Memorial for Natalia Hryhoryeva-Canniff

Second update: Huge thank you to everyone who donated, shared this fundraiser, and offered support. It means so much. On March 31st, Mark organized a memorial service for Natasha at the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. On April 1st, nine days after Natasha's passing, we had a small memorial for her at our home. 

We are watching the situation in Ukraine and praying the war will end soon. Natasha's mom Raisa Antonovna and the children long to go back home, but so far it looks like they will finish the school year here. I want to honor Natasha's memory by taking them to see a little of the U.S., maybe New York, Washington DC, and a trip to the ocean. Natasha loved to travel, but her dreams were put on hold by the pandemic and then the cancer. Of course the last thing her mom wants to do right now is think about having fun... but I think she will agree to go for the sake of the children and for Natasha. If anyone has ideas for budget-friendly and fun local places to visit, let me know! And if anyone wants to join us, please message me! The more, the merrier! We would love that.

I am planning to withdraw funds from GoFundMe to my bank account and then either open an account for Raisa Antonovna (Natasha's mom) here, or transfer to her Ukrainian account. The sense I get is that Raisa Antonovna wants to be as conservative as possible with the funds and try to save the money for the kids when they are older. Of course, expenses come up all the time, kids need new clothes, technology, educational expenses... this financial cushion means a great deal. Enormous thanks to everyone who supported, truly.

I will update again once there is any clarity about the move back to Ukraine, and hopefully with photos of the kids in Ukraine. I'd love to keep this page open for them and maybe if anyone wants to contribute a little around their birthday (March 5) or something like that, it would be an option.

Wishing everyone health and a loving community of friends and family. It's the most important thing. 

(Attaching pics from 2020-2022)

Kids in the summer of 2020 :)

February 2021, our trip to Baltimore :)

Spring 2021

Winter 2022, ice skating in Rockville

March 5, 2022, last birthday with mom at their side. Natasha held on beyond whatever the doctors said, she fought hard to make it to their birthday, and she did. 

March 31, 2022 (at the Ukrainian Orthodox Church)

April 1, 2022. Memorial at our home.

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First update: I am so grateful and humbled by everyone's support, thank you so, so much! I've raised the goal, and will post a photo update from the memorial we will have for Natasha on the 9th day after her passing. 

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Dear Friends,

 

On March 24th, my close friend Natasha passed away after a year-long battle with stomach cancer. She leaves behind her loving husband Mark and two children from a previous marriage, 9yo twins Katya and Dima.

 

 

 

 

I am setting up this GoFundMe to raise funds for the children to support them in this difficult time, to help cover the costs of the funeral, airfare to return home to Ukraine (once safe to do so), and cover the basic costs of living in Ukraine as they build their life back up.

 

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Natasha was diagnosed with Stage IV stomach cancer last March, seemingly out of the blue. She had been suffering from headaches for about a month and progressively had less and less energy. Finally, the night before her kids’ 8th birthday, on March 5, 2021, she was baking their cake and simply could not muster the energy to do basic tasks. Her husband Mark decided it was time to go to the ER and figure out what was wrong. We were all shocked when a CT scan revealed a tumor in her stomach, which turned out to be stage IV cancer.

 

Doctors told Natasha the grim prognosis – life expectancy of two years at most, with aggressive treatment. Natasha was determined to fight. She had almost non-stop rounds of chemo since May 2021. At the same time, she made plans for who would take care of her children if she lost the battle.

 

Natasha came to the US from Ukraine in the fall of 2019 to marry Mark. They were very excited to start their new life together, for the children to go to school, learn English, and get adjusted to their new home. However, the kids only had a couple months of school before the pandemic hit, and it stalled their integration, limited the number of friends they could make, and they still acutely missed home. Natasha decided that if she lost the battle to cancer, Katya and Dima would be psychologically better if they returned home to be raised by their grandparents and large extended family.

 

From November-December 2021, it became clear that chemo was no longer working, the prognosis looked worse and worse. Natasha held out heroically; she lived to celebrate her kids’ 9th birthday. She also lived to see the start of the war in Ukraine, but tragically did not live to see it end. She passed away at home on March 24th.

 

As soon as it is safe to do so, Katya and Dima will return to Ukraine with their grandmother, Raisa Antonovna, who has been here since last May to help care for Natasha. Mark has been a rock for Natasha during this year, but the medical and end-of-life expenses are enormous, and due to his long-term disability, he can only do so much. He will continue to support them as much as possible, but they will still be in a very tough spot financially, and having a memorial fund will give them and their family at least some relief in this terrible time. Their grandmother will be in charge of the funds. Aside from help they will receive from Mark, us, and this GoFundMe Memorial fund, the only income they can rely on is their grandparents' pensions.

 

Any donation would be helpful, especially considering the devastating situation in their home country. Every dollar will be beneficial and enormously appreciated.

 

 

August 2021, Hanging out at Green Park in Gaithersburg, where we met in the summer of 2020.

October 2021, Natasha and her mom, Raisa Antonovna.

March 13, 2022... the last time I saw Natasha before she passed. I was so happy to see her! My mom made pilaf and brought it for the family, and Natasha (who hadn't been able to eat properly for months) joked -- take a photo of me with food! We all jumped on the occasion and took photos together, smiling and just feeling happy to be close. I will always remember her as being happy and cheerful, easygoing, incredibly down to earth (she showed me what this term really meant), and ready for adventure. I could write at length about how wonderful she was, but I’ll just say – she was maybe the only friend I would not hesitate to call instead of texting first. I will always miss hearing her bright voice saying, “Привет, мой свет!” (Hello, sunshine!) and just smiling as we chatted.