Yana impresses with her diligence and perseverance!
Yana and her family used to live in Donetsk in their own house when the war broke out. «At first, I did not want to escape from our home city – my family hoped that the situation would get better soon”.
Yana’s husband Andriy worked as an electrician, Yana was a seamstress. The war continued and they had to run in panic to hide from bombing in the cellar dozens of times.
It was then that Yana started having frequent and severe pains in her right hip but she had no time to undergo a medical examination. She had to provide for her small son and she she worked hard. Moreover, due to war, the best doctors escaped from Donetsk, so Yana continued working and trying not to pay attention. One day, as she ran to hide to the basement with her son, Yana stumbled and fell, striking hard on the already bad hip.
“The first battles for Donetsk airport began. The first bombs exploded. We often had to run to the basement to hide. And I fell down the stairs into this pit and terribly damaged my hip», Yana recalls.
After a bomb hit their neighbors’ house, Yana and Andriy realized that they couldn’t wait any longer… The family left their house in Donetsk and went to Kyiv. They rented an apartment and two stalls in the market. Andriy worked as a handyman in a small kiosk making keys, sharpening knives and repairing shoes. Yana continued working as a seamstress – they spent all of the savings to buy new sewing machines and she was able to repair and sew clothes. Thus, the family was able to start a new life in a new place without becoming beggars.
“Work, work and work. I had to work without days off, 80-90 hours per week. I had to work for my son’s and my mother’s sake. Due to the war, I had to start my life all over again at the age of 40…»
However, Yana’s hip problem was getting worse. Soon, she had to use a stick or crutches to be able to walk. She could not go out with her son any longer. For Yana, it was already unbearably hard to get to work and take measurements from customers all day long – getting up, sitting down, and rising up again. These simple movements caused unbearable pain. Yana had to take painkillers every day but the medicines would give her a relief only for about an hour, sometimes for the night.
For the first time in their lives, the couple in despair had to ask for help. Yana did not want to become a burden to her husband and son, and she did not want to leave her child as an orphan.
“Help me, please, to get back to my feet. I will return good for good. I’m a good sewing master, I’ve been working for 25 years and I love what I do. You should know that you will have your own sewing master in Kyiv. You will not be disappointed! “- Yana said.
After undergoing a complete medical examination, Yana was diagnosed with coxarthrosis of the hip joint (4th degree) and tissue necrosis. The only remedy for Yana would be endoprosthetics of the right hip joint – this would give the woman the opportunity to live a full life and walk normally for the next 30 years. The cost of the surgery was 130,000 UAH ($5000), which is impossibly big amount for a family of refugees affected by the war. CBN-Emmanuel, Orphan’s Promise and «Pope for Ukraine» Initiative decided to help Yana. No organization can pay for such a costly surgery. So in Yana’s case, three organizations responded to the need, and together they paid 130,000 UAH to help her!
On December 8, Yana had the needed surgery which was very successful. This surgery will help Yana recover and begin to live a normal life without crutches. After her recovery, Yana and her husband will be able to get back on their feet and start fruitful roots in a new place!
“Thank you very much for your participation in our life! Thank you for not leaving us and helping us in the times of troubles!”
On the photo: Yana’s sewing machine with a photo of her son Andriy. Everything she does in her life is for him.
We are grateful to Pope Francis and all Catholic Christians from Europe who answered the Pope’s call for help the conflict-affected people of Donbass!