She spent 30 years saving others. Now it’s her turn to recover
Maria Yurchenko is from Odesa. She has been a medical professional since 1994. For her, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are not just a job—they are her entire adult life.
Balakliya, Izyum, Borova, Kramatorsk. Mariupol. Demining in Novobudanivka. Field conditions, potbelly stoves, tents—and always nearby were the wounded who needed her.
You couldn’t afford to be weak there. You simply didn’t have that luxury.
After that—panic attacks. Depression. The feeling that I had simply lost myself as a person. My values had changed. My mind was subjected to an experience it couldn’t handle.
And on top of that—she has two sons at home. The younger one is a teenager. She’s on her own. Long business trips. A mother’s heart that was always filled with worry.
One day, she called her eldest son from the front lines: “Sasha, I don’t know what’s going to happen. Please help Pasha.” He replied, “Mom, are you out of your mind?”
She survived. And now she’s learning to live—not just to survive, but to truly live. To appreciate things. Not to put things off until later.
Together with another female veteran, Maria heads to Teplice, Czech Republic, for rehabilitation—her first trip abroad. For the first time—just for herself.
The “Path to Yourself / Returning to Yourself” Foundation makes this possible.
Support the project: https://gofund.me/fc9383589
Monobank: https://send.monobank.ua/jar/AY7YhwAZ2y
Together, we are stronger 
