Mother Natalia:
At first, we didn't want to leave Avdiivka. We had nowhere to go. We waited until the last minute. When Avdiivka was under attack, we still stayed there.
On 20 September 2014, Maksym was injured. Maksym and his father were driving a Gazelle car to do some errands when they got into a shootout. Maksym was hit hard in the head. We were told that he would stay alive for one hour.
People I meet in Avdiivka say, "We prayed for your Maksym." Maybe those prayers kept him alive.
Son Maksym:
There was a shootout and a bullet hit me in the head. My father pulled up immediately and took me to the hospital. When he brought me, the doctors said I wouldn't survive. He stayed for hour hours and left.
My father didn't want to leave. He didn't want to lose me. He called an ambulance in Donetsk. It was 04:00 p.m. They went here, to Avdiivka. They said we should have come earlier — the chances would be better.
Mother:
I had an operation. The wound was mended, but they didn't touch the bullet. We spent 18 days in the hospital and moved to Dymytrove for further treatment. He had headaches constantly. He wanted to go to the hospital himself. He said, "Come on, Mum, let's borrow some money. We'll give it back later." He couldn't stand the pain.
A year later, we applied to the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation and he had an operation in Dnipropetrovsk. He had a plate inserted.
Son:
After I was injured, Dnipropetrovsk doctors fixated the fracture with a titanium plate. I don't feel pain any more. However, it sometimes feels unusual. The doctors didn't touch the bullet, because it got in the center of the brain. The doctors said she couldn't be taken out because it may cause a lot of problems.
Mother:
Maksym always wanted to study. He wanted to learn. And now he has no such opportunity. His memory got worse. He couldn't read like he did before. His vision got worse as well. He doesn't want to go to university any more.
Son:
I can't see any more. I have a spot here. I can't read fast. Books I've already read, or Bible prayers are easier to read. I already know them more or less.
I couldn't speak after I was injured. When I took the pills, I began to talk a little. It seemed to be getting better.
Mother: After this disaster, we had to start new lives. We lived one life before that, and then we had to change all our routine. We have changed. Maksym has changed. Maybe we've become kinder. Both Maksym and I faced death, reconsidered our values in life, what is most important in life. We realized that this is not money, but something completely different.
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