It’s way too easy to begin to let the news and thoughts and outrage over russia’s invasion of Ukraine fade from our consciousness. I am asking you to NOT let it fade. I am asking you to remember, to donate, and to come and stand with us on Saturdays from Noon to 2:00 pm at the Benton County Courthouse. It’s the least we can do.
The tenacity, bravery, and heroism of Ukrainian defenders and those supporting them continues to astound the world, including the dictator whose name we shall not mention. The Ukrainian heroes keep pushing and liberating villages, rescuing the oppressed, and exposing atrocities and so many people forget and focus on stupid stuff.
Of course, you need to live your life. In fact, I think the Ukrainians I know would advise you to live your lives as a testament to freedom and as a way of showing your support for Ukraine. (Ukrainian friends and family, please correct me if I am wrong.) I am asking YOU not to forget. Yes, live your life, but also do more than nothing in your support of Ukraine. Please.
Below is an update from our daughter, Hannah, and her husband, Misha, who is Ukrainian. These are real people. Please read the update. Please take time to look at the photos and put yourself in their place. Feel it. Then move to action.
“We are switching gears. Writing from my perspective for the past couple of months has felt, for lack of a better word, indulgent. Misha and I have decided that we would like to use this platform to give a metaphorical microphone to those who have been influenced by the donations we have gathered and to those who continue to resist, fight, and volunteer their time and resources within Ukraine. We hold these stories tenderly and with the utmost respect and honor, and I know that you will too. So, please: take a moment. Please allow me to illustrate that this war is not a vague concept or an ambiguous experience affecting “people over there.” Let me tell you about Nastia and Lena.
We interviewed Nastia and Lena on the morning of October 5th. It was evening in Uzhhorod and they video chatted us from the shelter they have been living in, with their children, since early Spring of this year. The shelter they now call home was previously a dormitory for university students; it’s located up on a hill in the city and I used to pass it every day on my regular running route. They explain to us that because they share a bathroom with everyone on their floor and that everyone in the shelter has agreed to particular “time slots” to use the facilities to bathe their children. Partway through the call, it’s Nastia’s time slot and she leaves to wash her infant.
Both Nastia and Lena, who are from Donetsk, are married to men who volunteered to fight for Ukraine in February 2022. When Lena’s oldest child, Artem, was three years old, a missile hit their home in Eastern Ukraine. After their home was hit, Artem experienced extreme anxiety and suffered from repetitive vomiting and shortness of breath. Lena explains their nightly routine during that period: wash, get into pajamas, and go down into the bunker where they slept every night.
Nastia and Lena tell us about leaving Donetsk to resettle in Uzhhorod. We asked about their families and who they may have left behind and Nastia tells us about her brother who was killed by a landmine in Eastern Ukraine. She starts crying and I see a small hand reach out from the side of the screen and rest on her thigh. I look away. If it were me, I wouldn’t want anyone to look at me while I was crying.
Nastia and Lena are deeply proud of their husbands, are thankful when they are able to hear from them and are somehow able to remain strong, steady, and patient when they do not. I ask them when they will see their husbands again and they reply: “When the war is over.”
With your donations, we have been able to purchase several necessary items for their husbands and we would like to do more. The focus of the donations we receive remains on gathering clothing, boots, and winter gear for soldiers; at the end of the call, Lena mentioned the importance of continuing to support the Ukrainian Army.
Thank you for your support!”
To donate:
Paypal - hellohannah2@gmail.com
Venmo - Hannah-Bittner-1
Misha and Nastia outside of the shelter in March 2022.
Lena’s children sleeping in the basement bunker.
One of Nastia’s children sleeping in their basement in February 2022.
Lena and her beautiful family.
Nastia and her husband.
Nastia’s husband.
Lena’s husband.
I’m not trying to guilt you into action. I’m just asking you to remember, feel it, and then take action.
The Ukrainians are fighting for us, too.
P.S. If it feels strange to you to donate to Hannah, who may be a stranger to you, via the methods above, please email me and I can give you additional options. I can promise you that every penny goes right to this work, and has since the beginning of the war. I can also assure you that once Ukraine is completely victorious, our support will still be needed to help rebuilt Ukraine for the families, the children, and all of those who have needlessly suffered. (Email: info@nwstudentservices.com)