cold gets closer, and the wind blows from the windows and doors. There is no heating, of course.

Eliso resisted as long as she could. Despite her grave health condition, she worked as a nanny, then as an assistant in the family. But for the second year now, she has been staying at home without funds. Often, she cannot even go to the hospital because the attending physician is far away. It has been two years since she completely stopped treatment. She just waits for declared death.

"My only wish is to have a small hut, so that at least I could die at my own home."

- Eliso, how did you find yourself in such situation? What is your main problem?

Eliso: Dear, where to start with? There is neither first nor second for me, my entire life has turned into torment. But the biggest problem is that we don’t have our own home. I would have endured this pain, and this sadness, and the disease - I would have endured everything if I had a home. My home... If only I had it.

- What happened, Eliso, how did you lose your home?

Eliso: We are from Chiatura, from the village of Perevisi, we were five brothers and sisters. We had honest and hard-working parents: my father drove an electric locomotive, and my mother was engaged in silk making. They raised us with love. When the construction of the mine passed through our yard, our whole family got good compensation. We bought an apartment and even furnished it. Do you know how beautiful it was? It was furnished with taste. But as you probably know, in April 1991 a terrible earthquake happened, it was called Racha earthquake. We lived in the city. Our house collapsed, and everything our family acquired over the years of hard work was buried under its ruins. Absolutely everything! We were left homeless, and we ended up in a shelter. Dad could not stand it - he died. Mom asked us: "Don't let me die in the shelter, take me to the village." We took her there; there we had a small hut and a small piece of land. After three months, my mother was gone. Soon my brother also died of grief. Then my sister - of breast cancer. This damned disease is transmitted genetically. Four deaths in a row. (Eliso dabs her eyes with a handkerchief.)

That's how we were left. Our big family has become empty.

- May God give you strength! So many deaths, so many misfortunes for one family, how did you manage to endure it? How?!

Eliso: Oh, dear. My evil fate thought that was not enough. My very talented nephew has died. The entire Georgia knew him, and you probably knew him as well - Obola Tsimakuridze. He was predicted a wonderful future. Such a tragedy happened! He drowned. What a misfortune...

There was nowhere to work, there was no one to visit us, so we stayed here. We thought maybe something will work out in Tbilisi, we really are not afraid of work. I used to work as a nanny. Although we rented an apartment then, but there were good conditions. My husband felt better than now, he was not sick at that time. My mother-in-law has poor health, but we looked after her, supported her. Not the way it is now. (Cries.)

In this damp room, even a healthy person will get sick, and yet three sick people live under this ceiling.

- Eliso, when did you find out that you have a tumor?

Eliso: I've been fighting death for eight years now. When they amputated my breast, I thought my life was over. I thought the end of the world had come; besides that, I knew about the sad experience of my sister. But kind doctors convinced me that my life will certainly go on. I endured the unbearable pain, but I could no longer work. Soon my husband got sick too. Koba is 55 years old. He does not have one kidney, and the other one does not work well. But he still works. He takes some relatively easy part-time jobs. But how much can he earn to have enough for three sick people?! Only my medications cost at least 150 GEL per month. My mother-in-law is bedridden, she needs diapers, blood pressure medications, pills for the heart. How can a family like ours cope with this? We are doomed to die. I don’t know what will happen to us. We don't remember about food and clothing, but when you are raised differently, you want everything. (Cries) I'm embarrassed to say this, but I have to, I have no other choice.

I had no warm socks in such a cold, so I cut off the sleeves of a sweater that someone, thank God, brought me, and hemmed them. Now I wear it as warm socks. And what else to do in order to not freeze, what is my way out? I can't even dream of turning on the heating. Who will pay for it? But you see how cold it is, and this dampness, one might say, it drips on the beds.

- In such a state, when you are so seriously ill, it should be difficult for you to take care of your old bedridden mother-in-law?

Eliso: I am more worried about my mother-in-law. What kind of life she has? My heart is breaking. I wrap her with everything I can, so that she does not freeze, so that she will stay warm.

Despite my condition, I worked as a nanny for a family until the pandemic broke out. Then life froze, everyone was left without work. What job could I - a sick person - find? Now the disease has slowly overcome me: I need a lung examination and a head scan besides the breast examinations. But where to find money? What kind of examination can we talk about? God bless them, Sandra's clinic. They call me from there, I'm entitled for examinations there, but it regards only breasts examinations. But I have so many health problems besides that! I don’t know, dear, I don’t know...

“I’m afraid she can freeze because of the dampness and cold. I cover her with everything warm we have at home..."

- Eliso, isn’t anyone helping you?

Eliso: They help us dear - there are many kind people, but it is difficult for them too. Their hearts are kinder: someone credits us 5 GEL, someone - 10 GEL. Rich people never think about such disadvantaged people like us. Apparently, only people like us will feel sorry for us. But for how long?

I have wonderful neighbors: even if I spend 10-15 GEL on electricity, they will pay for me. But I have a conscience too. Where can they get them themselves in such difficult times? If I won’t be able to pay, they will cut off the power for them too, so I keep quiet. But last summer, this dampness caused me to have bilateral pneumonia. It was then that good people saved me - the cost of one injection was 45 GEL, and I needed 450 GEL injections. Where could I get them? They bought me everything, God bless them.

"We do not waste electricity and gas so that our neighbors do not have to pay for us"

- Do you often pray to God?

Eliso: Very often. I believe that it is His merit that I am still alive after going through so many sorrows. I try to do good. Recently they brought me clothes and they didn't fit me, so I took them to church. Maybe it will suit someone else, maybe someone else will wear them. This thought haunted me. God is kindness, dear.

- Since we are talking about hope, let us recall the time when you felt happy. How did you meet your husband, what are your memories of those times?

Eliso: I don’t remember, it was so long ago, dear. I met my husband in Chiatura - he is from Guria, but his friend, my relative, lived there and he introduced us. We lived happily; we raised our daughter. Who would have thought that everything would turn out like this? Now she does not have her own home - a mother of two children, lives in Kaspi, their house was sold by a bank, her husband is in prison. I don’t know, baby, how to endure so much misery. It turns out that a human is hard as a stone.

- Eliso, what is in your opinion the best way to solve your problem?

Eliso: We would overcome everything if we had at least a tiny hut of our own. It is so important to have your own roof over your head. Could I ever imagine wanting to die in a hut? I dream about it - none of my family was honored with it. Maybe at least I'll be lucky enough to die in my own home. (Cries)

I don’t know, dear, we need everything. We eat only pasta. What else can we buy? What can be left from my mother-in-law's pension - 270 GEL and social assistance - 100 GEL? Medications, lots of medications - none of us can do without medications. You shouldn't even think about food. It’s so disgusting for me to even hear the word "pasta". It's so hard, dear, it's very hard... 

- Eliso, what led you to the decision to address our Fund?

Eliso: Despair, sadness, fatigue. But also hope. I really put a lot of thought into this, I did not dare, I was embarrassed. Thousands of thoughts were spinning in my head. No one can do as much as your Fund does, it comes from your heart. And I hope that your Fund and your good friends, will somehow help to solve my problems. You do not leave anyone unattended. May the Lord reward you a hundredfold.

"Good people are our only hope, otherwise three sick people will die of cold or hunger."

- What would you like to tell readers, Eliso?

Eliso: Thanks to everyone who takes the pain of our family to heart! May the Lord be with you! I wouldn't wish on anybody to be in my shoes. May the Lord protect everyone! I have no one else to ask for help! Please, don’t condemn us - three sick people - to die in poverty.

- I'm sure that together we can do everything!

***

Together we can do everything! Now Eliso’s family hopes for our mercy, let's once again convince her that we are next to her, and she is not doomed to die in poverty! Now it's our turn to stand shoulder to shoulder again and pull another family out of pain and poverty!

 You can visit them and provide them all possible help. Their address is: Tbilisi, Varketili, 7 Kakliani Str.

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

Friends, there is one more request: if you know about the 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: The Chelidze family).

You can also transfer money from our website.

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

We have already helped many disadvantaged people! Let’s support this family too! And who knows, maybe someday we ourselves will need help of strangers!

We have good news for you - now you can read the stories of our beneficiaries on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chernovetskyi.fund/ and Telegram:https://t.me/ChernovetskyiFund.

Even if you dial once this special number, it might save someone's life: 0901 200 270! God bless you!