"I am not a saint, but I didn't have a reliable shoulder next to me": Ksyusha's mother with SMA may be deprived of parental rights, but she argues that she is capable of improving

The court hearing on depriving Nina Sankova of parental rights was supposed to take place back in April — but then the process was officially paused so that Ksyusha could calmly receive the life-saving Zolgensma injection. Her mother was with her at the RNPC "Mother and Child" during that difficult moment.

Now Ksyusha is back in the orphanage, and the procedure for depriving parental rights has been initiated — a new court hearing is scheduled for September 8.

Nina is seeking help and recorded a video message. She admits that she is very afraid of D-day, but notes that she is not giving up. She assures that the house and farm buildings have been put in order. At the same time, she notes that all of this is thanks to the help of volunteers.

She says she collected necessities for the children for school. In August, Nina was allowed to visit her eldest daughter to congratulate her on her birthday — for only 20 minutes, and she was forbidden to photograph the child.

The woman says that almost 90% of her already small earnings are withheld for the children's upkeep. Nina sincerely admits that she knows society condemns her and considers her a terrible mother, but asks for understanding.

Sankova has had a difficult life. She grew up in an orphanage, gave birth for the first time at 17. Nina and her infant were housed with her biological mother, but the latter, in addition to having psychiatric problems, also drank heavily.

"My mother is now in remission, but I'm afraid she will relapse. Sometimes I think: is this a punishment for me or help? But I'm not complaining, I'm just trying to survive and get my children back. I don't drink. And I didn't abandon my children — I asked for help when I couldn't cope. My ex-husband drank, beat me, which is why we were registered [with social services]. After the death of Ksyusha's father (he committed suicide. — NN) and her diagnosis, I was offered to temporarily place Ksyusha in an orphanage. I was pregnant, I agreed, thinking it would be short-term, but they took everyone. I had no money and no strength, and now they want to permanently deprive me of parental rights."

Nina asks to see her not as an unreliable mother, but as a woman who is fighting. She says she doesn't need pity, but justice.

The woman thanks the orphanage staff for taking care of Ksyusha, but emphasizes that she dreams of raising her daughter herself, taking her for rehabilitation, and seeing her smile.

"I am not a saint, but I didn't have support or a reliable shoulder next to me. I didn't have such an example, but I am learning. I listen to the advice of people who help and support me... And I really want to learn to live correctly."

Nina says she tried to reach out to officials and the Belarusian Union of Women — but so far without much success.

She published cute videos of playing with Ksyusha, of congratulating her daughter on her birthday — and the girl is happy.

Павялічыць

However, even among volunteers, there is no unanimous vision on how best to act in such a difficult situation. Opinions are divided approximately 50-50.

Some believe that Ksyusha should absolutely not be returned to her mother. They are convinced that Nina's living conditions are far from the best, and she herself is not very ready to adjust her lifestyle. And the discussion is primarily about a seriously ill child who needs good nutrition and absolutely cannot tolerate unsanitary conditions.

Proponents of strict measures ask: is anyone really prepared to constantly be by Nina's side and monitor her behavior? They are convinced that it would be worth finding a new family for Ksyusha who would take care of the girl.

The second group of volunteers still wants to believe that Nina will finally be able to become a good mother. They argue that it would be inhumane to give the woman and Ksyusha hope, to help put the house in order, only to then deprive Sankova of parental rights.

Let us recall that this year, the story of the little girl Ksyusha Moiseenko united all of Belarus. Thanks to caring volunteers, the country learned about a three-year-old girl with SMA, living in an orphanage in Mogilev. She was almost deprived of a chance for salvation — unlike other children with such a severe illness, there was no one to fight for Ksyusha.

Raising $1.8 million for the life-saving injection of the world's most expensive medicine is a very difficult task for any Belarusian family. What can be said about a child who is left alone with the problem?

But concerned people began to promote the fundraising for Ksyusha. As a result, the astronomical sum was collected in record time — within a month. No similar fundraiser in the history of Belarus has happened so quickly.

The girl's mother, Nina Sankova, also appeared in the story and told her truth.

Павялічыць

At that time, Nina was 29 years old, lived in an agrotown about 100 kilometers from Mogilev, and worked as a machine milking operator. The woman has four children (Ksyusha is the third of them), but all of them did not live with their mother. The eldest daughter and youngest son were under temporary guardianship in another family, the second daughter lived with her father. And Ksyusha — in the Children's Home, where her mother placed her because she couldn't cope with the situation.

There was another nuance: when Nina tried to independently raise money for her daughter's treatment, she was accused of partially spending the donations on herself.

Ultimately, Nina declared that she wanted to regain her parental rights and raise her children herself. This March, in an interview with Onliner, the woman assured that almost everything was already done in her home to bring the children back — including Ksyusha. The woman said that within a month everyone would be with her.

But in reality, the situation was far from so optimistic. Witnesses said that over the past six months, the mother had done nothing to put the house in order. As a result, what was done was mainly done by volunteers.

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