What sort of associations do you make when you hear the word hospice? Perhaps death? True enough, children die in every hospice. But the employees of the Children\u2019s Hospice in Saint Petersburg try to illumine the lives of terminally ill children and help their parents care for them and overcome stress. Such so-called palliative (from the Latin pallium – veil) therapy consists of a system of measures aimed at sustaining the highest possible quality of life for each patient with an incurable and life-threatening disease. The Children\u2019s Hospice in Saint Petersburg is unique in that is the only Russian medical institution providing a full range of palliative care, including medical, psychological, social and spiritual support. Since 2006, 40 employees have served 200 families in total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here, the word \u201ccare\u201d is replaced by the word \u201clove\u201d, and everyone involved in the therapy brings the children\u2019s life, happiness and comfort into focus. When one of the hospice patients dies, a large candle is lit and the parents, together with the hospice staff, can say goodbye to the child in a special \u201csad\u201d room. In 2015, the candle was lit 18 times\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For two months, I visited the Children\u2019s hospice to document the lives of five children. These 10 pictures are part of the bigger project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To date, two out of five children I photographed have died. <\/p>\n\n\n\n