Life as it is
Climbing stairs, walking to school, running with friends... For some, these are everyday things — simple, routine. But for Vika, they require enormous effort. She is only 16 years old, and yet her years have been full of pain. Without regular rehabilitation, it's difficult not only for her to move — but even to sit.
Vika was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 6 months old, and later, her parents also learned that she has epilepsy. Since then, the family has faced many challenges, problems, and difficulties — but they’ve learned to overcome them together with their daughter. We spoke to Vika’s mother, Valentyna Markidonova, about their journey.
— Tell us about Vika: where does she study, what is she interested in?
— Vika currently studies under an individual program at the school in our village, Radushne (Dnipropetrovsk region). She always looks forward to her classes, especially on Wednesdays, when she attends school in person. We are very lucky to have her teacher, Iryna Volodymyrivna, who has undergone special training and is always finding creative methods and materials to stimulate mental development. It brings us joy that Vika can at least attend school once a week — this helps her socialize and feel included among other children. She also attends online classes twice a week, which works really well for her right now.
As for her interests, Vika loves to create — drawing, modeling with clay. She finds video tutorials online and repeats them, adding her own flair. She also loves to travel. Sometimes I feel like she would ride endlessly, just to look at the world through the window. We were lucky to visit Volyn once — I was exhausted from the long journey, but Vika wanted to keep traveling by bus.
— When you learned about your daughter’s diagnosis, what challenges did you face?
— When Vika was born, our older daughter was already 11. Everything in our family was good, and we had never faced anything like this. We didn’t know what to do or where to find neurologists or rehabilitation specialists. And when the epilepsy diagnosis was added, things became even harder. Most rehabilitation centers didn’t want to take us because there’s a belief that massages can worsen epileptic seizures. I was begging for vouchers to help improve her condition, but I was constantly refused. People warned that if a seizure happened, we would be kicked out of the center.
So I took Vika to a rehabilitation center at my own risk — and that’s when I saw the difference and realized how necessary it was.
— How often does she need rehabilitation, and where do you go?
— For true progress, we need at least four rounds of treatment a year. The best approach is alternating between two centers: one visit to the Kozyavkin International Rehabilitation Clinic in Truskavets — which focuses more on physical therapy, spinal correction, and posture — and the next to the Kyiv International Center for Rehabilitation and Neurophysiology, where they work more with the central nervous system: neurocorrection, sensory therapy, work with a special education teacher and speech therapist.
This schedule helps prevent Vika’s scoliosis from worsening — she already has stage III scoliosis, and we want to avoid needing expensive spinal implants. But we also have to support her cognitive development. Each epileptic seizure is a huge step backward: neurons die, and Vika forgets what she already knew — colors, geometric shapes, how to write letters.
— Were your fears confirmed — that physical rehab would trigger more seizures?
— No. Quite the opposite. With time, seizures have become less frequent, and after each visit to the Kozyavkin center, Vika feels better. That’s why it’s so important for us not to stop. This year, we’ve already been to Kyiv and now eagerly await our trip to Truskavets.
— Are these rehabilitation trips covered by the government, or do you have to pay yourselves?
— The government offers rehab once a year, but when you get in line, it turns out Vika only gets in once every two years — and that’s not enough. While waiting for a government program, her scoliosis worsened to stage III, and it became difficult for her to move, sit, and even her hands and neck hurt. So we have to find ways to pay for rehab ourselves — including travel, accommodation, and meals.
We’re very grateful to the NGO “Epiprosvita,” which supports people with epilepsy and has helped us join the Dobro.ua fundraising initiative to support Vika’s physical and cognitive rehabilitation.
— How has life changed since the start of the full-scale invasion? How does Vika react to air raid alerts and explosions?
— We live very close to the frontline, so alerts are frequent. A year ago, about 15 Shahed drones hit an electrical substation just 800 meters from us — it was terrifying. My husband and I were scared, and Vika was screaming and crying. Constant stress doesn’t help her health, so we are really looking forward to visiting Truskavets to take a break from the explosions and alarms. But honestly, there is no truly safe place in the country right now.
We also worried that the war would cancel rehabilitation programs. But I’m grateful to our defenders for giving us the chance to keep going and simply live. I especially appreciate that we’re able to stay in our own home and not have to flee abroad.
— Mothers of children with disabilities often have to be teacher, doctor, and psychologist all at once. How do you manage? Do you have time for yourself?
— Right now, my life revolves around my daughter and grandchildren. Since the start of the war, I’ve put my own needs on the back burner. I also spend a lot of time doing community work — I help elderly people in our village who were left alone because of the war. I search for funds to meet their basic needs, since local authorities often forget about them.
I also bake sweets for our soldiers — volunteers pick them up and take them to the front. Sometimes I feel guilty that I’m not giving Vika enough attention because community work can take up a whole day or more. But she manages — she draws, does crafts, and keeps up with her schoolwork. Spring is here, the flowers will bloom soon — she loves watching them. We live in a private home, and Vika spends a lot of time outdoors.
— What do you dream of? What do you want most right now?
— I dream of victory — to drive the invaders out and finally have peace. Peace is what our children and all of us need most. Right now, the most important thing is that each of us does what we can to bring victory closer.
— Thank you for the conversation.
Kateryna NOVYTSKA
