It was four o’clock in the morning and Alexander Bekasov was driving home from work in Odessa, Ukraine.
He was shocked when he saw a little boy all alone on the street. And the situation turned out to be much worse than he could have ever imagined.
Alexander rolled down the window of his car and asked the boy, who couldn’t have been more than three years old, what he was doing there.
When he didn’t get a response, Alexander got out of his car and approached the boy. It was only then that he saw how bad the situation really was.
The boy was covered in bruises and scratches, with a bloody cloth over his forehead.
Alexander immediately called the police. And even when the police arrived on the scene, they could only get the boy to say one word.
The boy told the police his name was Vova (short for Vladimir).
The police took the little boy directly to the hospital.
The boy was cold and exhausted, and when the doctors removed the bloody cloth from his head, they saw a large wound that looked like someone had tried to cut a piece out of his forehead.
The doctors tried to get him to talk, but he still wouldn’t say a word.
They assumed Vova had been abused and tried to get him to tell them what had happened. But the boy couldn’t remember anything – not even his mother’s name.
Vova could play by himself, so he was likely raised in a family, but his memories seemed to be suppressed or erased.
His story quickly spread in the media and many people donated money for his hospital bills and also provided him with clothing, toys, and diapers.
TV news programs in both Russia and Ukraine investigated the boy’s past, but they came back empty-handed.
Vova is not registered as missing or listed in any database.
After four months, the hospital released Vova and handed him over to the authorities who offered him for adoption.
Eight families showed interest in the boy and after a lengthy process, one of them adopted him.
In consultation with psychologists, Vova’s new family decided to keep his identity private so he could escape further media coverage, recover from the trauma he had experienced, and get to know his new family.
The police continue to investigate what happened to Vova. Meanwhile, the boy can enjoy life with his new family.
I hope that Vova will lead a happy life from now on and enjoy life with his new family.
Every child deserves to grow up with love and attention. Share if you agree.
