In February 2022, life in Ukraine changed. As Russian forces began invading, a tenuous situation turned deadly, and millions of Ukrainians were at risk.
Kidsave only had a few staff members in Ukraine at the time, but they acted quickly and soon developed a volunteer network over a hundred strong. For months on end, these brave volunteers delivered humanitarian aid supplies and drove buses of children and families away from the frontlines, evacuating thousands to safety.
One of those brave volunteers was a young man named Maksym.
Maksym quickly became an integral part of Kidsave’s team, and when construction began on the Miracles Center in western Ukraine, Maksym was there, helping to make that dream a reality.
Initially, Maksym didn’t plan to stay once the Center was constructed, but that quickly changed when the first group of children arrived. What had started as a construction project suddenly became deeply personal. The more time Maksym spent around the children, the more he realized the importance of the Center’s work.
At first, many of the children were guarded and cautious around the workers. These were children who had been living in a shelter in Mykolaiv—many orphaned by the war or separated from their family for their safety. They were children who had lived through two years of constant airstrikes and fighting and fear.
It took time and patience by the staff to reassure the children they were safe, but soon, their walls began to fall. They began to talk and laugh and play. And Maksym bore witness to their transformation.
At home, he and his wife, Natalia, began discussing the idea of adoption. It was not a decision they took lightly. They had to consider how their biological children might be impacted and whether they had the capacity to welcome another child into their home. They questioned whether they would be able to care for a child who had experienced so much loss and pain at such a young age.
But something someone said at the Center had stuck with Maksym.
Spochatku dytyna maye naroditysya u tvoyemu sertsi.
First, a child must be born in your heart.
Maksym carried this idea with him as he and Natalia completed the training process to become adoptive parents. A year later, they received a phone call from child welfare services. There was a nine-year-old girl named Nastia who needed a family. Maksym and Natalia and their children traveled to meet her, and together, they realized that Nastia was the missing piece of their family.
Having worked with orphans at the Miracles Center, Maksym knew it may take time for Nastia to adjust. He and Natalia were prepared to be patient and give Nastia as much time and space as she needed.
Needless to say, they were both surprised when, on their first evening at home during a game of hide-and-seek, Nastia called Maksym “Daddy.” Soon, Nastia was reaching for Natalia, taking her by the hand or asking to be hugged or held. And she and her new siblings quickly bonded as well.
What struck Maksym and Natalia the most was how important the simple things could be to Nastia. Getting to choose the furniture for her room or being asked what kind of food she may want when hungry were all new experiences for Nastia.
Maksym always reminded her, “If you want something, come and tell me. Don’t be afraid to ask.”
Maksym feels grateful for his time at the Miracles Center for opening his eyes to the need for adoptive families. Without that experience, he and Natalia might not have considered adoption or met Nastia. While Maksym and Natalia feel their family is now complete, they look forward to continuing to work with children in need through the Miracles Center.
