The first Moscow hospice is celebrating its XNUMXth anniversary.
An incurable disease, excruciating pain, death – the terrible side of life, which most of us do not want to think about and are afraid to talk about, doctor Vera Millionshchikova loudly called by name. Twenty years ago she built the “House of Hope”, which in no way resembled a gloomy prison-hospice with a hateful smell – the hospice was and remains a cozy home filled with flowers, care, lively laughter, warmth.
“Hospice is the work of a nanny,” said Millionshchikova. Relatives and friends recall that she had an amazing combination of healthy cynicism and endless kindness to people, a caring attitude towards everyone. She was not afraid. She remembered all her patients by name and never judged anyone. “Yes, even Hitler, Zoya, even Hitler, take me …” – she once answered a request to receive another guest.
She smoked a lot and always had a smile on her face. She believed herself and made others believe that each of us deserves to die humanly in our own time:
“There is no need to actively intervene in the process of dying – you will not fix anything. But you have to be there, take the hand, touch, sympathize. You definitely won’t think about what you need to cook cabbage soup. The importance of the moment is poured around – someone leaves, and you accompany him. You don’t have to speak, you can just snort quietly. The main thing is that a person feels that he is not alone. Because one, they say, is very scary. But I can’t say for sure – I didn’t die. ”
Vera Millionshchikova lived a short life, 69 years old. Her main commandment – “A worthy life to the end” – continues to live. In the twenty years that have passed since the opening of the first hospice, 100 new hospices have appeared in Russia. The most acute problem that concerns us all is still the right of terminally ill children and adults to die without suffering. To solve it, the Association of Hospice Care Professionals was created – it will defend the rights of terminal patients.
It’s easy to help – send a message with the word “Faith” and the payment amount to number 3443More information on the website hospicefund.ru/help