Adoptive mother of the “hospital Mowgli” of the Lapino hospital: “At first, Sasha rocked herself so much that the house shook!”.

The sad story of a girl from a wealthy family, who spent 6 years of her life without leaving the walls of the ward of the prestigious Mother and Child perinatal center, shocked the whole of Russia. The child was locked alive in the hospital not for health reasons, but at the whim of his parents - Tatyana Maksimova and Yuri Zinkin. A year and a half ago, through the incredible efforts of social activists, lawyers and simply caring people, they managed to free the girl from captivity.

How does Sasha live now? And why does her fate and right to a happy childhood still hang in the balance?

Sasha was born premature in March 2014, but despite the fact that the doctors at the perinatal center delivered her, her mother and father categorically refused to take their daughter home. For some reason, they decided that the girl was seriously ill and could not exist outside the hospital walls.

The baby remained in the hospital. “Caring” parents did not visit the child, but they regularly paid bills from the medical institution (about 1,000,000 rubles per month) and the salaries of two nannies (about another 300,000). They also regularly sent a priest to Sasha (the family is very devout), who gave the child communion. That's all there is to worry about!

I NEVER CELEBRATE NEW YEAR AND SEE A TREE

Why were the doctors of the Perinatal Center inactive? Where all the authorized bodies and this same priest were looking is now unclear. But the fact remains that an absolutely healthy child became a prisoner in an expensive hospital room for many years. Sasha did not go outside, was never on the playground, did not celebrate the New Year at home, did not see the festive tree and gifts. She didn’t even know what a warm home was.

Thank God, the employees of the Volunteers to Help Orphans Foundation became aware of the terrible fate of the “hospital Mowgli.” Its leader, Elena Alshanskaya, spent almost a year visiting the authorities - the guardianship authorities, the prosecutor's office, the Investigative Committee, the Ombudsman for Children's Rights - and tried to get an end to this horror. It’s scary - a healthy child cannot and should not live in a hospital. Even if it’s expensive and comfortable. But for some reason nothing came of it. No criminal cases were opened (although this clearly constitutes a crime under several articles); the child was not taken from the hospital either to a guardian family or to his own family. As Sasha lived within four walls, she continued to live. These are ordinary people who love and want to take care of their children, who can be deprived of parental rights in one second because there are not enough bananas in the refrigerator or the roof has fallen in a dilapidated house.

And only after this story was published in the media in 2019 did the matter move forward. Maksimova and Zinkin were sued by three departments of the guardianship authorities at once. Social services asked parents to limit their rights. No, not deprived, although it would seem...

The process went on for several months (and the child was still living in the hospital!) and was covered in detail by numerous media outlets. Neither Maksimova nor Zinkin appeared in the courtroom, nor in their daughter’s room - at that time they had not been seen there for a year and a half. But they sent three spirited defenders in their place. Everything to defend their rights - to leave the child in the hospital and beyond. The journalists, and everyone present, had their hair on end standing on end from what they heard.

- Why did you decide that if parents do not pick up their child from the hospital, then they are violating his rights?

- Which regulations say what means little communication with parents, and what means enough? What about audio and video calls? And this is also communication.

- The child is kindly treated, lives in a comfortable room, everything is fine with him and there is no danger to her life and health.

These were the arguments mom and dad had. Despite everything, the court limited Maksimov and Zinkin’s rights. Yes, I didn’t, you read that correctly. Restricted. 1.5 years passed, and a new process began in the Presnensky Court of Moscow, this time to deprive them of their rights to their daughter. And again the fight - the same lawyers, the same strange beliefs. The truth is now also spiced up by the fact that Sasha’s guardians allegedly do not allow the unfortunate parents to see their daughter.

What's really going on? Where and how does “sick Mowgli” Sasha live? And did her mother and father remember her at least once during this time?

I DID NOT LEAVE THE ROOM, I DID NOT RELEASE THE NIPPLE FROM MY MOUTH

One of the most prestigious and oldest districts of Moscow. Beautiful, modern elite apartment opposite the park. This is now the home of “hospital Mowgli” Sasha.

“Children, say hello to Marina, this is our friend,” her owner, a pleasant, young brunette Yulia, meets me on the threshold of the apartment.

Three curious children's faces appear one after another in the corridor. Sasha the little one (she is 2 years old), 4 year old Lesha and Sasha the big one...

I had never seen this girl with my own eyes, but I imagined her many times and was very worried about her. And I was even a little worried. Sasha probably felt it and hid behind her mother.

- Hello!

A good girl, mischievous, smart eyes behind glasses, two blonde pigtails. And so elegant!

“Sasha is already a first-grader,” says Yulia. — She studies better than anyone in her parallel group, she has the most “stars” (grades are not given yet) than anyone else.

- Yes, and I also go to the “Young Chemist” club. And I also want to take “Financial Literacy”. I’ll grow up, become a billionaire and buy gifts for everyone, especially my mom. “I love mommy very, very much,” the girl cuddles up to Yulia and kisses her.

The apartment is very cozy, there are a lot of toys, colored pencils, coloring books, and books. Everything for children. But it turns out that here, in a Moscow apartment, the family does not live, but only visits when there is something to do - go to the doctor, work with a tutor or psychologist (this is for Sasha).

“We have a house outside the city, that’s where we live,” says Yulia. - Moreover, all the neighboring plots are our own, relatives. My parents, my sister and her family, my aunt and her family, and my grandfather. When we all gather together, it turns out to be 19 people, of which 9 are children. So it's never boring.

- Sasha, where do you like best? Here in Moscow or in a house outside the city?

- In the house, there’s grandma and school. You can have dogs and walk in the yard. I also have a big, beautiful room where all my friends can stay.

Sasha went into her room to do her homework. The younger ones collapsed on the sofa to watch cartoons, and Yulia and I were able to talk about adults.

- Yul, how did you even decide to adopt an adopted child? Still, there are two of our own...

“My husband and I have been thinking about adoption for a long time. And then there’s Sasha’s story... Terrible, of course. My mother has been collaborating with the Alshanskaya Foundation for a long time as a volunteer, and she told me about it. I felt so sorry for the girl. We immediately decided that we would take her. Our entire extended family supported this decision.

- It must have been hard at first?

- Of course it’s not easy. Sasha was afraid of everything and everyone - the street, people, younger children, dogs, cats. Just like Mowgli. She refused to leave the room, and you couldn’t persuade her to go for a walk in the yard: “Why?” It was clear that the child was not able to perceive the space around her, that she simply did not realize that the world was very big and not limited to one room. That there are many other people in it. For the first couple of months, we even had to give our children to their parents and live only with Sasha in a separate house. It was right. Then she got used to us, we slowly began to go out into the yard. On the street we “accidentally” met our own people. Moreover, at first, as soon as someone other than me or my husband tried to talk to Sasha, she immediately burst into tears and ran away. So we did everything slowly, slowly, slowly and under the guidance of a professional psychologist,

- How long did you live like this in isolation?

- Probably two or three months. Then they began to “visit” the big house and drink tea. Sasha recognized everyone and became friends with everyone. She kept clarifying - who is this for us? Grandpa, I understand. And this is auntie, your sister, of course. That is, she was very interested in family connections. And one day she herself asked my mother: “Grandma, when will we also live in this house with everyone?” Well, we moved right away.

- How did Sasha react to our usual life? For trips to the shops, to the park, for the fact that food doesn’t come on its own, but needs to be cooked?

- She was interested in everything, but only by the hand. For the first months, she didn’t let me go at all, she constantly needed physical contact - at least for something, but to hold me or my mother. Apparently she had such a strong deficit in tactile communication. And what really surprised me was that Sasha rocked herself to sleep so much that our house even shook. It’s strange, yes, she wasn’t alone after all, with a nanny, nurses and doctors. It’s as if she’s a complete orphan-refusenik (“Orphan syndrome” - from lack of attention in infancy, children who grew up in an orphanage then sway to the side as they fall asleep - ed.) . And she was always with a pacifier, although she was like 6 years old. Because of this nipple, even her diction suffered - she couldn’t pronounce all the letters.

Yulia said that, despite everything, Sasha is not at all afraid of doctors, and goes to them absolutely calmly.

- True, when we were in that very department of the Perinatal Center, everyone recognized her and began to come up and say hello: “Hello, remember me?” She answered strictly: “No!”

- Does she remember anything about her parents? And about the time in the hospital?

“We don’t even talk about it with her.”

- The parents assured everyone that the child was seriously ill...

- No, that's not true. She’s a completely healthy girl, except she wears glasses. And so all is well. True, immediately after the hospital Sasha was very weak and overweight. This is all due to lack of movement, of course, and endless sweets. She could not hang on the horizontal bar for even a second, nor could she walk or run for a long time. And in general she moved like a two-year-old child, she could fall for no reason or reason. But now everything is fine. Worn with all the children.

- How did she go to school? Still, there are no people there, only strangers.

“We were also very afraid, and the psychologist assumed that we would have to put off studying. But closer to the summer, after conducting tests, she reported that everything was fine, you can give it away. Sasha loves school very much, she swears at me if I have to pick her up early from class. She already has a lot of girlfriends there. So everything is fine.

***

Yes, except for one thing - the sword of Damocles hangs over the family - what the court will decide. After all, the natural parents are still not deprived of their rights to their daughter. And they are not going to give up just like that.

- Maksimova and Zinkin, through their lawyers, now claim that you did not allow them to communicate with Sasha. They say they have more than 40 complaints to the prosecutor’s office...

- It is not true. Only once did their representatives send a request to the guardianship authorities. This was at the height of the coronavirus, when everyone was sitting at home and could not go out at all. I had to refuse, but I offered a phone call, a video call, whatever. They refused. There were no more requests.

At the same time, one of the parents’ relatives (Yulia asked not to say who, so as not to harm this person) is in constant contact with Sasha. And he calls, and writes, and comes to visit. We don't interfere in any way.

- Julia, what are your plans in general? Do you want to remain guardians?

- No, as soon as possible, we will immediately go and formalize the adoption. Sasha is like a daughter to us, we want to give her our last name and a happy childhood, so that she quickly forgets all the horror of the first 6 years of her life.

Opinion of the President of the Volunteers to Help Orphans Foundation Elena Alshanskaya:

- Finally, Sasha began a real, normal, childhood life. Without prohibitions and restrictions. The girl can grow and develop normally and fully. I really hope that there will be no more shocks in her life, and the court will make a decision based solely on the interests of the child.

- In the year and a half that Sasha lived in a foster family, we see huge changes in her life. Today we have a completely different child - cheerful, smart, active. Sasha went to first grade with her peers, although a year ago no one could have thought about it. She loves noisy games, fantasizes, and freely expresses her feelings. All this became possible thanks to the care and love of her guardians, in whom she found a real family, mom and dad. Today, our task, as representatives of the adoptive family, is to maintain the status quo, that is, to protect their right to continue living together and help Sasha grow and develop in a healthy environment that meets her age and needs,” sums up the guardians’ lawyer Victoria Dergunova.

The next meeting of the Presnensky Court will take place in a month...

Photo: personal archive