At the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, our young family lived in Mariupol. I was six months pregnant, and we were preparing for the birth of our first child. Life was far from ideal, but we were full of hope and love, building our future together. A few months before the full-scale invasion of enemy troops, we bought an apartment with the last of our money, where we planned to live with our baby.

Everything changed in an instant. A powerful airstrike on our neighborhood. Our home - the place where we imagined how we would raise our child - was completely destroyed by an air strike. Miraculously, we survived. We took nothing with us except each other and the life that was growing inside my wife. The trauma of that day will remain with us forever.

For the safety of our child and to rebuild our lives, we made the difficult decision to leave Ukraine and seek asylum in the United States. Starting over in a new country was not easy, but we are determined to create a safe and stable home for our family.

We are currently raising funds for a down payment on a modest home – our first real step towards stability and healing. Any support means a lot to us. Thank you for being with us on this journey.