In their small world in Ukraine, every moment together was a treasure. However, their happy family soon endured the most terrible accident that changed their lives forever. One morning, while Svetlana was busy in the kitchen preparing breakfast, she allowed Artem to play in the living room, where she could keep an eye on him.
Everything was fine until the busy mother stepped out briefly just to take out the trash. Nothing should have happened, but when she returned, she was met with a scene of chaos. Her heart sank as she entered the room: there on the floor lay Artem, who had innocently climbed onto the tall sofa and fallen.
Svetlana quickly scooped him up, singing and apologizing, but his cries did not stop. As a mother, she sensed something different in his cries — her intuition whispered of a deeper problem.
Dismissing it as simple fussiness, she focused on comforting Artem, unaware that the fall was much worse than she could have imagined. She gave him painkillers and tried her best to soothe him.
Despite her efforts, Artem kept crying. Then she realized something was terribly wrong. Looking closer, she noticed something unusual: Artem couldn’t move his left arm and leg.
When he tried to move them or reach for her, his left limbs remained completely still. When she tried to give him a drink, his mouth couldn’t open properly. Panic overtook her as she realized the fall had caused serious harm.
Svetlana couldn’t hold back her tears but knew this was no time to sit and cry — she had to act. Pushing down her panic, she ran out of the house with the child in her arms and rushed to the hospital.
There, the doctor carefully examined Artem, and with each passing minute, Svetlana felt her heart sink further.
When the diagnosis finally came, it brought a cruel reality: some nerves in Artem’s body had been damaged by his vertebrae during the fall, and now he was paralyzed on the left side of his body. Unfortunately, the doctors couldn’t say whether strength and mobility would return to that side. The news hit Svetlana like a sudden storm, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Innocent and unaware of the seriousness of his condition, Artem looked at his mother, not knowing the situation he was in. Svetlana was devastated but refused to give in to despair. With renewed strength, she embraced her role as a determined mother.
The road to recovery would be difficult, filled with therapy sessions, medical consultations, and emotional upheavals, but she was confident they could get through it together. Despite many exhausting days of therapy and treatment, Artem’s condition did not respond to medical intervention. He remained a happy and sweet boy — but still paralyzed…
The routine of therapy sessions, doctor visits, and hopeless hope for improvement seemed futile, and the burden of helplessness weighed heavily on Svetlana’s shoulders. The painful truth gnawed at her soul. She longed for the days when energetic and joyful Artem would run to her to share his toys — those little moments that made motherhood so delightful.
But now it seemed her precious boy would never walk again, let alone run. Svetlana couldn’t shake the nagging guilt that she should have been there to prevent the accident. The weight of responsibility pressed down on her, and she blamed herself for not protecting Artem that fateful day.
At work, her colleague Elena couldn’t ignore the constant sadness in her friend’s demeanor. Concerned, she reached out to Svetlana, gently probing until Svetlana reluctantly opened up and shared about Artem’s situation and the emotional burden it placed on her. As Svetlana poured out her heart, Elena listened with compassion, until a possible solution began to form in her mind.
Elena was an avid animal lover and knew that pets could provide enormous support to their owners, so she suggested the idea of getting an emotional support animal for Artem, specifically recommending a Labrador. She had had a wonderful experience with them and knew many people who did as well. Svetlana wasn’t used to having pets and was very hesitant.
However, Elena insisted on the potential benefits and convinced her of the positive impact an emotional support animal could have on Artem’s recovery. She emphasized how a lively pet could bring joy and companionship, especially to a child who loved to play and follow but was restricted in movement. As Svetlana pondered the idea, weighing potential benefits against her fears, she remembered her unwavering resolve to do everything possible for her son.
Determination swelled inside her, and she decided to take a chance. After all, Artem hadn’t responded positively to traditional treatments and therapies. Filled with resolve to explore all options, Svetlana firmly resolved to visit an animal shelter the next day, hoping to find a dog that could bring positive change to Artem’s life…