Down But Not Out!
By Stephen Wilson, one of our reporters abroad
Homeless Russians receiving meals and assistance.
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Superstition says bad luck comes in threes. But you only need to be lucky once to reverse much of this! Perhaps the story of Igor Skakov vindicates this. For he went through the death of both parents, a divorce, and the death of the child of his partner in just less than a month. He then came to Moscow and ended up homeless.
Who among us could not feel broken by all those events?
Igor Skakov was born in Krasnodarsky Krae. He left school in his 7th year. From 15 he had to do a lot of work due to his parents falling ill. So he was a carer from an early age. To support his parents, he worked as a shepherd on a farm. Without doing this job he'd never have been able to provide medicine and feed his family.
Igor later served in the army. When he was discharged, he went to work in construction where he did repairs. He lived with his pregnant wife. Unfortunately, the mother of Igor fell ill with cancer. When his wife was in hospital he went to her by foot despite the fact the distance was a staggering 180 Km!
Tragically, he failed to come in time to visit his mother on time when she died in hospital. The following day his father died of a heart attack. Later, his partner had a still born pregnancy. Not being able to get over grief, the couple divorced. To forget his troubles, Igor began to drink. This is despite the fact he dislikes the very smell of alcohol.
He confessed, "I simply no longer wanted to live. For in one moment, I had lost everything which was dear to me. I decided to go to Moscow to start all over again from scratch."
At first things were looking good in Moscow. He got repair work and rented a flat. Then one day he was deceived by employers and could no longer count on a regular income from his work. There was no money for the rent. So Igor was evicted and ended up on the streets.
For two years he roamed the streets. After a bleak winter he was admitted to hospital with both his upper legs frozen. His legs were amputated.
When he realised what had happened, he spoke of falling on to the floor and sobbing all the time. . He said, "I thought of suicide. Only some belief allowed me not to give up." In the hospital ward he came across a priest who gifted Igor both a wheelchair and a mobile phone.
After being discharged from hospital, Igor fainted while leaving the metro. When he came round, he discovered his wheelchair and mobile phone had been stolen. Fortunately, an ambulance took him to hospital. It was from there that staff directed him to a charity called 'Warm Reception' which provides aid to the homeless in Khimkhi, a suburb bordering Moscow.
Soldiers and volunteers helping prepare a meal at Warm Reception.
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He felt relieved to find real help and a roof over his head. He stated, “Of course, everything is here at a higher level of care: food, and personal relationships. Soon my documents will be restored. But there is one particular surprise. Before coming here the wounds from my amputated legs did not heal but in this shelter they have healed in a magic way. I know the name of the magician who achieved this."
It seems that Igor is not one of those cardboard Marvel comic heroes but a real authentic hero. Despite terrible traumatic blows, he never gives up! He's survived the impossible. He seems to philosophically take one day at a time.
He states, "My dream is to walk 3-4 metres by myself. I don't dare wish for anything more!"
Let's hope everything works out smoothly for Igor.