My name is Maxim; I am 13 years old. I’d like to tell you what happened to me. As a child, I was often sick. My parents rehabilitated me, took me to the sea, took me on hikes, to rest in the country.

At the age of six, I started attending a dance club, studying English and now I go to classes, to the sports section. But unexpectedly my joyful childhood was overshadowed by some black cloud.

Everything changed in a moment: I fell ill. Everyone was very scared and confused.

After treatment in the CRH and IT (intensive care unit in the city hospital of Alchevsk), I was transferred to the Regional Children's Clinical Hospital, where I was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. It seemed to me that life was over, but it was just beginning. I had to reevaluate myself and those around me, learn to live with my illness.

In the class, at first, the guys were anxious of how to behave with me, because they did not know anything about my illness. They help me now; it is good when there are real friends and good mentors.

God only knows what our family went through. All together we learned to live in a new way. Injections, diet, régime, books, parents, friends, mentors - everyone participated in my new life.

It was hard for me not only because of my illness. My homeland was falling apart.

Everything collapsed: both my childhood dreams and work of my parents was hard, because the metallurgical plant, which fed people, stopped working.

A difficult situation was created in the city, interruptions in electricity, water supply, food, and necessary medicines. Fear, hunger, cold settled in people's lives. Being desperate, our family turned to the Rinat Akhmetov's Here to Help Foundation. Hearing our story, they extended a helping hand to us, gave us hope for life.

Thank you very much for your help, for the ray of hope that you gave to all those in need and desperate.

For me, just as for all others, my future is important. I want to have a good profession and prosperity, a loving family and loyal friends, travel and see the world.

It is very difficult to single out one single out one cherished dream, but the most important thing is to choose my own path, to find my path in life. The most important thing is not to live my life in vain and to be needed and useful to people.

May peace come to our land as soon as possible, may people become kinder and more merciful, may all diseases and misfortunes go away.