Despite everything, Stepan believes in the best

Stepan was born in the city of Donetsk, a city of mining glory and roses. He appeared a little early, two months before the deadline set by the doctors – April 9, on the eve of St. Stephen's Day. And when the mother saw that the breathing apparatus to which the baby was connected had the name "Stefan", then the question of the newborn's name was finally resolved.

At the age of 3.5 years, doctors diagnosed Stepan with a severe form of type 1 diabetes. Mom taught him to react to low sugars. And when the boy felt them, he said the signal word "boom-boom". Stepan went to school at the age of 7, because he was very small and was always 2 years behind his peers in terms of physical performance. He finished his first grade in Donetsk in 2014. And already in June, the family left for Lviv on the last train.

New friends, new school, new doctors, new city. In the first years, they often remembered their home, their region. They were very happy when some favorite things from their home were handed over from Donetsk. Stepan has an older brother Marko. Dad didn't live with them, and then he died, somewhere far away. Therefore, his brother is the closest person and adviser to him.

Currently, Stepan is finishing the 11th grade and is preparing to enter "university". He has been studying English since the age of 5. He reads a lot. As a child, I read everything Nestaik, Harry Potter, Lindgren, Nestlinger. The boy's love for the Ukrainian language appeared in Donetsk, from comic strips by Gazovoy and "Adventures in the Forest School" by Nestayk. And at fourteen he had already read "Three Comrades" by Remarque and "Tevye the Milkman" by Sholom Aleichem. Sun Tzu's Art of War and Berserk are currently in his backpack.

Stepan has a wide range of interests. He likes to listen to rap and rock and dreams of an electric guitar. Interested in history and news in Ukraine and the world. I know a lot about America. This is another dream of his – to go to the USA, see everything he knows about with his own eyes.

His life is significantly complicated by illness. The boy constantly needs to take medicine, visit doctors, monitor his sugar level. But he is happy with his life. He hopes that peace will finally come to our country and that diabetes drugs will be invented that will be able to stop this disease and prevent it from progressing.

His family consists of him, his mother, and his 80-year-old grandmother. The financial situation of these people is very difficult. They rent an apartment in Lviv, because theirs remained in Donetsk. Since they moved back in 2014, they do not fall under the aid programs of international organizations. In fact, the entire family budget consists of mom's income and Stepan's and grandmother's very small pensions. It is almost impossible for them to live and be treated in such a situation.