Hi, my name is Anna.

My second cousin and dear friend Yevheniia Duhanets is going through an incredibly difficult time. A series of heartbreaking events has turned her family's life upside down.

In January 2023, her youngest child Makar, just 4 years old, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (insulin-dependent). The family slowly began to adapt to their new reality—learning how to manage the illness and support their little boy.

Then, right before Christmas 2024, her middle son Maksym, 7 years old, was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma (WHO Grade 4), a malignant brain tumor. He was in critical condition and had to undergo emergency surgery. Since then, he has already gone through 4 rounds of chemotherapy, with 8 more still ahead.

As if this wasn’t enough, tragedy struck again.

The family’s house in Dnipro, Ukraine (around 2 km from my mother's house) —the home they had spent their youth saving and working for, the one they dreamed of returning to after fleeing the war—was completely destroyed in a massive fire caused by a Russian drone attack on the night of March 28. Thankfully, no one was inside at the time. But now, there is nothing left to return to.

Currently, the family is living in Wroclaw, Poland, holding onto each other and doing their best to stay strong for their children. Every day is a battle—to survive, to stay hopeful, and to teach their children how to love life despite all odds.

I’m very close to this family and have supported these two brave boys with their early education before school. I’m doing everything I can to help them, and I’m deeply grateful to anyone who feels moved to support them too.

All donations will be used to cover the children’s medical treatments, ongoing therapy, essential living expenses while the family is displaced, and to help them start over after the destruction of their home. It’s almost unbelievable—the way kindness and compassion can cross oceans to reach those facing unimaginable hardship. Thank you for being part of that light in their darkest time.