of Yago Komakhidze (Tamara’s father):
Dear friends,
I am addressing you hoping that you will listen to me and understand my pain. In 1991 our daughter was born with a very complicated valvular heart disease (defect of interventricular septum of the heart and transposition of great vessels). A surgery was necessary. Such complicated surgery was not available in Georgia. Even Russian specialists refused us, so we had to travel abroad where this surgery cost $25 000. I was not able to pay this amount. I worked as an ordinary engineer and saw this amount of money in the movies only. The only thing I could hope for was the grace of God. The doctors said that we had to wait for better time in case my child’s disease provides us with this possibility, and to have a surgery just afterwards. I had no choice indeed.
At that time I lived in such fear that I do not wish any parent to feel. I was afraid of everything: I was afraid when she ran a high temperature, when she had a cough, sneeze, when she felt pain in her throat or stomach… in one word, I was afraid of everything since every disease of my daughter was like waiting for putting to death for me and my wife. It’s a horrible feeling, which can not be expressed in words, you have to feel it to understand. But I would not wish it to anyone, even to the bitterest enemy.
So we lived in such fear till spring 2009. Everything looked ok, when she was six she was enrolled to school and had excellent marks. She has been poetizing and writing short stories, she likes drawing, taking pictures – and she is quite good at it. She managed to master Russian language almost by herself. Tamara has always been very sensitive — she was sensitive so much that I was not able to tell her a fairy tale about the Little Red Riding-Hood and the wolf, about bad bandits etc.
We have never told our daughter about her disease, we thought that if she did not know, she would not think of it and the disease would not grow progressively worse. I am not sure if we were right. We have offered her to pass medical examination for several times, but she always refused. Being afraid to make her upset, being in fear she could feel worse we were not able to force her to go to the doctor. It sounds strange and unreasonable but it is true.
Time passed and we hoped that Tamara’s body will overcome the disease, but we were mistaken.
This spring when she finished school Tamara suddenly decided to pass a general medical examination to know the reason why she was so lean (35 kg only) and she did not put on weight. During the diagnostics she was appointed for additional examination to the cardiological hospital. They confirmed the diagnosis and said it is too late for the surgery. Our friends informed us that there is a hospital in Yerevan, where the doctors agree for surgeries from which other doctors refuse. We came to Yerevan. Doctors told us that she had no transposition of great vessels, but the defect of interventricular septum had become very big and that was why the surgery would be very complicated, with 30% risk during the surgery and 30% risk after it. The cost of surgery makes up from $6500 to $8000. We were surprised that our daughter reacted to this news patiently and is now facing the future with a great hope.
I am employed but my salary amounts to $300, and even if I save it in full every month I will accumulate the amount needed in two years and six months only. We are limited in time, September is coming soon, and I have nothing in my hands. It is impossible to delay the surgery, it will kill my daughter.
You are my last hope and that is why I am addressing you for assistance. And I promise as soon as the surgery is finished successfully, I will start Intway business very actively, I will manage to reach income $100 per day and first of all I will return all the money but I will owe you till the end of my life!
Hopefully, Yago Komakhidze