Modestia Samara from Xylofagou was born with Down syndrome and is only 3 years old. In February 2021, she was faced with a 2nd diagnosis, Acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Her mother, Stefania Theofanous, drawing strength from her daughter's smile, gives life lessons and now forbids herself to cry for a child who is alive.
Her confession to Theodora Kyriakou moves, gives courage and touches your heart deeply.
"It is nice to have weaknesses, but even better to have strengths.
It's my strength, it's not my weakness. ”
—
"You are my strength.
I love you very much."
I am pregnant with an angel. She will have extra hugs. Extra hugs. Extra love. And extra chromosome.
Cry. Here's why… They were not beautiful feelings.
Elimination Χ NO
I did not think about it. Whatever he sent me I wanted to keep. I never thought about it.
The decision was to keep the child.
You do not know what Down Syndrome is from the beginning… I knew that these children as they grow older may develop health problems. All I told him was… "An is to take it to me early… present now, I give it to YOU. "
I did not say my thoughts to anyone; I did not want to be influenced by anyone.
While I was pregnant I was thinking… ” WHY "...
My mom cries a lot. He did not accept it easily. He was disappointed. She was the one who had the most doubts. The why inside it was more intense than mine because.
I imposed it on her. So he SENT it to us, so we will grow it "
I had people next to me. My husband who was very positive. My friends recommended me a family that had a child with Down Syndrome. It's Andreas and he was four years old then. A normal lively child, understood everything!
This is how I saw the growth it can have. It helped me a lot.
When he was born I had done professional videotaping during childbirth.
I was very happy. Very excited. I was looking forward. To see her, to meet her. I wanted so badly to see what it would look like. I did not care at all that he would have Down Syndrome. I was not afraid of anything. "CAN! Whatever it is I can. "
He has more runs. It's hard. But no one said that motherhood is easy.
But when you have an angel in your home, is not it all worth it? Deserve it!
Modestia was 2.5 years old when…
I lost the earth under my feet.
February 2021.
Leukemia. Blood cancer. I only knew that.
Lymphoblastic or myeloblastic.
I did not understand much. Lots of new words. The terminology, as if it is another language.
The doctor was trying to explain to me but…
I was crying. I cried a lot but I remember telling myself to the doctor… "We are strong".
The worst part was that I was alone. My husband was at work. I wanted my partner, next to me. With the pandemic they did not allow anyone. Quarantine. Even when I took her to the hospital we had a curfew from nine o'clock.
If I fell, no one could help her. If I fell, the house would be demolished. There was no room for me to fall. I will not fall. We will treat it like a simple disease.
The first days in the hospital were shocking. Everything is so new. The hospital was our second home. When you have other children it is difficult. There are times when you bend. But he has no choice but to do something. You will cry. You will fall πεται You are allowed to fall, but you must get up.
When she has her own smile, I have to have a double smile. Psychology is everything. When she goes through it herself. When her body goes through it then her psychology goes through it.
Chemotherapy is difficult. The cortisone he takes is even harder.
Modestia with cortisone.
May λο Summer… Increased dose of cortisone.
My Modestia is just crying. Nothing can help her. Nothing can reassure her. It is another, opposite baby when he takes cortisone. It gets very nervous.
There… I bend.
I forbid myself to cry for a baby that is alive.
Modestia is our support. It is our strength.
It makes me want to be a better person. I want to inform the world about any issues that may arise.
When you have not lived with a child with Down Syndrome, do not speak negatively. Doctors know the syndrome from a medical point of view. They do not know it emotionally. To those who comment negatively, I respond appropriately. I also have many online friends who love Modestia and often respond to my post themselves. Everyone must accept it. Mostly the parent has to accept it and then the close family circle. This is how you help a child. Any child has peculiarities, needs acceptance. Did he send it to us? For some reason he sent it to us. Accept it. Love it. Give him everything you can and he will give you back double. There is selfless love.
What they offer you emotionally, everything else flattens.
I ask children with special needs, different children, to have equal rights, equal opportunities. Down syndrome is very manageable, very educational and they can learn a lot, so do not deprive them.
We give them the wings and the supplies and many times they cut them off. They want to lock them up in institutions many times, to put them in units, while there are children who can grow to a very satisfactory degree. There is a girl with the syndrome who graduated from university.
Do not tell me to put my child in an institution. I will not put it.
You can not force me to have it in the unit. What is a unit? A place that they just pay attention to and stigmatize because they are the children of the unit.
Mother is power. The pillar of the house.
For health issues… moms hold on tight. The road is difficult. Hold on tight. Psychology must be high. I feel alone that I manage but that is in the nature of the mother. Most men do not have the strength we have. As for their young children it is even more difficult. They can not.
I wish my Modestia, to have her health, to overcome all this adventure as painlessly as possible and of course to be happy.
The text was edited by FamagustaNews.
Watch the interview with Theodora Kyriakou:
Theodora Kyriakou's shows are dedicated to Ioanna Stylianou and Mary Liotati Kalopetritis who left early.