By Shoushan Ohanyan

42 year-old Ashkhen Mkrtchyan and her 9 year-old son Eric live in the town of Agarak.

Ashkhen suffers from cirrhosis of the liver and hasn’t received any medical treatment for the past seven months.

“I haven’t been able to continue travelling to Yerevan for treatment. Each trip costs about 150,000 AMD. I used to pay by taking out loans but I can’t even do that anymore,” says Ashkhen.

I had heard about the plight of this family months ago and decided to visit them. They welcomed our team of reporters with open arms.

Ashkhen has sought financial assistance from a number of people, but few have heeded her call. During our conversation she mentioned the names of MP Vahe Hakobyan and his father Maxim Hakobyan, Director of the Kajaran Copper-Molybdenum Combine, as providing some help.

Her illness has gotten worse. Ashkhen now suffers from ascites (fluid retention in the abdominal cavity). It’s the most common complication of cirrhosis, and is associated with a poor quality of life, increased risk of infection, and a poor long-term outcome

“Naturally, any talk of serious treatment with those amounts is out of the question, but at least I was able to cover the cost of my medications. The drugs I was taking and should have continued taking are very expensive,” Ashkhen says.

Even though the woman is classified with a level 2 disability, she hasn’t been able to get her medications for free.

“They say that I must pay for them since they don’t have the resources,” Ashkhen explains.

The woman’s one joy in life is her son Eric. Despite his young age, Eric spends all his free time on the internet, exploring new medical alternatives and physicians which might help his mother.

“I go on the internet and search for hospitals and doctors. My mother then makes a selection,” explains Eric, who fully understands the importance of the responsibility he’s assumed.

The young boy can recite the names of all the hospitals and doctors that his mother has attended and the drugs she’s taken. That’s the level of his commitment to his mom.

Eric is a boy who has been forced to grow up quick but he still has a wish list for Santa Claus.

“I would like Santa Claus to fix my hand and to cure my mother’s illness,” Eric tells me.

(Eric had broken his hand and due to a mistake made by the doctors it remains painfully sensitive)

God willing, a number of Santa Clauses will come forth to make Eric’s wish come true.