Harbin embraces Russian mom in need

Yang Tao, a local community worker, visits Elena Sibileva and her daughter Daria at their rented house in Harbin on Wednesday. The Russian single mother came to Harbin to seek treatment for her daughter, who has cerebral palsy. SHI JIKAI/CHINA DAILY

Elena Sibileva, 25, has received generous assistance from residents since coming to the city in December for her daughter's treatment.

Sibileva, a nursery teacher from Blagoveshchensk, a Russian city on the China-Russia border about 580 kilometers from Harbin, gave birth to twin girls in late 2015. Due to a lack of oxygen during labor, the girls developed cerebral palsy, the symptoms of which include stiff and weak muscles, poor body coordination and tremors.

Though the situation got better after treatment for Victoria, the older twin, this was not the case for her sister, Daria. To make matters worse, unable to deal with the situation, Sibileva's husband left the family, and Daria's treatment in Moscow was ineffective.

Sibileva refused to give up. After hearing from friends about good recovery hospitals in Harbin, she quit her job in December. With the 1-year-old infant in her arms, she came across the border to China, leaving Victoria with the child's grandmother.

As Sibileva, who does not speak Chinese, tried to rent a house near the hospital upon arrival, she encountered Qi Yize, a Heihe University student who happened to be helping out at the rental agency of his aunt, Qi Mei.

Through her nephew's translation, Qi Mei learned about Sibileva's predicament. She decided to help her.

To start with, she got her a second-floor room where Sibileva wouldn't have to climb many stairs, and provided a stroller that Qi Yize had used when he was a baby. She and her sisters Qi Jie and Qi Min bought milk powder and clothes for Daria. They even invited her to the reunion dinner for the Chinese New Year.

Moreover, since the therapy is costly, the sisters started a WeChat group chat called Help Save Dasha－the nickname for Daria－to raise money for Sibileva, and they have received big and small donations. Although her mother came to China with only enough money for two months of treatment, Daria has been treated for four months, thanks to donations.

"I never expected to have so many strangers helping me in a different place, and I'm really grateful," said Sibileva.

The child has undergone traditional Chinese medicine therapies such as acupuncture, herbal baths and massages, as well as modern ones like physiotherapy, at No 2 Hospital attached to Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine.

But she has a long way to go, since the treatment will last for about two more years, with a total cost of about 400,000 yuan ($58,000). Sibileva said she will return to Russia by the end of this month to renew her visa and raise more money.

Contact the writers at liangshuang@chinadaily.com.cn

Ren Qi contributed to this story.