Natalia’s Story: When there’s no where to run.

War leaves no one untouched — and for people with disabilities, it brings unimaginable suffering. Natalia, a 46-year-old woman with cerebral palsy, knows this too well. Born in Russia, her parents moved to Ukraine in hopes of better medical care. But after they passed away, Natalia was left alone — illiterate, vulnerable, and unprepared for the realities of life.

She endured abuse in a children’s shelter, slept on the streets, begged for food, and lived with a family who exploited her. Then came illness, hospitalization, and abandonment. There was nowhere else to go.

Until someone came.

Volunteers from a local hospice in a small town in western Ukraine heard her story and took her in. For the first time in decades, Natalia found a place where she was safe — a home.
She recalls, “When my parents died, life became very difficult. I often went hungry. But believers opened a hospice and took me in. I thought everything would be okay again. And then the war came.”

A Home of Hope, in the Midst of War

As the war intensified and rockets fell nearby, Natalia — along with other residents who could no longer walk or speak — was evacuated to a safer hospice, farther from the front line. The journey was hard, but she wasn’t alone anymore.

In this new place, the hospice still feels like home. Residents help one another, talk, share memories, and carry one another’s burdens with tenderness.
Thanks to the faithful support of Operation Blessing, the hospice can offer warm, nutritious meals to people like Natalia — people who cannot care for themselves, but who still deserve dignity, love, and daily kindness.

And the care goes even deeper. Local church teams regularly visit the hospice — not just with practical help, but with comfort for the soul. They sing, pray, and share from the Bible, bringing peace and encouragement to those who need it most. In these moments, residents are reminded that they are not forgotten — they are seen, valued, and deeply loved.

Natalia says through tears, “Despite the war, the hunger, and all I’ve been through… my heart is warmed by people like those from Operation Blessing. They feed us, care for us, and remind us that we matter. Thank you.”