We are grateful to share that with the support of our community, we were able to help a mother and her son in Ukraine through a critical surgery. 

This is Georgyi Kuznecov. He is a bright and kind 13 year old young man living in Chernivtsi, Ukraine. In the fall of 2024 he started suffering from what seemed to be epileptic seizures. After extensive medical testing it was revealed that he had a malformation in the right side of his brain that was creating an epilepsy-like syndrome. At that point it became clear that Georgyi required emergency surgery followed by extensive follow-up treatment and rehabilitation in order for him to remain healthy and thriving.

To proceed, his parents had to pay providers 170,000 hryvnia (over $4,000), an insurmountable sum for the family even in the pre-war times, let alone now. With your help, we have been able to provide part of the funds needed for this life-saving surgery.

George has successfully undergone his procedures and is now in recovery. His latest checkups show positive progress — and most importantly, no more epileptic activity. While he still needs time to rest and regain strength, his path forward is full of hope.

Georgyi’s mother shared her heartfelt message of gratitude to everyone who made this possible: “Thank you to all the people who helped my son with his surgery. Georgyi still needs a lot of rest but he is recovering, thank God! May goodness return to you a hundredfold.”

Moments like these remind us why we do this work. Together, we can bring hope, healing, and strength to families in need.

Over the past three years, Mending Roots has been working to support people in need through a variety of initiatives. One of our key focuses has been providing care and assistance to seniors in Ukraine.

This is a photo of one of our drives delivering bread and pastries to a senior center. Many of the residents were evacuated from the war zone to the Western part of Ukraine and no longer have family or anyone to support them. These small deliveries help us not only meet their basic needs but also connect with these seniors and remind them that they are not forgotten.

We’re grateful to everyone who helps us continue this mission. Together, we can make sure that no one feels forgotten.

Recently, we have received a request from compassionate people on the ground in Ukraine to assist an elderly man named Shvets Vasyl Petrovych, who is 71 years old and lives in Chernivtsi, whose apartment was severely damaged by a missile strike. Vasyl is one of the many elderly individuals deeply affected by the ongoing war.

On July 12, 2025, one of the largest attacks of the month was launched across Ukraine, firing hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles across the country. The western city of Chernivtsi, was among those hit. At least two people were killed in the region, and Vasyl’s apartment building was damaged in the blast.

The explosion destroyed his kitchen and blew out all of the windows in the home, leaving his home exposed and unsafe - especially with winter approaching.

Thanks to the generosity of our community, we were able to step in and repair Vasyl’s kitchen and replace the broken window, helping restore warmth, safety, and dignity to his life.

These are the moments that matter - restoring dignity and security, one person and one home at a time.

The help you continue to provide goes a long way. Part of the money has been used to feed a group of 195 refugees (some of them are children) who made their way from Luhansk (a city currently caught in the crossfire) to Chernivtsi, which is a city located in the Western part of Ukraine. These people have gone through incredible trauma, have lost their families, became orphans, and some have significant physical and mental health issues. The money has been sent to a volunteer group supporting these people. They have been purchasing groceries and taking turns cooking and delivering the food directly to the people in need.

With your help we were able to provide support to the family of Inna Mishalkina. Inna is 38 years old  and lives with her family of five: her husband, their two sons ages 7 and 15, and her elderly mother, Nadia, who is 68. Inna’s family is from Mykolaiv and they chose to stay there throughout the war. They decided not to  leave their city or country since they take care of Inna’s Mom as well as her husband’s parents, Elena & Valentin, who are 84 years old and unable to relocate. Inna lost her job when the war started. Her husband was drafted into the military on the third day of the war. Inna is  continuously searching for a job but hasn't found one yet.

Inna sent us a heartfelt thank you note: “We really appreciate your help as all the money goes to food and medicine for the parents. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

With your incredible help we were able to buy a generator for this beautiful family. Now Nataliia’s entire family, including her children, her Mom, her husband who has significant medical needs and their sweet kitty can be warm and have light during incredibly hard winters and it is all thanks to kind people like you!

Lenochka’s story is one of resilience and survival. Before the war, she had already endured a nearly fatal car accident that left her disabled and dependent on a wheelchair. Despite the overwhelming odds, she survived, sustained by her optimism and love for life. It was this same spirit that helped her endure the unimaginable in Mariupol in the winter of 2022. For 18 days, she and nearly 200 others sheltered in basements under relentless shelling and explosions. Through what can only be described as a miracle, she managed to escape the besieged city and reach occupied territory - though her home, which had been carefully adapted for her mobility needs, was completely destroyed in the chaos.

Lenochka’s journey to safety was long and perilous, marked by constant bombardments, repeated evacuations to bomb shelters, and the devastating loss of her wheelchair. When she finally reached Zaporizhzhia (Ukrainian territory), she faced new obstacles, including an exhausting train ride to Kyiv where she was mistakenly assigned a top bunk in a sleeping car despite being in a wheelchair. Thankfully, kind strangers stepped in to exchange seats and ensure she could travel safely.

At last, her family was able to reunite at the Kyiv train station—a moment filled with tears, hugs, and profound relief. Given the ongoing war and the immense challenges faced by people with mobility needs in Ukraine, the family decided that the best course of action would be to arrange Lenochka’s transfer abroad for continued care and specialized treatment.

Her sister expressed deep appreciation to everyone who supported them on this long journey:

“Thank you to everyone who contributed to helping my Lenochka. Her journey has been unimaginably difficult, but your kindness and support have given her hope and the strength to keep going.”

The road ahead remains long, but thanks to the compassion of donors and supporters, Lenochka is no longer alone on her path to healing and safety.

Your donations helped to contribute to the purchase of a wheelchair for Lenochka - one she had lost during the horrors of the war, as well as critical medications she requires on an ongoing basis.

Oksana Yehorova wanted us to share that she has used the money to buy much-needed medications and groceries. She now feels much more secure, knowing that she has some basic needs met for a little while given that the prices for groceries have doubled in the past few days. Oksana wanted to say thank you, and that she is sending blessings to you all and is wishing you all strong health and peaceful skies. Here is a picture of her and a very sweet Thank You card that she made by using a translator. She is choosing to pay your kindness forward by lovingly receiving a family with children who were fleeing from Kiev to Romania. It is all a beautiful circle of energy.

Vera Petrenko and colleagues work at a school in Kyiv. When the war began, she was forced to be in a bomb shelter. In fact, for her and for many people in Kiev, the bomb shelter became their second home. She conveys profound gratitude to you all for the opportunity to buy the necessary food and clothes. They also adopted a cat who was left behind by people leaving Kyiv for Poland. She thanks everyone who helped her.