Shpak Family Has A Home
Thanks To Adam and Catherine Paul

Tetiana Shpak, 64, Darina Shpak, 30, Andrii Holenok, 33, and Viktoriia Holenok, 3, spent eight days living in their own cellar. They couldn’t believe that this hellish situation was happening. On March 3rd, our soldiers came running and told them they had 15 minutes to gather their things and escape. They went to the Khmelnytskyi region. Their house burned down on March 28th. Tatiana’s friend from the village called and told her about the tragedy: their house had been bombed. They returned on May 12th and started living in the apartment of Tatiana’s classmate, who is currently in Germany. Tatiana is deeply traumatized by what has happened. She says she feels like she is living someone else’s life: living in someone else’s apartment, wearing someone else’s clothes. Her own life has burned down. “I have a strong feeling that I live a someone else’s life. I have nothing in my possession anymore,” cries Tetiana, a member of the Shpak family. They are currently living together in their friends’ apartment, three adults and a preschool-aged child. Recalling the period of occupation and their risky escape is difficult for them. It was impossible to fully grasp the reality of the terrible events unfolding. When the military arrived, they were urged to flee immediately, and they did, managing to survive. However, their house was destroyed by a missile. “My life burnt over there too,” said Tatiana, expressing the profound impact of the loss they experienced.