A Mother's Love

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A Mother's Love ~ The story of Susanna Petroysan and her four-year-old daughter.

On December 7, 1988, a massive earthquake hit Soviet Armenia. Apartment buildings collapsed in upon themselves, and people were entombed in all the rubble. Two of those people included Susanna Petroysan and her four-year-old daughter.

They survived the earthquake, but were entombed alive in the rubble of the apartment building. Susanna was pinned flat on her back, but was able to move her arms, and was able to make a little nest out of clothing for her daughter to lay on. The only food that was nearby was one jar of blackberry jam.

Over two days, she fed the contents of the jar to her daughter, eating none herself. After two days, the jar was clean; there was no more food, no water, and, worse, no sign of rescue. Numbed by the cold, weak from lack of food, Susanna began to lose hope. Fading in and out of consciousness, she heard her daughter say, “Mommy, I’m thirsty.”

Susanna struggled to get her senses, and remembered a story about how Arctic explorers had slashed their hands and given their own blood to one of their party who was dying of thirst. Reaching around in the dark, Susanna found a shard of glass, cut her cold-numbed finger, and gave her daughter drops of her very own blood. Again and again, day after agonizing day, she repeatedly gave her own blood to her daughter so that her daughter could live.

Eight days after the earthquake, the mother and daughter were unearthed. The child came out amazingly healthy. The mother, barely alive, survived only because of her love for her child.

What could be more ordinary than the love or a mother and child? What could be more natural than for Susanna to care for her daughter’s needs? To hold her. To give her clothes. To feed her. To song her to sleep. To hold her close. An average mother offering everyday love.

Susanna’s love is lived out in her actions.Just telling her child “I love you.” Would have meant little. So she made her child a warm bed. She fed her blackberry jam. She quenched her daughter’s thirst with her own blood. Her loving actions saved her child’s life. Her passion to act in love had kept her alive as well.