Nikoloz was born with this terrible condition 15 years ago, and every day since has been a living nightmare.  He cannot talk. He can only make a few sounds. The poor boy can’t even close his mouth properly. And even when he manages to do so, it’s only for a couple of minutes – then the two tongues push it open again. It’s heartbreaking. It’s worse than a nightmare.

And this is not the only issue he faces.  There’s what looks like a hump growing on his back. He suffers from intense spinal pain. Nikoloz was also born with a severe congenital heart defect.

His first heart surgery was done when he was a newborn. The second and third were performed when he was five and seven. But the most terrifying part is that Nikoloz was born without an atrial septum, and his heart has only three chambers instead of four. This means oxygen and carbon dioxide mix together in his blood.  His life is constantly hanging by a thread, and his heart could stop at any moment. Oh Lord, please don’t let this tragedy happen to the Berberashvili family.  Nikoloz also struggles to walk.  He can only take a few steps before collapsing from exhaustion.
The rest… well, you can probably imagine yourself, dear reader.

Lali, mother (22 years old): Please, dear (she turns to the correspondent, her voice filled with sorrow), please say this so that other mothers can hear me: My heart breaks when I see my child – my own flesh and blood – suffering! I would give her my own legs if I only knew such surgeries were possible! But one doctor said that abroad, they can perform operations like this. Her feet are deformed and don’t bend properly. Her legs are so thin and fragile that her bones crack with every step— her mother is terrified they will break. Without your help, Anna-Maria won’t make it! Please extend a helping hand and give this little girl a chance at a normal life!

This is six-year-old Liliana. She was born completely healthy, and her single mother adored her.  Even though they struggled financially, their home was filled with joy because Liliana was healthy. Health is the greatest wealth in life.

On her fourth birthday, despite their hardships, her mother managed to buy ingredients for a homemade cake.  That evening, a happy Liliana blew out her candles. She welcomed her fourth year with excitement, never knowing that it would also bring devastation to her family.

One morning, Liliana woke up with a high fever. She was shaking, her throat hurt, and she was so weak she couldn’t even get out of bed. “Oh, it must be that awful virus,” her mother thought, and rushed to the pharmacy with the few coins she had. But who could have imagined that this “awful virus” would turn Liliana’s life into a living nightmare? The angelic little girl developed uncontrollable epilepsy.

Mariam’s scoliosis is pressing harder and harder on her lungs each day – sometimes completely cutting off her oxygen supply. The pain she endures is unbearable. She can’t sleep, she can’t stand up, she can’t even turn over in bed. 

Her ribcage is becoming more deformed with each passing day, and no painkillers can ease her suffering anymore. Her parents are praying on their knees for just one thing: to get her abroad for the surgery that could save her life. But where can a nearly destitute family find such a huge amount of money? If we waste any time, it will be too late. 

Lika, mother (37 years old): “I’ve been carrying my daughter in my arms for 18 years, and I will carry her for as long as I live… but I’m running out of strength.

She is 18 now – the best years of a girl’s life. Sometimes dark thoughts creep into my mind, making me wonder if God has forgotten some of us. But I immediately pray, because I know thinking that way is a terrible sin. I believe that in moments like these, God gives us all a chance – to defeat the devil through kindness and compassion!

Mariam was born with microcephaly—her skull developed abnormally, leaving no room for her brain to grow. 

Every day, Asmik endures painful procedures and medication.  She has never known what it’s like to wake up and simply enjoy a new day without suffering. She is eight years old, yet she still wears diapers.

Marina, mother (32-year-old): “When my daughter was seven months old, I noticed she couldn’t sit up or hold her head. After medical tests, the doctors gave me devastating news—she had severe brain damage.  One side of her brain doesn’t function at all, and the other, they said, works at only 20 percent. Why has my little angel met such a sad fate?”

She can’t walk or talk. Asmik cannot even eat on her own. God, this little angel suffers so much!

Marina: “Every meal ends in tears because my daughter cannot chew solid food. And I don’t even have a blender to make her soups and purées.”

Asmik’s tiny body is constantly tense, as if high-voltage electricity is running through her muscles.  She cannot relax – not for a single moment.  The pain is unbearable. She screams in agony, and the entire village can hear her cries.

Oh God, how much suffering Merab’s mother has endured for 12 years! I can’t even put her pain into words.  But both she and her son share the same dream! And Turkish doctors have promised to ease both her suffering and Merab’s.

Merab is growing up like any other child, but soon, his mother will no longer be able to carry him outside so he can at least see and talk to other children. He cannot take a single step on his own.

Merab (12 years old): “My legs hurt so much. So, so much. The pills don’t help! And my parents don’t have money to take me to Turkey for treatment. Otherwise, I would never ask my mother to bother other people! Please, help her and help me! Please, help! I dream of standing up and at least walking quietly with my friends… Otherwise, I will spend the rest of my life watching others play from my window. I just want to live! ”

When Merab’s mother was pregnant, doctors said his brain was damaged and that he wouldn’t survive. But despite all the terrible predictions, he survived. It is truly a miracle from God!