Operation Officer Levin

The former military, scientist Leonid Levin has no family, work, at home, communicating with children and health. He has hope - to do an operation on the hip joint, and then return to the volleyball court and to the landfill

Help the Maltese assistance service to help

Leonid Anatolyevich’s quiet, intelligent voice in the tube trembles and heats up, giving out excitement.

“Can you call me more when you are on the way? So that I start to wait for you, to take it. ”

In the mobile shelter for homeless disabled people, arranged by the Maltese service opposite the new village railway station in St. Petersburg, a variety of people are waiting. And they are waiting for different things. Someone is the restoration of documents, someone is hospitalization, and someone is just hot tea with cookies. And the former military man, designer Leonid Anatolyevich Levin, is waiting for my call today.

The navigator leads me to a high fence enclosing a small plot of land between roads and railways. The shelter is more like a field camp for adult scouts: a large, forty places, a heated military -style tent, a dry closet, several utility rooms. The whole farm is protected by the vigilant shepherd Dick, he also longs to give an interview - he barks at me with bass.

“Dick, do not bother,” Leonid Anatolyevich reassures him, deftly going down from the steps on crutches. Even despite the crutches, he is in excellent sports uniform for his sixty -three years.

“I am from the first grade in sports,” Levin proudly explains. - He played volleyball, with the current Olympic champions. In his youth - for the Georgian national team, then in the army, then in Voinmekh, until 2007 he entered the site. Balls, knee pads-still everything is stored somewhere. Now I’m watching matches on TV - hands are asking for the ball. ”

Levin and I are sitting on chairs in a quiet corner of the courtyard - I am in the shade, he is in the sun, heating. Leonid Anatolyevich is stately, neat, a little embarrassed by his toothless smile, but quickly copes with embarrassment and begins to talk enthusiastically about himself, not forgetting to ask me from time to time.

A thousand personnel

Levin was born in Georgia, his father, a military man, was sent to serve there after Berlin. After school, Leonid Anatolyevich decided to enter the Leningrad military. But the first time he did not enter, went to the army and got to Germany by distribution.

Leonid Photo: Lisa Zhakova for TD

After the army, studying in Voinmekh began, party work, family, a daughter was born. Having finished graduate school, Levin began to teach, went from the assistant at the department to the deputy deputy faculty, was engaged in scientific activities, and constructed. Developed secret weapons, including Afghanistan.

Levin smiles: “Many people knew me. My students are now serious, successful people who have become a rector, who is a deputy. ”

I hardly manage to hide surprise: among the former students of Levin, the current rector of Voinmech, Professor Ivanov. My interlocutor explains calmly: “Yes, some came here, came. Someone did not recognize me, but one deputy wrote down my whole story, took a pencil. ”

There was no assistance from the deputy in Levin’s case yet, although the coordinators of the Maltese assistance service are trying to tell the story of a military designer who remained without a house, and Levin persuades not to be silent. “They always push me: tell me about yourself, you have such a story, special. They try to help everyone to get out. After all, since January here, six months soon. ”

I did not get out

About the end of the 1990s-early 2000s in his life, Levin speaks reluctantly. He divorced his first wife, leaving her and daughter an apartment, married a second time. Teaching had to be left - there was not enough money. A variety of part -time jobs began, I tried to do business with friends. And then friends began to die. Relations in the family became more and more intense. In 2004, Levin went to the hospital for the first time in his life-immediately with a heart attack.

“He sat at home, football was waiting on TV. Nothing hurt before - and suddenly it was struck at one moment, ”says Leonid Anatolyevich. - In intensive care, he opened his eyes and tell the doctor: “Now“ Zenith ”will play!” And they answer me: “You have been lying here for three days, you have a heart attack.”

Leonid on her bed photo: Lisa Zhakova for TD

In the hospital he was quickly put on his feet. Levin is sure that the heart could not stand because of the nerves-too often they cursed with his wife. After recovery, Levin left the family. All property, as after the first marriage, left his wife and daughter. First, he lived with his younger sister in the St. Petersburg village of Metallostroy, together looked after an elderly mother. Then the mother died, her grandchildren were born at the sister, it became crowded in the house - and Leonid Anatolyevich left again.

This time to nowhere.

In St. Petersburg, he first lived with friends, then in rented apartments. To make money on housing, Levin started a business in the northern market. “They sold everything - equipment, details, things. They survived as they could, ”says Leonid Anatolyevich. “Whatever I did then ... it’s better not to remember.” It was hard and ashamed, but what to do? I tried until the last to get out somehow. ”

It was not possible to get out.

In 2011, Levin was operated on the brain tumor. And then problems with the legs began. Several times Levin lay in hospitals - Pokrovskaya, Elizabethan and St. George, he was taken to a consultation at the Institute. Harmful. Doctors determined the strongest wear of the hip joint and tissue inflammation.

Levin spent his last savings for medicines. There was nothing to pay for rented housing. No one visited Leonid Anatolyevich in the hospital-for some reason, the disabled father did not need daughters.

“The eldest is somewhere in Europe, even with his mother does not communicate. And the second twenty -five, she is going to marry, not to me. It seems that there is my phone, and they always lived with it peacefully, but communication does not develop, it is difficult, ”says Levin. “You won’t be forcibly sweet.” But I'm not offended. I am also used to students, patiently treat people. Everyone must be accepted and understood. ”

I also try to understand and accept what I hear. It turns out badly. Levin falls silent, lowers his shoulders, squeezes the crutch - as if recollecting himself and realizing that there was no more the past.

Leonid Photo: Lisa Zhakova for TD

Leonid Anatolyevich went from the hospital to the Orthodox church shelter on the 3rd line of the Vasilyevsky Island, lived and worked there, and helped to feed the homeless. The memory of the shelter is a cross on a black lace. “Here, two girls, employees, they gave me. I never take it off, he protects me. Maybe he brought me here, to the Maltese, ”Levin shares.

Order of courage

Before getting to the Maltese Assistance Service, Levin had to go through resuscitation again. The hip joint could not stand the load and broke, and the new one, he met in the hospital. Levin was well aware of his then position: after discharge, it would be very difficult for him to work in a church shelter - because he would come out of a disabled person on crutches from the clinic: doctors took off acute pain, but confirmed that only an expensive operation would help to return mobility. It’s almost unrealistic to earn it to it yourself, and the military, a professional athlete simply could not ask for a military man, candidate of sciences. Despite the fact that Levin’s passport remained registration and de jure was not considered homeless, he had nowhere to go. But Leonid Anatolyevich did not lose heart.

“I know how I say it is hard? T-A-A-A-A-K, I say. That's exactly with such an intonation. So, so, so - and we’ll break through, it's okay. ”

Levin's history was learned in the service of the assistance of the Catholic Maltese Order - Employees of different assistance services communicate with each other, the whole world is looking for an opportunity to help a person . Mikhail Kalashnikov, a mobile shelter for homeless disabled people, found a place for Levin in his tent. The order helped with clothes, medicines, gave out crutches and began to prepare Levin for surgery.

“You know, I rose directly in spirit here, hope appeared. Very now I am setting myself up for recovery and work, ”Levin looks around in search of a wooden surface - to knock. - It seems to be well added up. It remains to do the operation on the leg. And the doctor was so good, I agree to take me, he was a military surgeon before. ”

Leonid in the yard near the shelter photo: Lisa Zhakova for TD

The operation is the most important topic for Levin. After it, he is going to go to the military training ground with the experimenter and resume scientific activity. But the first thing, getting to his feet, Levin will run to the volleyball court: “I will play, I will play it! Now it’s warm, in the yards the guys play through the grid - the ball knocks, I hear. Oh how you want! "

The Maltese assistance service helps to fulfill these simple and important dreams not only to Leonid Anatolyevich, but to dozens of people who fell in a difficult life situation. Here they solve medical problems, provide legal assistance, take care of the sick and weak, establish life in the shelter and help to return to normal life. To ensure this assistance, the daily work of the shelter is needed - curators, social workers, coordinators. And in order for this work to continue, the Maltese service also needs help.

So, so, so-a volleyball ball knocks somewhere next to a mobile shelter.

So, so, so - the time is the time before the operation for Leonid Anatolyevich Levin.

So, for example, from your donations and small monthly transfers, a large good deed consists of.

Make a fee right now, for any amount-100, 300, 500 rubles-and your generosity and generosity will help someone from the wards of the Maltese help service to get to their feet and return to normal life.

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