"I turn up the TV so that children won't hear the shelling"

It happened on the the New Year's Eve 2015. We  heard a loud thumping sound. Glass fell down. At 12:40 a.m., we had to run to the basement, because the sky was all shining with red lights. It was very scary. We were worried about the children. I didn't know which one to grab first. We stayed in the basement for four or five hours. That is how we celebrated the New Year'S Eve.  Not very cheerfully, right?

And the next morning, around 10 o'clock, I was feeding the baby when he suddenly rolled his eyes. I was scared. It was very horrible. I came up to him, and he wasn't  breathing. I ran out with the child to the checkpoint. A man and a woman were driving by. They saw that I was running with a baby and  helped me get to our clinic in Hirske.

In Hirske, he was given first aid. Doctors managed to break the fever and his condition stabilised. Then they called an ambulance to take us to the children's clinic in Lysychansk. We were taken four hours later, because there were a lot of calls. They immediately got him in intensive care. He lay there for two weeks. He had IVs.

Now he often gets sick. He constantly has colds and flu. Even in the summer, when it is hot,  he may catch a cold.  

When they start shooting, I turn up the TV so that the children won't really hear what is going on outside. I say, "It is a thunderstorm." I make up some fairy tales and stories for them. We start playing.

I go to the cancer center for a check-up. I had a surgery. I had to borrow money from friends, because I don't have it. There is never enough. I have five kids, after all. Everyone needs something. They need food, clothes, some personal supplies, you know.

I was afraid that I might die. Who would stay with the children then? I am really worried about that. I raised the money and had the surgery. I hope that everything will be fine in the future.

I would like my children to have  very happy childhood like ours. But at the moment, I can't take my children anywhere, or give them everything they want, because we don't have the money for that. I get children benefits – UAH 4000 for five children. It is very hard. I work in the garden in the summer. I have to sell some onions, cherries, strawberries to get extra money. That is how we live.

My children and I get help from Rinat Akhmetov. These packages save us a lot. I am grateful, for sure. This is very significant support for us. I can always cook porridge, pasta,  and make pies. I'm very grateful. I don't have to worry about my kids being hungry.

The most important thing is to end the war. I want my children to live in peace. So that they have a childhood like we had before.