You never know what life experience will come along to teach you something. Right now, I’m learning resilience from my cousin — more like a sister — Ella Ardasenova.

Ella is my younger cousin. We share a love for Kavkaz food, our grandmother’s strength, and countless sweet childhood memories. She’s the closest I have to a sibling. We spent nearly every summer together since we were toddlers. Ella has always been energetic, driven, smart, and optimistic — someone who truly believed: “we live the life we build for ourselves.”

But recently, her life was divided into before and after a terrible accident — an accident where she bore absolutely no fault.

In September of last year, Ella was walking home, speaking with her mother on the phone, just steps from her front door. A speeding taxi, swerving to avoid another car, lost control and veered onto the sidewalk — hitting several pedestrians. Ella was caught directly in its path, thrown violently to the ground, and pinned under the car’s front wheels.

Her phone was still in her hands. My aunt — her mother — heard everything.

In the ambulance, Ella begged the medics not to take her legs. But the damage was irreversible. Both legs were amputated that same day — one below the knee, the other above the thigh.

Over the next ten days, she endured six surgeries, agonizing phantom pain, and emotional trauma that’s hard to put into words.

full story here ( in Russian) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDx17JC52wU

https://www.kuban.kp.ru/daily/27642/4992674/

Ella, a single mother of a 13-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter, suddenly found herself completely dependent. Her own mother, in her 70s, quit her job and moved from Vladikavkaz to help raise the children and care for Ella.

Now, living this “after” life, Ella is learning everything again — physically, emotionally, and financially. We’re far apart, but I wanted to help in any way I can.

Why We’re Raising $10,000

Ella’s greatest upcoming expense is prosthetics. To regain any sense of normalcy — to move, care for her kids, and reclaim her independence — she needs high-quality, well-fitted prosthetic legs. Unfortunately, insurance covers very little, and the reality is that good prosthetics are expensive.

That’s why I started this campaign.

We’re raising $10,000 to help cover:

Ella’s Hopeful Next Chapter

Despite everything, Ella remains hopeful. Her mindset hasn’t changed — she’s still building a life for herself and her children, one day at a time.

Now that most of her surgeries are behind her and her stumps have healed, she’s back to work part-time (remotely), studying for her new driver’s license, and — incredibly — she’s joined a para-rowing team! The sport has become a source of strength and renewal, giving her a breath of fresh air and the motivation to move forward toward new goals.

I’m so proud of her.