Kostya's soul resides in mirrors, while on this side, only his frail body remains.

Kostya is out of touch with the real world. He seems to travel between dimensions — the real one and his own. He can spend hours gazing into the mirror, but not at himself, rather at the reflections of objects. He enjoys playing with them. However, when left alone with real toys, he loses interest as if he stops seeing them. He also loves water: he can watch droplets falling into water for a long time and admire the refraction of reflections on the water's surface; he observes the air bubbles rising in a bottle of oil, the gel night light… The movement and rhythm mesmerize him. It seems he does not just listen to music but actually sees it! Yet, he almost refuses to see ordinary, physical things. For instance, when he spots something he needs, before touching it, he looks away and feels for it, as if avoiding full contact with the real object.

The boy's official diagnosis sounds like the plot twist of a sci-fi film: “Chromosomal pathology of unknown etiology.” In other words, while creating Kostya, nature seemed to be attempting to sculpt a new species of human. Or perhaps it simply mixed up the dimension in which he was supposed to be born. Or even the planet altogether! All of this would be very poetic if it did not manifest as “moderate intellectual disability,” which complicates life for both the child and those around him.

— Kostya is ten years old now, and from a general physiology perspective, he is healthy, — his mother explains. — But in terms of life skills and daily living abilities, he is like an infant. We dress him, feed him, and take him to the bathroom… Unfortunately, we are unable to teach him to do anything independently due to that same poetic reason — the real world does not interest him. For example, monitoring his hands showed that both his hands are equally developed, meaning he can write, draw, and hold a spoon with either hand. For an ordinary person, that’s a huge advantage, but for Kostya, it does not matter because he is not interested in his hands themselves, only their reflections. It feels like Kostya is both here and not here at the same time. Like a prisoner of his own body. He will cry from hunger but will not eat by himself, he will walk in wet pants but will not go to the bathroom on his own. His body hinders him from living his own life, yet he cannot exist without it, so he suffers.

Photo: from personal archive.

His parents, along with his two younger healthy sisters, love Kostya just the way he is. And he reciprocates as much as he can — thanks to the help of specialists, he is trying to establish contact with our real world from his own — the mirrored one.

— Thanks to rehabilitation, my son has learned to express that he needs to go to the bathroom, and he is generally trying to communicate constructively, even though he may not particularly need it himself, — his mother sighs. — But he is really trying to connect with the outside world. He attempts to interact and even make friends. Recently, we went to a correctional school, and the teachers say that Kostya is actually an excellent student relative to his ability level! Of course, according to doctors, he will likely never surpass the intellectual level of a six-year-old child, but even that is a benchmark worth striving for! If we approach the rehabilitation process correctly now, the adult Kostya will be able to take care of himself rather than becoming a burden to society as a helpless disabled person. Please help us pay for his treatment!

Doctors believe that professional rehabilitation is essential for Kostya to avoid falling into his mirrored world. However, the treatment is expensive — 250,000 rubles per course. In this large family, only the father works. Please help them cover their son's treatment costs.

If you have any questions, call: +7 (499) 500-14-15, or write to: [email protected].

You can help by sending an SMS to the short number 4640 with the amount (in digits) you wish to donate in rubles. For example, if you want to donate 500 rubles, your SMS should read: 500.

Account:

Charitable Foundation for the Rescue of Seriously Ill Children “Life Line”

INN: 7704274681

KPP: 770701001

OGRN: 1087799004468

Bank Account: 40703810701400000042

AO “Alfa-Bank”

Correspondent Account: 30101810200000000593 at the OPERU of the Moscow Main Branch of the Bank of Russia

BIC: 044525593

Payment Purpose

Charitable donation for the treatment of Konstantin Dulche.