Fragments of Home

Konstantynivka had been more than a city to Halyna and Volodymyr Kyslyak. It was a living memory — a place of flowering enterprises, of their private home, of dreams carefully cultivated like the garden they once tended.

At 70 and 72, they had seen changes. Halyna, a former cashier and manager, and Volodymyr, a longtime driver, had built a life of quiet routines. Weekends spent traveling across Ukraine, caring for their animals, dreaming of home improvements and peaceful moments.

War doesn’t ask permission. It arrives suddenly, with sounds that shatter everything.

The forced evacuation tore at Halyna’s heart. Tears wouldn’t stop as they left everything behind. Their military relatives urged them to go. The journey was a nightmare of constant fear — each mile marked by potential destruction.

The stress became physical. Halyna’s heart gave way — an infarction that marked their journey from home to uncertainty.

Temporary housing near Kyiv became a new kind of battlefield. A homeowner who constantly criticized and belittled them, making their displacement even more painful. Every day was a negotiation of survival, of maintaining dignity.

Senior Chudo Village wasn’t just a new address. It was unexpected grace.

“We couldn’t believe such conditions existed, ” Halyna would say, her eyes filling with tears of relief. For the first time in three years, they found silence. Peace.

Their health told a story of survival — Halyna’s disability, Volodymyr’s stroke and blood pressure issues. They needed more than just a home. They needed understanding.

To the younger generation, they offered a plea: “Respect your elders. Only those who have experienced similar challenges can truly understand our pain.”

To Dell Loy Hansen, they would bow deeply. “We kiss your hands for caring for the elderly, ” Halyna would say, her voice thick with emotion.

In apartment 3.4, they found more than shelter. They found a moment to breathe. To exist without constant fear.

Their only regret? They couldn’t bring their beloved animals.

Their life now was about survival, about finding moments of peace in a world that had taken so much. No grand plans. Just the simple miracle of being together, of being safe.