Ms. Cecilia is one of our younger charges, but with her health severely impaired. She is known in Narew, where she has many acquaintances and friends, as „Celina of Ancuty village”.
She has lived in Ancuty all her life. She was born here, finished 4th grades of Elementary School. She also took an exam for a technical school, but was not accepted and so stayed in the countryside, on a farm.
At the age of 22, she met her husband and got married. The young spouse worked as a baker and she, at the time, took care of the house, three children and farm work. In 1979 they built a house, barn and pigsties and raised cows and horses. She remembers that she had always grown close to the foals and found it hard to accept that they were going to be sold. However, it was an additional income for the family and they had to live from something. This allowed them to send their children to schools in Bialystok.
The husband played the accordion very nicely, so they were invited to village celebrations, various games. The village was large, there was no shortage of young people. Sometimes they would gather on a bench, sing and the husband would play the accordion. It was cheerful.
Unfortunately, Cecilia soon lost her husband. When she was 36, her husband fell ill and soon died. She was left with three children, raised them alone and never married again. Years later, she came to experience another tragedy. At the age of 47, her son died. She experienced this tremendously and her health declined. In the most difficult moments of mourning, she was comforted and helped by neighbors and colleagues, but her greatest support was and is her daughter. Although she lives in Bialystok but tries to visit her mother as often as possible. She even spends her vacations together with her.
Cecylia has been ill for 4 years – she suffers from fibular nerve palsy in her left leg and lumbosacral spinal nerve root disorders. As she says, the worst part is that she can’t move on her own. She requires constant care, as she has already fallen several times.
Our home hospice provides her with support in the form of visits from a doctor, a physiotherapist and a caregiver. She greatly appreciates the help she receives from us, and we enjoy visiting Ms. Cecilia. Despite her difficult life, illness and perceived pain, she is always smiling. She is a truly joyful soul. Quite often she suffers from loneliness, so she is always extremely grateful for our visits and cordially invites us to visit her again.
