One morning 25 years ago, I woke up with a stomach ache. That’s when I realised I was pregnant! It was the first time and I was confused. Then there were 3 happy months waiting for my first child.
And then, while at work, the pain returned and it was strong. Within 1 hour, I had an ultrasound scan, it was a cyst. It was growing by 1 centimetre per week and the doctor decided to operate because we wanted to keep our first child. The operation went well and I continued to carry the child.
After 6 months, I gave birth to a completely healthy girl, Kateryna. The child grew and developed, but I noticed that her swallowing development and emotional state were different from her peers. I was worried because the operation required anesthesia and antibiotics, so I went to the hospital and they told me that everything was fine.
Two years later, Katya went to kindergarten and the teachers noted a good memory, but the girl was emotionally restless. At that time, speech therapy groups were just emerging in Ukraine. We received a referral to such a group, but the psychologist on the commission said that the daughter did not need a speech therapy group. I was confused by this decision and the incompetence of the commission!
The next day, I went to the city’s central library and borrowed some books to learn more about this topic. A month later, we started doing extra exercises at home — for the fine motor skills of the fingers and for articulation. A year later, Katya could read in two languages, Ukrainian and English, and started going to a private school with extra lessons. She really enjoyed studying, but her emotions were still not stable. She often changed her mood, and this worried me a lot.
In the first grade, the daughter went according to her age because we worked a lot. It was then that I learned about the speech therapy department and submitted my documents to study. I already had a diploma as a primary school teacher and I was interested in learning everything about speech therapy.
After graduating from university, I went to work in a kindergarten where I helped children overcome speech delay. Later, I wrote my master’s thesis “Early correction of speech in children with mental retardation”. At the time of writing, the topic was not popular and I was not recommended to take it, but having personal experience with my first daughter, I chose this path.
Going back to the beginning of the story – I wish every family would wake up with good news about pregnancy, which would bring only good emotions. Instead, our eldest daughter graduated from school successfully and from university with a degree in International Communications, where she studied 5 different languages.
In conclusion, I now have 13 years of experience as a speech therapist. I have a strong goal and wish to keep helping children, teenagers, and people who need support, because my life mission is to be helpful to others and to society.

Home work 10.10.2025  / 500 words