SOS Ukraine - assistance for the disabled

Victoria loves cooking and the family is the most important thing to her. Her husband, Vova, can do everything at home with his own hands. When they were talking about what happened to them in Kiev, they both suddenly fell silent... Here, in the centre of Konin, together with their 15-year-old son Sashka, they have found peace and work. They are slowly furnishing their small flat and their life...

The place where they are staying  is very cosy and tidy. Everything is arranged neatly, the colours of the walls are subdued, no trinkets. It smells of chocolate cake here and it makes you want to stay longer. Victoria, an extremely nice, hospitable and a little shy Kievian proudly tell us about their hometown. She serves coffee and chocolate cake...
“We are from near Kiev. When the war broke out we were not only afraid of the bombings, but  we also knew that the only way for our son to function normally is to go to Poland where doctors are always available”, Victoria recalls.

Their son Sasha has just turned 15. He has been in a wheelchair since the age of two. He suffers from SMA (spinal muscular atrophy). He is a bright boy interested in everything related to the Internet. He is studying remotely at a Ukrainian school and will soon enjoy well-deserved summer holidays.

"When the war broke out we didn't think much. We packed our bags quickly and headed for Poland, knowing that good people there would help us to start a new life" says Vova. They fled from Ukraine during the heaviest shelling. The journey to Poland took 4 days. We didn't have a working car so, in order to get to the border, we travelled in our neighbour's small car together with her and her 80+ year-old mother. Vova, Sasha and myself were sitting in the back and Sasha's wheelchair was laying on top of us. We were driving during the heaviest shelling. A white handkerchief hanging outside did not help at all, they just kept shooting. We had to stop, there was no way we could go on like this. But we were lucky because in the town we reached there was an organised trip to the border for the families of policemen. We joined the cordon and miraculously made it to the border. But it was a road through hell...”, Victoria says quietly.

For them, here in Konin, a new life has just begun. All three are under the care of our Foundation. Victoria works in PAY IT FORWARD  and Sasha is undergoing intensive rehabilitation. He got a new active wheelchair and underwent numerous tests to qualify him for a medicine program. “Since the very beginning, the Foundation has been very helpful in making sure that we live a normal life. Sasha suffers from SMA. In Ukraine there is no access to specialized treatment. Here, Sasha has had consultations with specialists in Poznan and we know what to do, how to rehabilitate him, what treatment he needs so that this incurable disease does not progress so quickly. I will be thankful for this chance for our son till the end of my life”, Victoria adds. All three of them want to stay in Poland because of Sasha' s treatment. Victoria has a degree in pedagogy and works with us as a carer of disabled children. Her husband Vova still works for a Ukrainian construction company. They are now slowly furnishing the small flat we have rented for them. Here, in Konin, they are making a new home and a new life for themselves. This is the next stage of their "journey" - now they are trying to establish themselves a fully independent life without the Foundation's support.

“For us, there is no place on Earth that we cannot leave in order to make our son' s life easier. We have managed to take a few photos from our home in Ukraine. The rest is in our hearts and minds. The place to live is where the family is. To me, the family is the most important thing, and the fact that we are alive, that we are together", Victoria says, slicing a large chocolate cake.