People are not born as migrants, but become migrants  when the war suddenly breaks into the lives of people, a country, a nation. So it was with our family. Our family of four lived in Donetsk, near the “Oktyabrskaya” mine, in Engels street at the beginning of the war.

We had to endure the fears of military actions taking place in the area of the Donetsk airport and in the area of the the “Oktyabrskaya” mine  until July 2014. During the attacks, we had to hide in basements.

Due to the danger to life, our family was forced to leave Donetsk on July 15, 2014 and go to Mariupol. There we rented an apartment in the Eastern district. We found a job and enrolled the child in school in September 2014.

The war got here, too. It entered this quiet, cozy city without asking anyone.

Since our family lived on the outskirts, we again had to live through the fears of war. Since this part of the city was repeatedly shelled from the side of  Shyrokyno, where the fighting was going on.

As a result, I had to move to Central Ukraine, away from the horrors of war.ни.

The stress associated with fighting, frequent moving, changing homes and surroundings, and material deficiencies had a detrimental effect on the psychological and physical condition of children. We needed to protect and support them during this difficult time. We had to be strong, even though we were under no less stress.

There were other disappointing news.

A medical examination of our eldest daughter Anastasia showed a heart defect.

It was necessary to install  a spring [occluder]. There was no money for the operation. Doctor suggested to go to the Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Centre. We called the hotline, told them our need and current situation, and asked for help. After a short period of time, we were told the good news – the occluder will be installed, the possibility of surgery is real.

On April 4, 2017, our daughter underwent surgery. I would like to express my gratitude to the Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Centre. Thank you for supporting displaced families with food packages. This help was very timely for us in a strange city. And also thank you for helping the children of Donbass and their families to cope with difficult challenges in this difficult time.