My hands have been shaking involuntarily for the last two years.

It started on the 24th of February 2022 when I saw this text from my friend in Odesa:

“We are under attack. I woke up to an explosion. I’m sitting at 6 in the morning with collected documents and don’t know what to do. We are currently in a state of emergency across the country. Flights are cancelled.”

I visited my parents there just 10 days before the war started and they were adamant that everything was going to be fine and there was no way they’d leave their flat/jobs/friends/relatives behind and come with me.

The first week was torture. I couldn’t sleep or eat.

With the power of persuasion only available to me in a state of total desperation, I somehow managed, within a few days, to do the impossible: They agreed to come and stay with us in London.

I can’t believe after 2 years the war still goes on.

“Sometimes I sit here, wondering what to share next, trying to mix the positive, with the outright devastating, the burden of responsibility weighing heavy on my shoulders, to keep you aware of all that's going on…”

This is an abstract from Chris Lomas’s post - the founder of Hope4.

Our brains can only take that much in. If it’s a constant stream of devastation, we eventually adapt to that new lifestyle and become numb to what’s around us.

And with everything happening in the world right now, it’s impossible to be tuned into all the suffering.

One thing Chris told me in our private conversation a few days ago that I’ll never forget:

“We were asked for refrigerator vans a couple of weeks ago, but not for food… to transport the bodies”.

The war is still happening and lots of people are in danger.

People who can’t leave their husbands behind;

People who don’t want to leave their homes and lives behind, because… well, they’ve been building their lives there so why should they;

People who love their country.

We are raising £2500 to provide emergency packs to the families who just lost their homes. The cost of one pack is £15.

Of course this won’t give them back all that they lost, but it will be the first stepping stone for them to start rebuilding their lives.

I am grateful for all the support I’ve been getting. If there is one positive thing that I learnt since the war started, is this:

“When we are under threat, then “I” become “WE” - this was actually Chris Anderson, the Head of TED who said that. And it’s exactly what I see over and over again in how Ukrainians unite and stand up for each other as family.