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Girl with Leukemia Looks Forward to Assistance

December 11, 2008

 

 Sopio Shengelia Has Been Able To Paint since the Age of 2

 Nana Pazhava, Zugdidi

Sopio Shengelia has leukemia, a terrible blood disease. Thrombocytopenia was initially detected in her blood at the age of three. Now she is 22 and her health condition is critical. A long period of chemotherapy has damaged her body organs. The family of Shengelias cannot afford surgical operations or medical treatments for her diseased organs and her blood disease.

The sick girl lives in Zugdidi with her parents and a younger brother. The Shengelias have a status of socially excluded family. However, the allowance they receive from the government is not enough to improve their acute and critical health conditions. The health insurance policy that is granted to socially excluded people does not envisage free treatment of such illnesses as Sopio Shengelia suffers.

Lili Kalandia, the mother: “She suffers from bleeding because of illness. Besides that she has goiter, allergic reactions, related to kidney complications, and she also needs medical treatment on these illnesses. Her situation has developed into the pyelonephritis of the kidneys. Her menstrual cycle has been completely ceased. Chemotherapy that was conducted on Sopio for 22 times caused other complications. Now she has problems on liver, womb and heart. She must be immediately operated on but I cannot help my daughter….”

The mother of the sick girl, who herself has cancer, blames her husband and herself for the deteriorated health conditions of their daughter. She thinks that because of lack of money they could not provide the child the proper medical treatment. However, Rezo Shengelia, the father also has Ischemia on his brain, a severe condition.

Lili Kalandia: “Sopio has been registered on Hematology Institute since the age of 3. I used to take her to the the Blood Transfusion Institute. Now she is registered at Zugdidi Policlinic for Adults. We have medical policy but not every medical treatment is funded within this program. On November 18 local clinic for women’s consultation sent her to Tbilisi Zhordania Institute of Medical Research but we could not go there. We cannot afford the treatment. I thought we could take free diagnostic examination on her and if operation was necessary, we could take her corresponding hospital; we hoped somebody could fund the operation.”

Maia Jishkariani, deputy director of Zugdidi Policlinic for Adults, intends to send an appeal to the Hematology Institute. Insurance Company “GPI” might be able to assist Sopio Shengelia.

Maia Jishkariani: “GPI has a contract with Hematology Institute. Thus we decided to send an appeal to them. Sopio Shengelia is patient of this institute. Now they have to settle procedural problems only.”

Even if problem of medical treatment is resolved, the family of Shengelias does not have enough money to travel to Tbilisi. Their monthly income is 66 GEL from Poverty Reduction State Program. Sopio Shengelia lost her allowance of 30 GEL she earlier obtained as a disabled person. That was several months ago and now the state does not provide allowances to the disabled people of the third category as she is classified. There is no doctor-hematologist in Zugdidi to whom the sick girl could apply to.

Despite her poor health conditions Sopio Shengelia has been painting since the age of 2. There are many paintings on their walls. Short time ago Sopio tried to cut the wood and made icon of St. George. Now she is working on the icon of Godmother. Sopio painted saints on stones too but the sick girl encountered some problems in her hobby as well. She cannot buy canvasses, paintings and brushes.

Sopio does not want to speak about her problems. She keeps away from her friends too. They do not have a TV set or other entertainment source at home in order to forget her problems for a while.

Rezo Shengelia, the father: “Sopio is self-taught painter like me. Until I was health person I worked as a painter-decorator of the city. I tried to start working as a designer in porcelain factory. Now I assist my daughter; I prepare canvases and frames for her. Once she had an exhibition in the Sheraton Metekhi Palace in Tbilisi; since then nobody has been interested in her works.”

As we found out, Sopio is mostly disappointed by useless exhibitions, false promises and support. The mother said that people have deceived Sopio very often and she is now disappointed. Anyway, the girl is ill with Leukemia and she is still waiting for assistance….

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