"We had no gas, no light, and no water"

Granddaughter Ira, 14 years old:

I immediately recall the New Year's Eve. I really liked to walk in Tonenke in winter. That year was very snowy. We always went to...  the other end of Tonenke. We had friends there. My godfather lived there. We celebrated the New Year there.

I remember the day when we were sitting in the room And Mother and my second grandmother  were looking through some old photos. And a shell fell near our house. We immediately ran to the basement. I think, I will never forget that moment. It was so horrible.

Grandma Liudmyla:

"What a misfortune! The daughter died. We was always so brave. She always knew what to do. She died of the illness. It's hard, I really miss her. It has been two years. It's too hard. We we all so helpless without her. Inflammation was the trigger. Then they found something in her blood. She also went to Dnipropetrovsk. She thought it was cancer. They told her that everything was fine. Well, she was treated for pneumonia, and then her kidneys failed for some reason. We searched for donors. She had blood transfusion. It didn't help though She lay in a coma for two weeks and died. I miss her so much. My dear.

It was a very scary time. I remember walking with a friend and hearing the shelling. I was just walking home and I just had these thoughts: hurry up, hurry up, hurry up. It was scary. Especially when you can't just fall asleep at night and see these shells flying up in the sky.

We had no gas, no light, and no water. Luckily, we had our won potatoes. We tried to buy cheaper products. We try our best.

I wish my granddaughter entered a technical school or institute. I wish she did well. I wish she would find her purpose.

Granddaughter Ira:

That is what I desire. I want to have a better future. My dream is to grow up and be successful.