The day his son Misha was born into this world was the most joy-filled day of Evgeny Anisimov’s life.
Then, right on the heels of those first moments of wonder and euphoria, the doctor gave him some news.
“I fear your baby has Down Syndrome.”
Suddenly, Evgeny found himself pulled down from the mile-high cloud he was riding on and immersed into an unexpected ocean of uncertainty and fear.
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What could all this possibly mean?
Evgeny was distraught when he heard his baby might have Down Syndrome.
The 33-year-old father recalled leaving the hospital and weeping when the doctors told him the news.
Then, the tears quickly dried up and he was actually ashamed of how he first reacted.
“In my life, after all, nothing had changed, in general. I was still with two arms, with two legs. My professional knowledge had gone nowhere,” he said.
“My determination, activity, curiosity, and so on—everything was with me. Everything happened as I planned, my son was born. But the child is special, his life and future destiny are already very significant.”
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His sadness turned into determination.
Evgeny recognized he was being self-centered and realized that he should be capable of taking care of the child, no matter how challenging that may be.
That evening when he got home, he turned on his computer and began researching Down syndrome.
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He devoured every bit of knowledge on the subject he could find. Thankfully, what he found was pretty positive.
“I learned that in Europe, people with Down Syndrome are well-socialized, can live and work independently. But the decision I had already made was not influenced by that,” he recalled.
He never considered leaving his son behind, but it seems his wife had other thoughts.
She wanted him in foster care.
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Evgeny has always had a “good and trusting” bond with his wife. He persuaded her that they would get through it together after hearing about her plan.
Sadly, she wasn’t persuaded.
Their disagreement ultimately caused them to part ways.
“Now I understand that she was just scared at the time, she started to act according to the wrong scenario, and by then, the rubicon was already crossed and it was too late to retreat from the scenario,” he remarked.
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Evgeny has since raised Mishka alone.
Every night, he tucks him in, gives him a bath, and prepares dinner for him.
Although each chore is simple, the single father acknowledges that completing it every day is challenging. He is fortunate that his mother assists him so he may have some alone time.
To help Misha develop physically and mentally, Evgeny also plans a variety of activities for him. The child has gone to swimming classes each week since he was five months old.
In addition, he has also begun speech treatment.
Evgeny is grateful that many individuals have been contributing to his ability to pay for these costly activities.
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“I understand that the future might bring more issues, but I hope that we will be able to overcome everything,” the loving father said.
Evgeny’s goal is to spread knowledge.
He wants to heighten awareness about Down syndrome and assist families that are dealing with the same difficulties as parenting a child with special needs.
“I want all the articles about Mishka and me that are being published now to convey that idea to society and instill it. And I also want to support, inspire with my example those people who are or will be in the same situation as me,” he shared.
“I try to communicate with those who are within reach. I correspond with those who are far away. I hope that those who have difficulties now, as it was for us, read about us: Have no fear! Everything will be fine!”
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Fatherhood may not technically be a contest, but Evgeny is winning at it either way!
To keep up with Evgeny and Mishka’s father-son journey, you can follow them on Instagram.
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