An ordinary day turned into a nightmare in an instant when a guided aerial bomb struck nearby. Oleksandra was supposed to bleed to death on the steps of an old school next to the impact site. Two people she knew were killed instantly. Her friend Yulia, who was also seriously injured, somehow found the strength to crawl to the railway station and call for help.

11 surgeries. Phantom pain. Because of her severe injuries, Oleksandra has no feeling in part of her leg, her arm has very limited function, even the simplest everyday tasks have become a challenge: putting on shoes, walking down the stairs, taking a few steps.

Oleksandra has her mother, her brother, and her little daughter Vlada by her side. It was her daughter who helped Sasha get out of the wheelchair. The little girl, who spent the first months of her life in a basement under occupation, now gently kisses her mother’s scars. Every day, Vlada takes her mother’s hand and says the same words: “We have to keep walking.”