Teacher's escape from Mariupol: A mother's fight for sick daughter's life

Life in Mariupol was good before the war - Antonina Telytsia worked as a teacher living with her husband and two daughters in a cozy city that looked like a small european town. Everything changed when her youngest daughter Varvara got diagnosed with a heart problem (PAPVD) in late-21

The invasion turned their world upside-down: utilities stopped working electricity went out and food became scarce. The family lived on the 6th floor of an apartment building where they had to cook on their balcony using an iron bucket - it wasnt safe to cook outside after neighbors got killed by shells

Their building became a target for attacks; missiles hit nearby structures and fires started breaking out everywhere. Varvaraʼs health got worse - she developed a bad cough but there were no working hospitals or medicine shops. Her mom used some antibiotics she had at home which probably saved the girl from getting pneumonia

The family made a hard choice to leave in mid-march-22. The escape wasnt easy: it took 11 hrs to drive just 12 miles with six people and pets in one car. They avoided going to the drama theatre that day (which got bombed) and managed to reach ukrainian-controlled territory where Varvara finally got medical help

Now living in kyiv Antonina works at Humanity & Inclusion helping disabled people affected by war. Her daughter had heart surgery but still needs ongoing care. Despite air-raid alerts and regular attacks they try to live normal lives:

• Kids go to art classes
• Mom helps other families in need
• They focus on daily tasks instead of long-term plans

The family still cant feel completely safe in kyiv but they keep going forward - not just for themselves but for their children