ORPHANED CHILDREN ARE GETTING THE CHANCE TO WALK!

happyfamilies.org
2009

On September 4th at the Theater of Dramatic Art in Moscow, Natasha Shaginian-Needham with the Artist Fund (actors Yevgeny Mironov and Maria Mironova and Natasha Shaginian-Needham, founders) organized and hosted the event I Want to Walk for orphaned children with missing limbs. Famous actors read wonderful poems written by children from the orphanage. The talented children of the Vladimir Spivakov Fund produced a musical program devoted to these children who dream to walk. The funds raised will support the children traveling to the Dallas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Texas for surgery and prosthetics.

Without prosthetics, many orphans are unable to attend higher education and cannot live independently. If they do not get help now, they will be doomed to spend all their lives in homes for the disabled.

On September 2nd and 3rd, in the Filatov American Hospital, Dr. Tony Herring, Chief Surgeon, and Don Cummings examined 22 children with missing limbs. Dr. Herring performs the most difficult operations and Don prepares unique prostheses. They both work in the Dallas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, where every year hundreds of children rise to their feet and learn to walk for the first time in their lives, and where all treatment is provided to children free of charge.

Dallas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children can accept five children per year from Russia. Dr. Herring and Don have selected the first group of children who need help the most and would not be able to get it in Russia. This means that this year, for five orphaned children, their dream to walk will become a reality.

The program I Want to Walk started a few years ago with Sasha Shulchev, the boy who was born with no legs. Today Sasha is walking; skiing and helping his friends to make their dream to walk come true.

Shortly, Aleksandr and Viktor will go to Texas, where they will have surgery and prosthetics. Soon Aleksandr and Viktor, too, will be walking.

Together we can help more children have a chance to walk! Please donate to the I Want to Walk program and change a child's life.