Hospital #3

If you ride the train about 40 minutes from Baltiskii railway station, passing through the President’s estate in Strel'na and the beautiful fountains in Peterhoff, then you will come to Old Peterhoff. It’s a part of town that is getting built up, but still has a feeling of isolation.

If you walk around the pond and down the windy road into the woods, and keep walking for about 10 minutes, you will come to Hospital #3, the Psycho-Neurological Facility for adults. One might even say that the area is pretty, if it weren’t for the fact that many patients have been abandoned to the isolation of this institution for the rest of their lives.

We originally were introduced to this place when we were seeking to adopt Nastia, whose mother Lena was institutionalized after being beaten by her now-deceased husband and having received permanent injuries. Nastia now has built a new life in the U.S., and her mother remains in Russia. We visit Lena from time to time and bring news of her daughter and now grand-daughter. Below, Lena enjoys looking at photographs.

Some of Lena’s roommates have also befriended us. Clockwise from left below are Yulia (with Cerebral Palsy), my mom, Sveta (who has gone blind), me, Larissa, and Lena.

This is Olesya. She was just transferred here recently to spend her adult life. She is 22.

The main goal is to let them know that they are not forgotten, not by us, nor by God, their Father in Heaven.