December 11, 2013
Appeal for Help from the First Hierarch for a Family in Need
Venerable clergy, beloved in the Lord brothers and sisters!
I APPEAL TO YOUR HEARTS, ASKING FOR HELP!
In
early September of this year, Maxim Lvov, the year-old son of my
long-time assistant and subdeacon (now Deacon) Dionysius Lvov,
became very seriously ill. At first Maxim was diagnosed with
pneumonia and it was expected that the baby would be released from
the hospital after a few days. However, very soon analyses showed
that the pneumonia was caused by a very severe and resistant
bacteria, staphylococcus, which was trapped in the baby’s lungs,
something that happens very rarely. This occurred when Dionysius was
fulfilling his duties for the Church in Toronto (Canada), where he
arrived with his wife Nadiya and the baby. Maxim was urgently
hospitalized in a closed ICU for infectious diseases. The child
could not breathe or move. In one of the first episodes of
pneumothorax, his pulse was lost for a time and he almost went into
cardiac arrest. It was a terrible time for the parents, who feared
the loss of their only son. Hoping in God’s mercy and help, they
sent numerous requests for prayers far and wide and now express
their heartfelt thanks for your prayers.
Maxim spent about a month in the intensive care ward of the
children’s hospital. By the grace of God, Maxim was able to be
treated in one of the best children’s hospitals in the world, the
Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. On the 32nd day of his stay in the
hospital, he was discharged and transferred to New York, which was
something the hospital hoped for, as the parents had no health
insurance in Canada and the U.S. government insurance Medicaid did
not cover medical costs incurred in Canada.
Thanks be to God, step by step Maxim is on the mend, though he still
needs to be checked by doctors several times a week and continues to
take antibiotics four times a day. In addition to ongoing concerns
related to the course of recovery through which Maxim must pass, his
parents have already received a bill from the hospital for treatment
in the amount of US $134,023.89 and are trying to raise the
necessary funds to cover this expense. The hospital has made
concessions and has allowed a delay in payment. However, if over
time the hospital administration will see that the parents are not
trying to collect the needed funds to pay off the debt, it will
begin to take legal measures for collection.
Deacon
Dionysius and Matushka Nadiya Lvov are grateful to God for saving
their son and they thank all those who were close to them during
this difficult time and who prayed for Maxim. But they are still in
dire need of our help, in whatever form that can be. For this reason
I, as the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad and the ruling
bishop of the Diocese of Eastern America & New York, have blessed
the father-rectors of parishes of our Diocese to hold a plate
collection for Maxim Lvov on Sunday, December 15, 2013.
I invoke God’s blessing upon all of you and pray that Christ the
Giver of Life will send His rich and abundant mercies on us sinners.
By His goodness, let us continue to support and help each other in
the difficult situations of life, which are sent to us for our
purification and spiritual strengthening.
The season of the Nativity fast has arrived, a time beneficial for
our repentance, for prayer, and the examination of our hearts
through the commandments of Christ. The Fast is a time to give alms,
to which the Holy Church always beckons us; it is a time to show our
love for others and for Christ. "By this shall all men know that ye
are My disciples, if ye have love one for another" (John 13, 35). I
ask all of you to respond to this appeal and help Deacon Dionysius
and Mat. Nadiya Lvov in accordance with your abilities.
With love in Christ,
+HILARION
Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York
First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
NOTE:
Checks should be made payable to:
Denis Lvov, with the memo:
"For Maxim Lvov Fund" and sent to:
Rev. Denis Lvov
2220 65th Street, Apt. 108
Brooklyn, NY 11204,
USA
Media Office of the Eastern American Diocese
