I'm Irina from the city of Mariupol.

Foreigners often ask us, Ukrainians: “Is it possible to count the number of people who are volunteering in Ukraine now? Are there hundreds of people, thousands, tens of thousands?”

I always think about them
The military, those at the front

Sadness, sadness, 
It is so depressing

Spring has arrived, and with it comes an even stronger wave of thoughts about how wonderful it would be to be home right now.

CHAPTER 1

I look back,

There's everything behind me

Vibrant life,

Colorful and loud

FEBRUARY. 
Translated from Ukrainian, the name of this month is FURIOUS.

January 24, 2015 became one of the worst days of my life. I was pregnant and lived with my family in Mariupol. The city all at once came under heavy shelling, and our residential district, Vostochny, was at the epicenter of this terrible attack. It was so intense that we had no idea if we would survive.

In the midst of the war in Ukraine, tens of thousands of volunteers from around the world are risking their lives to help those in greatest need.

It was snowing.
I fell on my knee
And kissed the hand
Of the Mother
For her Son.
Snow was falling on us.
Or God himself
Cried with us.

Here we are,
lit up in some kind of flow

We had a wonderful yard and a pond at home, which my son Oleksiy built with his own hands. It had water lilies growing and fish swimming.

This story is about a young man with the call sign "Surfer" who, at the age of 19, became the embodiment of courage, determination, and love for Ukraine.

Since my childhood, I have loved sports. And especially football. It has a special place in my life. It is the game in my heart.