Regardless of what her profile says, more importantly, she is SMART, she is BRILIANT, and she needs medical help, but it will NOT LIMIT her options.
See for yourself:
Here are some translated parts of the conversation:
- The journalist is calling her “Sweet little dove”, she says seriously “ Why you are calling me Dove? I am not a dove, my name is Rita”
- The journalist is asking her “ Do you like to sit in a armchair?”, she responds “ Of course, I like it. It is very convenient in general. You just need to put an extra roller for the back in order your back not to be curved”
- The journalist is telling to the camera about Rita’s medical condition and she comments “ Oh…I understand everything what you are saying here about me…yes…it is truth!”
- When being asked to introduce herself, she is saying " My name is Rita and I am very smart"
- The journalist is asking her " Are your eyes being bothered by the camera's light?", she responds " No, because the light is pointing directly to my nose".
Here is her profile:
December 2006
Osteogenesis Imperfecta
melx-15
From volunteers who met her: This radiant girl lives in a Russian orphanage. She suffers from OI, Group 3. She was bedridden for the most of her life; until she was almost 4 years old she could not sit and could not turn over. She had multiple bones broken by simply moving around in bed. Only one year ago volunteers found her in a cast from head to toe. They have begun raising money for her rehabilitation in the American Medical Center in Moscow. As a result, she is now sitting vertically first time in her life. The first time she was able to look out the window, she saw the bleak Moscow landscape of late November and there was no limit for her joy! She takes such pleasure in being able to see that the street cleaning guy has a “soft” hat and that birds are “fuzzy .” Despite having such a handicapped childhood, Bethany is unbelievably bright. At three and a half she knew all colors, 1 to 10 numbers, could recite many children rhymes, and she has a perfect music pitch! According to the nurses, Bethany radiates positivism and humor to such degree that children from the hospital gather in her room for a good laugh, a song, or a story. When it was time for her to leave the hospital and to part with the nurses, she broke down crying for the first time, despite all the physical pain of the hospital procedures. She desperately wants to belong, to be part of a family.
Update Sept 2011: Bethany is extremely bright child…despite of the orphanage environment, her mental development is far beyond her age group. You should see how she responds to the questions and how she comments…she is so funny and so cheerful. She can sit without a help, but she is still not walking.
More information and a video from June 2011 is available for interested families. More pictures available. Potential families must have good medical coverage and be comfortable financially.
A new video of Bethany:
