Hello Everyone,

My name is Cherilyn Michaels, and I am a local volunteer heavily involved in helping Ukrainians displaced by war settle in the Edmonton area. I admin the Facebook group Edmonton Hosts Ukrainians, and helped match hundreds of Ukrainian newcomer families with local host families for their initial weeks in Canada.

My husband and I have also hosted several Ukrainian families directly in our home. One of these was a mom & daughter -- Kateryna and her then 14yo daughter Kseniia, who arrived in Edmonton in September 2022. Kateryna's husband / Kseniia's father was left behind in Odessa. He didn't have the right to leave the country.

Despite having little English, Kateryna has worked incredibly hard, and established a life for herself and Kseniia in Edmonton. Kateryna found work as a kitchen helper. She is fiercely independent and has never asked for help. Kseniia has been going to Harry Ainlay High School, and has done wonderfully. She is now 16. They dream about reuniting the family in Edmonton if Kseniia's dad is ever able to leave.

Disaster struck at the end of October 2024, when, with no warning, Kseniia suffered a catastrophic brain aneurysm. It was not at all clear at first whether she would survive, and her mother has never left her side. With amazing care at the Stollery, Kseniia has come through the worst of this. After a week in a coma, she was able to wake up, and since then has been making steady progress. She has gradually been regaining her ability to speak, eat, and walk, but recovery will be a very long road.

After six weeks at the Stollery, Kseniia has been transferred to the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. Her recovery continues, but it will be some time before she is able to return home, and even longer before Kateryna is able to resume work.

Kateryna has no savings. This family was living on a kitchen helper wage. Their bills and expenses have not stopped. There is a good chance that Kseniia will recover her independence, but it will take time, certainly months.

Kateryna desperately needs practical support in order to manage for the next few months. There is every hope that Kseniia will continue to improve, but it takes time, and Kateryna can't work while she is needed to provide her daughter with direct care.

Your support now will make a night and day difference to the challenges this family is facing. I am starting this gofundme on behalf of Kateryna, and will provide all funds raised directly to Kateryna so she can take care of her daughter.

Kateryna's story in her own words follows.

My name is Kateryna and I am from Ukraine. I came to Canada with my 16-year-old daughter Kseniia in September 2022 leaving my husband behind in Ukraine with the hope that we would reunite with him in the future. Since settling in Edmonton, Alberta I have been working and my daughter has been attending high school.

On October 27, 2024 our lives changed when Kseniia suffered a brain aneurysm. She was brought to the Stollery Children's Hospital and rushed to surgery. After a six hour surgery, she was admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit where she remained for the next two weeks with an uncertain prognosis. Her care team does not know how long it may take for her to regain typical functioning including speech, walking, and meeting her own basic needs.

I have remained at her bedside throughout her hospital admission so far. As a result, I have not been able to work. As I am on my own here in Canada, I have had limited support available to help me. Despite having a daughter in hospital, my bills and expenses have not stopped. I am also trying to anticipate the additional costs associated with my daughter's medical and mobility needs after she leaves hospital and continues her rehabilitation, which may include transportation, equipment, and adaptations to our home.

I don't know what her recovery will look like but I continue to do everything in my power and, while I find it very hard to ask for help, I am thankful for any support that the community can provide us. I just want to help my daughter have a normal life in the future.

Thank you for your kindness and support.

With hope,

Kateryna