Empower Dreams, Change Lives

   In 2022, I was a third-year medical college student in Ukraine at the age of 17, full of plans for my future. I aspired to enter a medical university, and life seemed full of possibilities. However, everything changed with Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, at 3:40 am.

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   That morning, I woke up early, went to eat breakfast, and turned on the television. The screens displayed in bold letters, "Russia has attacked Ukraine."I couldn't comprehend it at first, thinking it might be a mistake. But as I switched channels, the same scenes of tanks, planes, and helicopters were broadcasted everywhere.

  There were empty store shelves for the first few weeks, and people stood in lines for bread and gasoline. After that, everyone realized there was no way out, and people needed to defend their land. 

  Most of my peers had left the country in the first few weeks of the invasion, but I resisted, urging my mother not to leave the city.

  However, the proximity of my home to the airport proved fatal, as it soon became the target of intense shelling. At that moment, I was at home; all I heard was a loud bang, and within seconds, my windows shook as if they were about to shatter. That was the ultimate reason for making the decision to leave...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  I left my home with the hope to return in a few weeks, believing that the world would intervene and stop this madness. I said goodbye to my parents and grandparents and went to the unknown with my close friends. I could never have imagined that I wouldn't see them for an indefinite period (as of the time of writing, I hadn't seen them for 852 days).

 Having acquaintances in Poland, I stayed with them, hoping for an end to the chaos. 

  At that time, my father had already been drafted into the army and was sent to a training ground. A couple of days before, on March 13, around 6:00 am, 35 people lost their lives due to the impact of a Russian missile. This tragic event shook me, and I contemplated returning to Ukraine despite objections from friends and family.

  Several weeks later, Canada opened the CUAET Program.

I remembered my childhood friends who had been there for a long time. So, I quickly submitted my application, and within a few weeks, I received approval. During this whole period, I was about to turn 18, granting me the ability to travel independently.

  I bought tickets and, within weeks, I arrived in Canada, where childhood friends welcomed me. 

But life is seldom straightforward, and our journey unfolds with many more challenges ahead...