The phone of faith

Do not ask who will call this number, you call it

We help Vera help

I had happiness. The happiness of being familiar and even a little to be friends with the first chief doctor of the first Moscow Hospice Vera Vasilievna Million -Million. She herself called me about fifteen years ago and offered her acquaintance. She said that she has cancer. That she herself goes to her own hospice. That all her life she dreamed of dying precisely from cancer, because this disease gives her thoughts and complete earthly affairs. She said that here, the dream comes true. But only there is no one to leave the hospice on, - Vera Vasilievna calmly spoke about what would happen when she dies, - she decided to leave Nyuta’s daughter, and Nyuta needs help. Will you help?

I was already a rather experienced journalist who wrote on social topics, and the daughter of Vera Vasilyevna Nyut was not at all that thermonuclear palliative care engine that is now, but was a chubby girl. We met to talk, and I fell in love, but not a girl, but in an elderly woman - in Vera Vasilievna.

And I had ten years of happiness. It sounds strange, but I loved to go to the hospice. The most comfortable place on Earth seemed to me the cabinet of Vera Vasilievna. I entered, sat in a chair, got a cup of tea, we chatted about everything in the world, and in my head I had a light blessed ringing.

A happy ringing, which every time appeared in my head from communication with Vera Vasilyevna, was the happiness of the mortal

Sometimes Vera Vasilievna moved from the office to the ward, then she became better, and she again moved from the ward to the office. But communication with her was an unchanged joy.

I don't really understand what is the secret. Apparently in indulgence. In a friendly Verin understanding that, a person dies. And since it dies, then you can understand him. You can forgive him bad character, whims, stupidity, cowardice, drunkenness - anything - dies.

I believe that this happy ringing, which every time arose in my head from communication with Vera Vasilyevna, was the happiness of the mortal. I did not understand with my mind, but with my whole being I felt that it happened to me to die in the arms of this woman, then I would be forgiven. For everything. For anything.

During a walk in the first Moscow Hospice named after Vera Millionna Pics: Pavel Smertin/TASS

When I left the office of the chief physician and talked with the conductors of the hospice, we also talked mainly about Vera Vasilievna. Employees constantly talked about her. My beloved story was called "Vera and Hitler."

The story is this: once some friends called Vera Vasilievna and asked to accept their relatives in the hospice, who was dying of cancer and suffered from pain.

“Take it,” Vera Vasilievna answered.

“You know,” the acquaintances continued, “he is a very sweet person, he will not offend flies.” Never complains.

“Take-up,” Vera repeated.

- ... a very educated, very interesting interlocutor, while modest ...

- Yes, take the same!

- ... and very friendly, intelligent, soft ...

- Yes, at least Hitler! - exclaimed Vera. - Take it!

And in this readiness to provide the last assistance to anyone, even to Hitler, was expressed for me by Verino Credo, from which in my head it seemed to be a comforting bell.

And then my mother fell ill. Brain cancer. Glioblastoma.

These were the four most painful years in my life.

The main thing, it turned out that no matter how much I write about oncology and palliative patients, I am not ready. No one can be ready.

I called Vera Vasilievna at least once a week or came to visit her and asked what to do. What should I do if my mother completely stopped moving, and I tore my back, turning it, and my father also thwarted my back.

What should I do if my mother stopped eating? How can I feed her?

What should I do if my mother began to breathe with the scream?

What should I do if a large amount of money disappeared from the house? Should I sin on the nurse? Or is it a father, exhausted by his four-year care for his mother, he hid money somewhere and cannot remember.
Vera Vasilievna answered me patiently to all these questions and so that after her answers, fatigue remained, but despair retreated.

Once I called and asked:

- Vera Vasilievna, I can no longer. Am I a monster?

“No,” Vera answered. “You are not a monster.” You are just tired. Fatigue of relatives is a testimony for hospitalization in hospice. Bring your mother. You can be with her at least twenty -four hours a day, and we will do hard work for you.

The last time I called Vera Vasilievna when my mother died. I called, asked what to do, and received a detailed instruction that included the phone of an honest funeral agent.

Chief physician of the Moscow Hospice No. 1 Vera Millionshchikova Photo: Photoxpress

Soon after my mother, Vera Vasilievna died. Now I have no one to call if any of the relatives or I myself gets into something oncological. And my hand does not rise to erase Verin's phone in the notebook.

Rather, no. There was no one to call. And now there is again. Created by Vera Vasilievna and the Vera Foundation called a hot line in her honor-a phone number where any person who is sick with cancer or something else who has relatives can call. Set all these questions that I asked. Get sensible and friendly answers from specialists. Because you cannot be prepared for any circumstance of a serious illness. Because any oncological patient and any of his relatives, now and then needs the answer to the question: “What to do if? ..”

At least four hundred people call on the hotline of palliative assistance every month. I don't want to scare you, but once you call you. I also thought that I knew a lot about cancer. Also, until my mother got sick, I thought I could handle it. Not really. Telephone consultations have become a necessity for me.

Line number: 8-800-700-84-36. The call is free.

In order for the hotline to work, so that five specialists to answer questions about the disease day and night - money is needed. Will always be needed. In our century, people will certainly hurt, and their loved ones will always be confused and suppressed.

Your even a small but monthly donation will allow a hot line to work. Day and night to your question: "What should I do now?" - They will answer.