Olena Mysnyk
I met Olena Mysnyk while visiting a friend on the border of France and Switzerland. Olena is a mother who fled the war in Ukraine with her two young daughters.
We sat outside and talked about the surreality of having to suddenly wake up to the booming sounds of bombs and realize that the war has begun. To have to hastily say goodbye to her husband, their father, and flee.
This strong figure, suddenly became silent and her body seemed to shrink. She looked down into her lap and wasn’t able to reply. What is more important to a mother than the well-being and joy of her children?
“War simplifies life,” she told me.
“Only the most important things matter.”