I can see the whole world

Victor has a developmental disability that makes him seem like a young child, innocent and vulnerable. Unfortunately, he also has the health problems of a much older man. Nearly blind and homebound, Victor lives alone in a small apartment and requires constant care.

Desperate, yet Cheerful

Victor spends his days pursuing two passions. He loves to draw detailed, realistic depictions of cars, trains, and airplanes. Victor’s poor vision requires him to press his face close to the paper he is working on. His artwork takes much time and focus to complete.

Victor’s other interest is music. He has an old accordion that he plays, singing along in his deep baritone. An elderly family friend calls him occasionally to provide him with new music, dictating notes and lyrics that Victor slowly writes down and then learns on his own. All of the music Victor plays is from memory, as the written music is hard for his failing eyes to make out.

Friendly and social, Victor enjoys being with people. The monthly support of IFCJ has been essential to Victor’s survival, allowing him to remain in his home thanks to the assistance it provides. Volunteers of The Fellowship sometimes find him near his window, looking through binoculars into an empty square outside. While the homecare workers see dull, snow-covered Soviet-era architecture, Victor envisions a magic garden and much more.

 “I can see the whole world through my binoculars,” Victor says.

Pictures and interview created on assignment of The Fellowship of Christians and Jews