Kateryna Panina

“Many people are in a worse situation, so I never feel sorry for myself.”

Kateryna Panina is 73 years old. It is very difficult for her to move around. But one could envy her optimism.

Ms. Kateryna was evacuated from the village of Kalynove in the Pokrovsk district of Donetsk region. She was born in the Lviv region, in the village of Boberka. Her family moved to Donetsk region in 1957 when little Katya was 6 years old.

“I have always wanted to return to my village. But it never happened. And now I don’t know if I will ever be there. There is no one left to go to,” says the woman.

Ms. Kateryna has loved nature since childhood. When she was little, she would run away from kindergarten and go to the ravine, where there was a pond and flowers. She would sit there and admire the beauty.

Her love for nature was combined with courage and bravery.

“I’ve always been strong-willed by nature, I had 5 brothers and one sister,” says Ms. Kateryna. “I was like a mother to them, I would stand up for my brothers, even though they were older.”

Her legs started bothering her back in 1993. The cause was rheumatoid arthritis. However, an incorrect diagnosis was made at first, so valuable time for effective treatment was lost. Now, treatment no longer helps, only surgery is needed. Here in Ivano-Frankivsk, she is in the process of applying for a disability group.

Ms. Kateryna lives by the principle: everything must be done with love.

“One should live with love. Don’t deceive. If you’ve done something wrong, find the strength to apologize,” says the woman. “And I’ve always been for justice, but it’s so lacking in our time.”