It all started on February 24th, 2022, when my life completely changed forever.Our
country was taken over by Russia. My husband worked on the other side of the country with the government and it was rumored that he was detained. I didn’t want to leave just in case he returned home. The first week there was a lot of destruction all around us. I no longer had a living room. One morning, that side of the house was blown away. After a week of intense fighting, people desperately crammed into their homes and struggled to survive. The dead and dying bodies of our neighbors and close friends were trapped in the rubble and screamed for days until their cries were no longer heard. It took a long time for the soldiers and us neighbors to find and find our friends under the rubble of destruction. The wounded, if still alive, had lost a great deal of blood. The nearest hospital had no electricity or running water, and was barely functioning. Soldiers said the bodies were eventually recovered but were difficult to identify. I don't know where they are buried. My children’s school was bombed, it was hard trying to keep them educated at home with everything going on. I tried to keep them inside as much as possible, fearing that they would get caught in the bombing. Gratefully, I received a letter from my husband’s job stating he is alive and well but could not return just yet. People were eating from the garage and anything that they could find. Luckily for my family, I kept a stash of canned goods so my family could eat in case of emergency. I knew that it wouldn’t last us long but it was better than nothing. Bombs came back off and on but we’ve gotten used to it. We wrapped our minds around the fact that this was life now. We lived in fear and there was nothing we could do. Even now that the war is over, I still have nightmares when I can't sleep. I want to be better. I want my body and mind to be healed. I want my children to live freely in the future. I want to see my husband again. I haven’t heard from him since and I couldn’t be more worried. My kids ask about their father everyday and I began to run out of things to say. This may be something we cannot recover from. My friend's son has lost an arm and is having a hard time physically recovering. He used to be a very bright and active child but now he’s home staring at the wall. My neighbor, who was raped in a government-run refugee camp, is denied the special mental and physical services she desperately needs. I just want peace for my family, my friends, everyone. It’s so hard to be okay and stand strong when you’ve been through so much. I have to remain strong for my children. I saw my city fall apart, I saw my family and I break down, I saw everything I once knew just crumble. I don’t know if I will ever be okay, but I truly hope so.
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