Angelina’s Beloved Chernihiv (Chernigov).
Chernihiv was the first city to be attacked in the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
My friends have left to live in other countries and they don’t know the details of my life. I never brag about something because the life of my family, like many Ukrainians, it is very difficult.
Synopsis
Angelina is a Ukrainian girl whose tough teenage life began before the war. At the age of 12 Angelina experienced persistent bone pain in her leg and kept getting worse over time. Soon she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma leg cancer. Angelina then went through numerous operations and rounds of chemotherapy to beat the disease. After eighteen restorative operations she can only walk with crutches. Despite the hardship, she remains strong and determined to fight.
But things took a turn for the worse when war broke out in Ukraine. Angelina’s hometown of Chernihiv. Once a peaceful and vibrant place became a war-torn zone. Shelling and drone strikes became a common occurrence; buildings, homes, schools, hospitals were destroyed every day. The conflict led to the total leveling of her parents’ business and their beloved family home.
After they were rescued, Angelina and her family were forced to flee their home and seek shelter in a nearby town of Brovary. Being on crutches, it was challenging for her to leave Chernihiv. Her lack of mobility and constant leg pain did not stop her from helping her family and people in her new city. Although she was left to watch the destruction and death from her window, she gathers strength each day and makes her way out to the streets of Brovary to help the needy effected by war.
Angelina was a resilient young woman who refused to give up hope. Despite her own struggles, she offered what little help she could to those in need. She spent her days on crutches, distributing food and medical supplies to those injured in the war. She also visited hospitals and subway stations used as air raid shelters to comfort others who were battling with injuries much worse than hers.
Angelina’s strength and courage were an inspiration to those around her. Despite losing everything, she remains hopeful and determined to rebuild her life and her city. She dreams of a peaceful and prosperous Ukraine, and she was willing to do whatever it takes to make it a reality. Through her perseverance and resilience, Angelina shows that even in the midst of chaos and destruction, hope and kindness can still prevail.
Angelina has mastered English in a matter of one year and is enrolled in the University of Kyiv journalism (online) program. Her dream is to become a TV Correspondent.
“Ukrainians will never give up. It’s in our blood. “
Army Makes a Heroic Rescue
During heavy bombing, Angelina and her family lived in the basement of their home in Chernihiv. The basement ceiling height was only four feet high which meant they had to lay flat. As she laid in a horizontal position for 45 days she was unable to stand and the lack of movement caused her leg to deteriorate.
Finally, the Ukrainian army came to rescue Angelina and her family. The moment the soldiers took Angelina, a bomb fell on the house. Had the soldiers arrived ten minutes later, the entire family would have been killed.
Angelina Now Living in Brovary – Speaks To Her Closest Friend Asylumed In Germany
“Also at night there was a massive drone attack on Kyiv. The occupiers have changed tactics and now they launch massive launches of missiles and drones only at night to arrange great terror and people do not sleep.”
“Over the past few days, Russia has stepped up its missile and drone launches on Kyiv. All missiles and drones fly into Ukraine either from the Sea of Azov or from Belarus and fly through Chernihiv and Brovary on their way to Kyiv. Two days ago we heard and saw a lot of drones flying right above us in the sky. It was about 10/15 explosions nearby. Tonight I heard the whistle of a rocket right in the sky and then somewhere not far away there was an explosion. It flew so low and at high speed that we thought she would fall right next to us.”
“Tomorrow 12.07. I have a planned ultrasound of my leg in the clinic, I’m very worried and hope that everything will be fine.”
Angelina Never Misses a Moment to Help Other Ukrainians In Spite of Her Own Excruciating Leg Pain
While sitting in her bedroom she is constantly interrupted from her studies at the University of Kyiv, as air raids happen every day in Brovary. She looks out and sees everyone running to the subway stations. Angelina knew she couldn’t run, but she scrambles with what energy she can gather and makes her way on crutches several blocks to the nearest subway station. There Angelina assists the elderly while standing with her crutches and experiencing enormous leg pain..
“We were in the subway for about half an hour hiding from the rockets and then went outside and sat on a bench. We were about to leave for an ultrasound at the clinic, how suddenly I became ill. I will be frank, on this day I started menstruating and it was desirable to be at home, but I could not cancel the examinations. I started to have noise in ears and everything began to swim in my eyes, it seemed to me that I was about to lose consciousness. I got up from the bench because it seemed to me that I was sick and started walking with my mother by the hand along with crutches.My legs became as if soft and I did not feel them, then I lost consciousness. A man on the street and a woman helped me to keep me, they also called a woman from the pharmacy and called an ambulance.”
“Due to the fact that I walked with crutches when my leg was soft and I did not feel it, I sprained it and had a cramp. Honestly, I thought I would die on the street. I have never felt so bad in my life. When the ambulance arrived, I could not get up. In the ambulance, my blood pressure was measured, my blood sugar was measured and all indicators were normal. They also gave me sedative drops, as I was stressed because of this. Even after that, I went for an ultrasound and the doctor wrote a conclusion. But, I can’t even walk with crutches, I twisted the ankle joint of the leg where the prosthesis is located very badly.”
Her Humanity Overflows
When I was 11 years old (a couple of months before the illness), I went to a pet store and asked, “Do you have dog food?” They asked what I needed, and I said I really wanted a dog…Then they took her out from behind the counter. The woman was engaged in overexposure of poor dogs and she had her own shelter (recently I found out that she died in Chernigov from shelling)
This is Lorrie, some nonhumans cut off her tail and threw her into a box at the bus stop. This is rarely seen, but sometimes there is human cruelty. I picked her up the same day and for 6 years she lived with us. The war has changed everything, I know that now she is being fed by caring people and she is warm and kind.
I love animals very much and this dog is part of my childhood.