Mother’s Day is a special time to reflect on what a beautiful honor it is to be a mother and what a blessing is to have had a mother. For some mothers in the Republic of Moldova, each day that they look at their children is a reminder of just how fragile life is and how they would sacrifice anything, even their own life, to grant their child the gift of health. There is one oncology hospital in Moldova for children with cancer ranging from ages 1-16. Medical care is very different in Moldova than it is in western Europe or in the United States. Although it is a government hospital, the patient must pay for medicine administered in the hospital and there are few if any support programs to improve the quality of life for patients as they battle cancer or to offer support to families. Walking from room to room and seeing mothers and fathers with intense pain and helplessness deeply etched on their faces, is a difficult and heartbreaking experience. LSM has helped by purchasing necessary medicines to be administered to children undergoing chemotherapy and also to those who were terminally ill and in excruciating pain. LSM staff visited families to offer support and to bring comfort and basic necessities which are affordable

for most families. When a child, who is fighting so hard to stay alive, smiles at the sight of slippers to wear in the hospital, a new toothbrush, or a soft and cozy blanket, in that moment we realize once again just how honored and humbled we are to have the privilege to minister to these children and their families.

As Mother’s Day is approaching here in the U.S. we want to invite you to participate in a very special project. Think of the mothers who held their precious babies in their arms, kissed their cheeks, woke up over and over at every little cry to comfort their child, and dreamed of seeing their son or daughter grow up and perhaps have a better life than they did in the Republic of Moldova. Now, they sit hour after hour by their child, helpless, wishing they could give their own life just to see their son or daughter cancer-free. On their behalf we want to bring a smile to their child’s face and to improve their life with a special gift, a bag (see red and white bag above) filled with basic necessities a child would need. There are approximately 60 children at any given time undergoing cancer treatment and for each one we would like to fill a non-gender specific bag with a set of towels, a blanket, slippers, hygiene items, coloring supplies, puzzles, a plush toy, and other much needed items. In addition to the bag, on the day of distribution we will provide a bag of fresh fruit and other food items for the child and his/her mother as well as a financial gift to pay for necessary medicine.

LSM will fill all the bags and ship them on the next container in early summer. If you would like to be part of this very special project in honor of Mother’s Day please make your donation by May 10 and mention Mother’s Day Project in comments/memo.
Distribution of these gifts will be in August of 2016.