When a boy came home from school to find his mother being attacked by a rapist, he courageously fought back, risking his life for his mother. However, while he was receiving treatment for his horrific injuries in the hospital, his mother refused to visit him for a disturbing reason.
After finishing the school day in Severodvinsk, Russia, 16-year-old Vanya Krapivina entered his apartment to find a nightmarish scene. His mother, Natalia Krapivina, was covered in blood, having been stabbed 27 times, while a strange man straddled her lifeless body in an attempted rape, according to Metro.
Without hesitation, Vanya grabbed the nearest weapon he could find — a 6.6-lb dumbbell, willingly risking his life to stop 37-year-old Roman Pronin from raping his mother. Although the brave teen managed to strike the intruder with the weight, Pronin quickly wrestled it out of Vanya’s hands and began repeatedly bludgeoning the boy in the head with it.
Luckily, neighbors heard the commotion and called the police. Although Pronin managed to flee before authorities arrived, believing both his victims to be dead, he was later arrested for his heinous crimes. Natalia and Vanya lay on the floor, covered in blood until paramedics arrived and assessed the serious nature of their injuries.
While Natalia recovered from her stab wounds, her son wasn’t as fortunate. Vanya suffered serious and irreversible brain damage due to his head being caved in by the dumbbell. Surgeons managed to save Vanya’s life but were forced to remove some of his brain and nearly all of the frontal bone of his skull in the process.
Despite the fact that Vanya had sacrificed himself to save his beloved mother, the devotion wasn’t returned. Instead of faithfully staying at her son’s bedside, Natalia abandoned Vanya in the hospital as he regained consciousness.
Sky News reports that Natalia abandoned her savior-son Vanya in the hospital to fight for his life alone because she apparently “could not bring herself to see him because she blamed herself for the attack.” After only visiting her son a few times, Natalia quickly became the subject of scorn. She only pleaded for a second chance when she received an opportunity to raise funds on television.
Natalia sought funds to treat her son and told a TV audience, “I beg to be pardoned…(for not visiting him more frequently).” Admitting she had turned to drink after the horrific ordeal, she said, “Everybody now tells me that I am to blame for everything…”
Despite his mother’s absence, Vanya made remarkable strides in his recovery. The teen soon started to recognize his nurse and began eating porridge and pureed foods. He was eventually sent to a rehabilitation center in Moscow, as doctors believed he would continue to improve.
Sadly, all of his hard work and determination was for naught. Just 19 months after the attack, Vanya contracted influenza. After receiving special treatment in the intensive care unit, his condition worsened. He later died from complication from the illness, and a publicized funeral was held, in which he was highly honored.
Initially, Pronin was convicted of two counts of attempted murder and sentenced to 14 years in prison. However, after Vanya died, prosecutors filed an additional murder charge, accusing the attacker of contributing to his death. He currently awaits trial for this new charge.
Despite his selfless and remarkable courage, Vanya died virtually alone, abandoned by his mother because of her own guilt. His story of incredible virtue and sacrifice is all that we have left with which to honor him.
