Matvey Zakharenko was born on November 16, 2014, in Tula, Russia which is two hours south of Moscow.
He was born a happy and healthy boy – but he did have a mild case of jaundice.
For his treatment, doctors prescribed light therapy, which meant he would lay under a special lamp for brief periods of time.
Matvey was supposed to be supervised while he was under the light.
One day, however, the nurse left the room and tragedy struck.
One of the lamps exploded and caught on fire.
Matvey suffered severe burns all over his body, he was only three days old.
If that wasn’t bad enough, once Matvey’s mother, 19, found out what happened and realized Matvey would need special care – she didn’t want him anymore.
She knew that he would need several surgeries, extensive treatments and Matvey would never fully recover.
As word of his story spread, hospitals, volunteers, human rights activists, and other families offered help.
Matvey was eventually adopted by Svetlana. It was a year-long battle in the courts as two different women fought to adopt him.
Svetlana started a blog so people could follow Matvey’s story.
On her blog, she wrote that the adoption was done, but it was just a formality. They have loved Matvey for a long time.
Since being adopted, Matvey has undergone several surgeries and is making improvements.
Doctors have not been able to reconstruct his nose, so he often wears a prosthetic.
Despite all that he has been through, Matvey has found some things to smile about! Matvey is two years old now and continues to fight.
Share away, people.