PSOT is Family

Dmitry had to flee his country in 2010 or suffer further persecution, imprisonment and torture. In so doing, he left everything he held dear: his home, his profession, and most painfully his family including his beloved wife. After arriving in New York City, Dmitry turned to PSOT for help. Dmitry notes, “I was alone-- I didn't have family and then PSOT became my family.”

PSOT provided Dmitry with medical, mental health, social and legal services free of charge. “I was severely tortured when I came here,” says Dmitry. “This Program helped me and a lot of people like me regain our strength.”

PSOT’s Social and Legal Services team worked tirelessly to reunite Dmitry with his wife, Alex. For Dmitry, being apart from his wife was agonizing. “It was very hard to cope with not seeing her for seven years, or knowing if she was okay,” he reflects.

Last month, Alex arrived in the U.S. She and Dmitri are together again. “My life has changed since she came,” says Dmitry. Alex adds, “I am so happy to be together again and to be in the United States.”

Dmitry smiles and expresses, “I am so happy and grateful to the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture. It’s a good program and it's helped a lot of people.”

Our clients and our families are strong and resilient. Nevertheless, their journeys don’t end once they are reunited and resettled in the United States. Like many Americans job instability, housing and bills are an everyday struggle. Here at PSOT we want to ensure that we have the resources to eliminate everyday stressors so that they can begin to heal and rebuild.

With your support PSOT will continue to help families like Dmitry and Alex to heal, to rebuild their lives and to thrive in the US.

Share their story and tell us why you give on #GivingTuesday.