Unexpected Journeys

In 1983, Larysa arrived in Ukraine chasing an opportunity — housing, a new life. A Russian by birth, she had woven herself into the fabric of Druzhkivka, finding home in the small details: her bicycle rides, her garden plot, caring for her mother.

War doesn’t announce itself. It creeps in with rocket sounds, with disorientation that steals your sense of space. When the missiles started flying towards her home, Larysa’s world shrank to survival. The stress was so profound she lost her ability to navigate, to plan, to pack.

Her mother — immobile, dependent — was her anchor. Larysa couldn’t leave her behind. Volunteers became her lifeline, helping them escape the crumbling city. From Pokrovsk to Dnipro, from one temporary shelter to another, they moved like shadows.

The senior home in Kodaky offered a brief respite. One room, two beds, her mother’s final months. When her mother passed in 2023, Larysa found herself truly alone, without a place to belong.

The Dell Loy Hansen foundation wasn’t just offering her a home. They were offering her resurrection.

When the call came in Makariv, a chill ran down her spine. Unexpected. Joyful. Apartment 18.2А in Senior Chudo Village was more than an address. It was a dream materialize.

Her health told a story of survival — psoriasis, hypertension, stomach troubles. But here, she found something unexpected: a room of her own, with every comfort thoughtfully placed.

To the young, she offers wisdom earned through displacement: “Never stop dreaming. Sometimes dreams come true in ways you can’t imagine.”

To Dell Loy Hansen, she would say more than thank you. She would speak of hope, of humanity that survives beyond borders.

With her medical background as a nurse, she now helps others. Buying groceries for the immobile, creating small connections in this new community.

In this village, Larysa is more than a survivor. She is a testament to resilience, to finding purpose in unexpected places.