Danilov Monastery - Moscow
The day was predominantly spent at Danilov Monastery with Tonya, a 6 year old girl and her mother. It’s an incredibly sad story that somehow when you know the facts you realise that what ever our problems we have they pail in to insignificance.
So we met them at their apartment lying south west of the red metro line and after a short bus journey. The block was built in the 80’s and we were invited in for lunch. The girl, Zlata, has a form of cerebral palsy which the family believe was due to her mother being affected whilst pregnant and held as a hostage in the Dubrovha Theatre in Moscow.
It was back in October 2002 when forty Chechen terrorists armed to the teeth seized the theatre, located south west of the capital. There were 8-900 cast and audience taken hostage and on day two of the siege a hostage was killed to emphasise their seriousness of the demands. Lila was in the audience with a friend and on day four they were all paralysed by the ‘special forces’ pumping an inert gas into the auditorium. Once the theatre was stormed and the terrorist killed; 129 of the hostages were dead including Lila’s friend. She was hospitalised and released without any noticeable side effects although she was at that time pregnant and expecting Zlata; there was no way to know the impact.
About Zlata; she is a wonderful bright, pretty six year old girl who with this disability copes without complaining. She struggles to use her hands properly as they are clenched but she tries hard and can feed herself, hold pens and has even started writing and drawing.
Her mother and Zlata live with their grandparents in the block and her grandfather is partially paralysed from a stroke and two heart attacks that they believe were brought on from his working in Chernobyl without proper radiation protection at the astronaut centre.
So this is their story. All are happy and proud and strive hard to enjoy their life even if the drugs and medication are part of their normal day. Our day after lunch involved travelling by bus, metro and walking to the Danilov Monastery and Zlata walked almost the entire way had in hand or some times on her own. She is strong willed and eventually in the safety of the monastery she took to walking and running between the flower beds and chasing pigeons. A normal little girl.