"All I wanted was for my husband to be saved and for my children to be completely well."

ImageHandler 7 Human, Liopetri, Nea Famagusta

It's a story that only happens in novels.

He went through many sorrows and trials. But she had patience, faith and a strong stomach so that she would not fall down, to stand… Everyone told her: "But do not think that you will not succeed, you will succeed because you are strong" but she always answered them: "I draw strength from my faith in the Virgin Mary. This faith has kept me upright in difficult times. "

Unfortunately…
Losing a loved one is probably the hardest part of managing your life, especially when you have to fight for your children's health.

IMG 1035 Anthropina, Liopetri, Nea Famagusta

Anna-Maria Kalli from Liopetri reports to ant1iwo:

"I grew up in a very poor family. We lived 20 people in 55 square meters, essentially in one room and we did not even have the money for the necessities. We were 18 brothers and I am the 16th in a row.
When I finished elementary school, my parents sent me to learn sewing. A few years later, I got a job at a marble factory. When I turned 23, I got engaged to a fellow villager, Andreas, who was 21 years old. He was a very good man, he loved God and the church. He was honest and hardworking. I felt happy near him.

"As much as it hurts, you have to smile because that's the only way to make your children happy"

After a year the wedding took place and together we had 4 wonderful children. Unfortunately, he did not manage to enjoy anything in his life. When he turned 26, he fell ill. He did not want to go to the hospital for examinations and almost every day, while he went to work normally in the morning, a few hours later, they brought him home exhausted from the pain. He used to tell us: "All my bones hurt" and many times, we would force him to go to the doctor and after they put a painkiller on him, we would come back. At some point his abdomen began to swell dangerously and he often lost his light. I was 5 months pregnant when she agreed to go to him for a medical examination. Then we learned that he had leukemia. I did not know what leukemia was… We lived our worst nightmare.

A few months later…

We had to face another big test…

Our baby was born with very severe hearing loss. The same doctor also examined our Maria, our third child who was 4 years old. He did not speak but we all thought that he would soon tell us the first words and that the delay in speaking to the children is not a concern. When he told me that Maria also has a very severe form of hearing loss, I almost went crazy. I did not know how to help my children…

I did not even have a driver's license and this made our life even more difficult. Every day I asked relatives and friends to take us to the hospitals. I did what I could, I ran everywhere… All I wanted was for my husband to be saved and for my children to be completely well.

I suffered a lot during the 4 months that Andreas was in Israel. He refused to go with him, he told me: "You will stay with our children, no one will take care of them as well as their mother. "Do not think of me, my parents and siblings will be with me in the hospital."

I ran the 2 smaller ones daily in their treatments and the 2 bigger ones were always stuck on me. I was dreaming the moment he would come back well and all together, we would start dreaming again. At night I slept in the arms of the letters he sent me every time one of his relatives came back to Cyprus. Oh my god!!! All those letters…

He wrote me poems but also how much he loved us and apologized for the hours he was not at home with us. During the hours he was in the cafe and he left me alone with the children. But I felt that he was slowly losing his strength and hope…

The doctors told him he was doing better but he sank into frustration and wanted to "leave". Nothing and no one could help him. He convinced himself that he would never get well and that only death was the solution. A few months later, unfortunately, came the end he so longed for…

When my husband passed away, I left in many ways… It was very traumatic that I could no longer see him, talk to him, pick up the phone…

I was constantly thinking about my children and wondering how different the feelings are born without their father next to them. I wanted them to see him in their sleep in the difficult moments of their lives and to show them the way.

Oh my god!!! How difficult times we went through with my children. I remember that I could not sleep at night and I waited until dawn for the memories to stop tormenting my mind.
But I will never forget how much my brothers and people helped me. I woke up in the morning and found bags full of food outside my door. I never missed meat. I thank them all from the bottom of my heart !!!

kalli Anthropina, Liopetri, Nea Famagusta

18 whole years have passed since then…
My children have grown up and I am very proud of them. They are good people, with morals and principles. Of course I am saddened that at the University my Maria, due to her health problem, has some issues. Many times teachers are so indifferent that parents despair and wonder what they could do to help their children more. Maria told me on ant1iwo about everything she went through and about all the problems she faces every day.

I know that…

When your children have a health problem or a disability, a fire always melts your life. When one parent "leaves" the pain is very deep and the family is no longer whole, it is no longer complete.
"But no matter how much you hurt, you have to smile because that's the only way to make your children happy."

Source: ant1iwo.com