In the midst of heavy shelling in eastern Ukraine, 12-year-old Margaryta Karpova stood equipped with a child-sized body armor and an orange helmet, emotionally gearing up to leave her village, Novoolenivka. With her father staying behind, the painful farewell felt overwhelming as she and her mother, Liudmyla, evacuated their home, joining over a million others fleeing Russia's invasion.
However, once relocated to temporary housing in western Ukraine, relief was short-lived. Margaryta began experiencing severe pain, leading to a devastating diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer that primarily affects children. As fighting rages on, she finds herself battling a different kind of war against this aggressive illness in Kyiv, which offers necessary medical care despite the destruction of the children’s hospital by a Russian missile last July.
After reuniting with her father, Margaryta's family clings to hope, as her mother expresses, “The only thing that matters now is saving my child’s life.” The family’s focus is now entirely on Margaryta's health, as the backdrop of war challenges their fight for her survival.
