A father on the frontline

The war stole the ordinary comforts of Grygoriy’s childhood. Instead of hearing his father’s voice at the end of each day, there was silence. Instead of certainty, there was fear. His father had joined the army in 2022 to protect his family, and every phone call from the frontline brought fresh anxiety. “When my father was at the frontline, life seemed to stand still,” said 10-year-old Grygoriy. “With every phone call, my heart would skip a beat – what if something had happened to him? And when we didn’t hear anything for a long time, the fear became even worse."

A different kind of hero

Then came the news his family dreaded. Grygoriy’s father had been severely wounded in battle. A fragment of shell struck his head, causing a traumatic brain injury and leaving him with life-changing disabilities. “It’s difficult for me to remember how I saw him for the first time after he was wounded and treated,” Grygoriy said. “His head was bandaged, he had no teeth, and there were scars all over his face. “I was afraid to get close and I felt scared of how different things were. I was worried he wouldn’t feel like my hero anymore.” But over time, Grygoriy witnessed a different kind of courage. His father slowly learned to smile again. He worked tirelessly through rehabilitation, progressing from a wheelchair to walking independently. He taught Grygoriy to play chess and showed him what perseverance looks like in the face of immense challenges. “He became a different kind of hero to me,” Grygoriy says. “A hero who fights every day.”