Yuliy went to an orphanage at a very young age. Both his parents are deceased. He lived with extended family for a time, but he was verbally abused and his government stipend was taken to pay off debts.
The challenge: Yuliy was on track for university. But a congenital problem with one eye made studying almost impossible and gave him headaches. Plus he was shy. He had an arbitrary placement in college studying construction.
How we helped: In February of 2018, when Yuliy was 19 years old, a Last Bell friend paid for surgery to replace one ocular lens. Our staff advocated for his medical needs. Now he can see! His vision isn’t 20/20, but it’s normal.
The impact: With his vision restored, Yuliy became more confident meeting people. More importantly, he was able to think about his future. In 2018-19 he took prerequisite IT classes, and this fall he matriculated as a full-time student of computer programming at Hebron IT Academy. It’s not easy, but he works hard. It’s only because of better vision that Yuliy can study on screens for so many hours and pursue this dream.
Yuliy began to follow Jesus and attend church. He avoids thinking about the years when he couldn’t see. But he always says, “You’ve become my family. Thank you for your support, kindness, and help. Now I know who I am. Now I know God.”