His child is now in good hands. The arrival of his son Misha into the world was the happiest day of Evgeny Anisimov’s life. The doctor then broke the news to him, right after those first moments of wonder and euphoria.
What could all of this mean? When Evgeny learned that his baby might have Down Syndrome, he was devastated.
“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.”
His sadness was transformed into determination. Evgeny realized he was being self-centered and that he should be capable of caring for the child, no matter how difficult that may be.
Fortunately, what he discovered was mostly 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 had never considered abandoning his son, but it appears that his wife had other ideas. She desired that he be placed in foster care. Evgeny and his wife have always had a “good and trusting” relationship. After hearing about her plan, he assured her that they would get through it together.
Evgeny has since raised Mishka on his own. He tucks him in, bathes him, and prepares dinner for him every night.
Although each chore is simple, the single father admits that doing it every day is difficult. He is fortunate that his mother assists him so that he can spend some time alone.
Evgeny also plans a variety of activities for Misha to help him grow physically and mentally. Since he was five months old, the child has attended weekly swimming lessons. In addition, he has begun speech therapy.
“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.
When the rest of the winter’s snow has melted and vibrant flowers start to blossom, Snohomish, Washington, locals can tell it is officially spring. 
A badly injured dog was rescued after being buried alive on an Oahu, Hawaii, beach by her owner, who was armed with a machete.
Otters are known to be great swimmers since most of their species (13 in total) live in freshwater rivers, lakes, and wetlands. 
