What was your life like before...

Before the war began, we lived an ordinary but happy life in Toretsk. We worked as registered sole proprietors at the local market. Trading was not just a job. It was our business and our main source of income. We also had a small farm for the soul. We looked after it, grew everything we needed and did the household chores. We enjoyed working the land, tending the farm and simply living our peaceful life in our own home. We worked a lot, talked with people and made plans for the future. All our life, work, home and property were in Toretsk. We could not even imagine that one day we would have to leave everything behind and start our life practically from zero.

How does this affect your everyday life?

Every day of ours is now completely different from before. In Toretsk, an ordinary morning used to begin with simple household chores, looking after the farm, work and plans for the day. We had our own home, our own farm, and we knew what we were waking up for. Now even the simplest things have become difficult. Because of our health and financial difficulties, there is a lot we can no longer afford as we used to. It is especially hard to think constantly about medicine and treatment, to count every hryvnia and to realize that there may not be enough money for the most essential things. The hardest thing is waking up far from our home, knowing that our whole former life stayed behind in Toretsk. We have had to start everything over, and this uncertainty is with us every day.

Your strengths and dreams

Our strengths are hard work, patience and the habit of not giving up even when it is very hard. We have always worked honestly, provided for ourselves and gotten used to relying on our own strength. Even after everything we have been through, we try to support each other. What helps us not to give up is faith in something better and the hope that life can still get back on track. We dream of having a peaceful home, restoring our small farm, working again and living without constant fear of tomorrow. Most of all, we simply want health, peace and the chance to start over.

What exactly will the funds be used for?

Your support is not just charity; it is our chance at recovery and survival. Since we both have disabilities (I have group III, my husband group II), we cannot cope with our difficulties on our own. All the money raised will go to vital medication and rehabilitation after my recent gynecological operations. Part of the money will also go to buying basic food, hygiene products and setting up our home in the village in Poltava region where we evacuated to. Every hryvnia will turn into specific medicines that will help me get back on my feet, and will give my husband and me a sense of security and of not being left alone with our misfortune.