Nadiia Boitsova

Hello I am Daniel Parks a Rotarian raising money to bring a Ukrainian family to the United States. The story is more compelling in Nadiia's own words:

Our story began in the Armenian Soviet Republic.

I was born in Yerevan (the capital of the Republic), in 1987.

In 1991, the war began in Armenia, I was only 4 years old.

Before the start of the war, our father left us and went to another Soviet republic. He did not provide us with any help.

We lived in war for more than 3 years: lack of food, light, heating, explosions. It was very difficult for us and every day it was survival: my mother tore down the parquet in order to somehow heat our apartment, since the temperature at home was +1, sometimes lower.

I remember that there was ice in the bathroom itself and we constantly slept in fur coats and clothes.

Mom survived as best she could, she often had to take extreme measures.

They gave out 200 grams of bread per person per day, there were no products in the stores - empty shelves.

There was also no humanitarian aid.

But when I was 7 years old, my mother finally took us to Ukraine, since our grandmother is Ukrainian. In Armenia we lost our home.

In Ukraine we started a new life. Mom had to work 2-3 jobs to survive and give us an education and pay bills.

In Kharkov, Ukraine, I entered the University on a budget, while working part-time to help my mother pay all the bills.

I grew up and tried to arrange my life, found a specialty, opened my own projects, bought a house in Kharkov.

Due to heavy workload and stress, my mother was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2010. I fought for her life. In Ukraine, there is no insurance medicine and protection, unfortunately.

Doctors did not give my mother a chance to live. We spent all our resources so that my mother could survive.

After surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, since the tumor was large, the area of the brain that is responsible for speech and coordination of movement was affected.

Mom survived, but since 2010 she has become disabled. I am very happy that she can live.

It was a great victory over cancer.

We arranged our lives and lived happily in Ukraine until February 24, 2022.

War. Again.

Wild, horror and fear.

We again had to leave our home and Motherland, our lives. We began to help all our relatives and friends evacuate, we tried to load humanitarian aid and send it to Ukraine.

Unfortunately, our aunt died in Kharkov. Our house was hit by 2 shells.

After 13 years of remission, in 2023 my mother was diagnosed with cancer again.

Our family so wants to live, prosper, create projects, pay taxes and not be afraid of war, not be shuddered by the sound of airplanes and loud noises.

We are so tired of running, being, afraid and starting every time again.

It's a shame that our countries couldn't protect us.

I really want to live in a country that is strong and legal, in which people are protected by the law, government and army.

I am also a mother now, my son was only 2 years old when the war began in Ukraine.

I am responsible for the life, present and future of my children, my family, because the meaning of life is life itself.

I want to protect my family and live in peace.

I want all countries to come to their senses and stop destroying humanity.

My family wants the right to life, liberty and prosperity.