I am Grace and I am setting up this campaign to raise funds for a young woman in Khan Younis, a nursing student before October 7th, whose house is gone and who has been displaced, whose family and friends have been martyred, who has been separated from the love of her life. She not only needs food, water, and shelter, but is above all seeking hope and love in the midst of this terror.

Here is her story, from her own words:

"Between Love and War"

I don't know how and where I should start. Should I start from the moments of happiness that I lived, or from the happy occasions, family, laughter, joy? Or should I start from the end, which is the war that we have reached, October 7th.

I will start from the end, from 415 days of war, from displacement, from escaping death, from fear, terror, cold and even heat. I will start from living in tents between 4 pieces of nylon that do not protect from the heat of summer or the cold of winter, and do not protect from the bites of strange insects that you find on your body or on your face while you are sleeping. I will start with the number of times we were displaced, fleeing death, missiles and tanks, searching for life in the midst of nothingness. I will start with our right that we were deprived of, the food that we did not find enough to satisfy our rumbling stomachs to be satisfied, a sip of water to drink and calm down.

I was 20 years old before the war, a young girl in the prime of my life, fighting in the journey of life in search of happiness, in search of love, in search of hope, passion, stability, security. I studied nursing, a profession that I chose with love and worked hard at from my heart. Life was beautiful for me: I built relationships with others, I made friends, I went out to restaurants, I ate the best food. I woke up every morning enjoying the chirping of birds and the cooing of pigeons. I wore the most beautiful clothes in bright colors. I met people with a smile on my lips, greeting everyone I find on my way. Like other girls, I met the love of my life during university. He is a caring person, his eyes are the color of honey, his heart is innocent of the pollution of this life, he loves me and carried me in his heart in the hope that he will finish his university studies and get a job and propose to me.

But when the war began, he lost his job and we could not afford to marry. Now, we are forbidden from seeing each other. What happened? Home, family, university, nursing, love, what happened to me!!? All of this has become the past and I wish it would come back, it has all become just pictures and memories, it has become just a lump in our hearts. Our house is gone, our family has been displaced and meeting and gathering has become difficult, the university has been destroyed and the dreams have been destroyed with it. I lost my dearest friend because of the Israeli treachery machine that killed her and her family with a damned missile, and I lost my cousin in the same damned way with a damned missile that tore his pure body apart.

I cannot bear to lose the love of my life. My heart has broken so many times already. If I lose him, I worry I will lose all hope. I need to hold on to this life and not declare my defeat and surrender. I am asking for donations so we can marry and I can carry on. It is the only dream I have left when all the others have been destroyed by war. Thinking I might get to be with him again is the only thing that gives me hope.

My hope in God is great and never ending. I hope my smile and love for life will return as before. I hope we live life as before, enjoying the warmth of winter on my bed in my house, drinking a cup of tea while watching my favorite series within its walls. I hope my love for life, my photography of the sky and clouds, returns. I hope everyone returns to the embrace of the family and those gatherings and laughter return. I hope for the feeling of life to return to me.