What were my plans for 2022? To complete the territory, to build another small room, to realize my dream of a lavender field. Getting along with my family, because I stopped working in a state institution due to my health. She completely moved to the position of housewife.

By February 24, alarm bags, documents, dry rations and plan B – evacuation of children were prepared. At the family meeting, the children decided to stay close to their parents and get as involved as possible in helping those older people who were left without the support of their own children. At that time, the daughter was 13 years old and the son was 11 years old.

We started collecting together with our neighbors ‒ collected food, clothes, bottles, foam plastic, fuel in order to make Molotov cocktails. We have already seen that there are our defenders, food and clothes were delivered to them, because not everyone was wearing warm shoes.

Shelters were set up, cardboard was pulled onto the floor of the cellar, benches were demolished. And it was very cold then, well, there were incredible frosts, then blankets, kufayks, warm clothes were pulled. Somehow it happened so quickly, the light disappeared, the Internet disappeared, so in principle we did not know what was happening around us. I just saw that many neighbors were gone, they were leaving, someone left their keys. Thanks to this, we had additional food.

The man went to the city to work (he works in a hospital), went to pharmacies, bought medicines, dressing material, because since the war started, we will have a lot of work. We were aware of this. What we didn't have at home was toilet paper, salt, we weren't ready for that. And we laughed at something so much that everyone bought toilet paper and salt, but we didn't. Well, somehow it is, funny, but… 

We went down to the basement when the plane was flying, because it was entering on this side when it was flying towards the city. I don't know, this is a possible protective reaction of the body, when you hear a hum above your head, you gather and start going down to the basement. They were still going down to the basement when there was heavy and heavy shelling. They were so strong that the house also walked. We were on the street almost all the time, because there is no light, the gas pipe is broken, there is no heating in the house. It had 6 degrees of heat.

Something loud begins, the children first of all in the cellar, the father in the cellar. They themselves stood in the neck of the cellar, because they had an understanding that they would shout. By the way, everyone was informed that we are doctors and are staying.

In general, everything is fine with food in the village, because in the cellar every housewife has vegetables, potatoes, carrots, beets. Plus, my guys do great spins ‒ cucumbers, tomatoes, salads, compotes, even meat is canned, stewed. For example, a promotion in Silpo, in ATB. Peas for promotions, yes, you want to take two, so I take four. I wear two home, two to the cellar.

In the beginning, it was very good, because this food was enough for roadblocks up to the moonshine restaurant. And there was enough space here for us, some neighbors with whom began to rally to survival. And then somehow it started to end like that. We mentioned the keys to the neighbor's house. 

By the way, I lost 20 kilograms in the first month. When she noticed that the pants were starting to take off, she put them on top of each other. The first month is – minus 20 kilograms, and the second month is full-scale invasion is – minus 8 kilograms. It must have been stressful whether God knows him. Well, I already ate as if it were normal. 

There was no bread. We baked, fried fritters. While the flour was there, it was not far for a woman across the street, Tatyana was preparing sticks and buns. And somewhere from the 22nd, from the 23rd day, after the start of the full-scale, we learned for the first time that humanitarian aid is brought to the school and there is bread there. We have already gone to the center of the village. They said that everyone left, all people were evacuated. This is what we heard. We have such a location of the house that it must be passed through the center, we seem to be on the side. I just saw who is in our corner and decided that these are all the people in the village. I think not enough, but we will survive.

We did not hide any information from children. Everything was so open with us and every step was so talked about. They said that if enemy troops enter the village, then we (since we have a medical profession and education, helped our defenders, the civilian population) will still remain. And children should run, grab shoulder pads and run into the crumbling room. Do not admit who their parents are. Because if parents help people against the enemy, then they are in the first line of destruction. Therefore, the agreement was as follows.

We, in principle, walked through the village under shelling, so we were signed. Hands were signed: surname, patronymic, phone number and address. Because when I left the house, I carried food, I understood that if there was a arrival and I flew to the pieces, then at least there they would know who it was by the inscription nearby. And the children were signed like this. 

I also had an agreement with my best man that if I was not there, she would take care of my children. We talked about it over the phone when there was still contact at the beginning. She quarreled, told her to leave immediately. But to be honest, making decisions was difficult because the first week of the full-scale invasion was about supporting those who came to the defense, supporting people who were abandoned, setting up our shelter, if you can call it a shelter. And then they did not think about how to leave. And when people started to leave en masse at every tempting opportunity, then there were very big risks. Because that road of life, in fact, it was the road of death for many. Either die somewhere on the road, or when it turns out, but at home, we stayed at home.

Any action helped to survive at that moment. It's spring already. Garden. Roses. She fed people and animals, washed the floor in the house, and there is time. Something has to be done. I crawled the trees to cut them. The garden was cut.

To be honest, I didn't think about myself at all then. I have back problems. She was lying down for more than a month, underwent examination, treatment, and various procedures. And what surprised me was that my back had not hurt since February. She reminded me of herself only when a woman with a fragmentary lesion of two legs was brought to us for dressing. I ran out of the house, turned sharply and fell on my knee. She remembered that her back hurt there. She climbed the wall, put on her second leg, fell again. She slowly got up and ran away. It was my husband who began to inspect the wound. It was all under fire.

How we coped with the family. Oh, it was hard. The shelling began, the ‒ team was all in hiding. You drag the father into the cellar, then you drag the children into the cellar. While the children reached the cellar, the father is standing again and looking around. And he also tells that he is already old, he doesn't care. While we ran, bandaged, helped, they went out under the feet, hanging out at three. This was probably the most difficult.

In general, doctors do not run away. There is always a lot of work. Live day – well. Woke up tomorrow – ok, we are working again.

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