Valentina Kurlova

Valentina Kurlova is a pleasant, cheerful woman. Not even the war has broken her optimism and kindness. Her whole life has been in motion, very active, and she says she hasn’t even noticed how much time has passed.

“I can’t believe that I am already 87,” shares Mrs. Valentina.

She was born in the village of Hornostayivka in the Kherson region. But she spent almost her entire life in Kherson.

In the family, little Valya was the favorite because she was the youngest child. She recalls how her mother made watermelon jam, and she would whip cream in a bottle. She also often went fishing with her father.

“My father was without one arm. And I still don’t know what happened, how he lost his arm,” says Valentina.

But the happy childhood was interrupted by her mother’s illness. Despite prolonged treatment, there was no improvement. Her mother passed away when little Valya was just 10 years old. The role of mother was taken on by her older sister.

After graduating from the technical college, Valentina worked at the Shipbuilding Plant. It was there she met her love. She got married. Her husband was 10 years older. She says she was happy in her marriage. But it’s been 20 years since her husband passed away.

The war brought new trials for Valentina. She clearly remembers the day when a shell hit her apartment.

“It was November 26, 2023, at 7 PM. I was resting. Just before that, I had cleaned the apartment because I wasn’t planning to leave, I wanted to spend the winter at home. And then, there was this blast. The whole building shook. The external wall of the apartment was completely destroyed. The kitchen, bedroom, hallway – everything was buried, and on me – just a scratch on my nose,” the woman shows a photo of her ruined apartment and wonders how she managed to survive. She is relieved that the documents in her emergency backpack survived, and she was able to find it among the rubble.

Ms. Valentyna had been keeping a diary in recent years. She recalls that on that day, she made the following entry: “Very anxious.” It was as if she had a premonition of trouble.

The second time her apartment was hit was when she was already in the shelter. Her friends sent her photos.

In Ivano-Frankivsk, the woman had eye surgery – they removed the secondary cataract, free of charge, at the Therapeutic and Diagnostic Center “Saint Luke’s Clinic.”

“Here, in the Shelter, it’s good, it’s like home. I’m friends with everyone, I try to avoid conflicts,” the woman says. “But I want to go home, I want to die on my native land. I have such a desire. But I have nowhere to return.”