🎂 This Year, I’m Asking for Something Different — Please Help My Cousin’s Family in Ukraine
This year, instead of birthday gifts for me, I am asking my friends and family to give something that could truly change a life.
Please consider donating to my cousin and her little son in Ukraine.
My cousin lost her husband, Alexei, in the war.
Alexei was not a soldier by choice. He was a peaceful, intelligent IT professional and a devoted father of four children. According to his family, he was taken into military service against his wishes. Within only a few days of being sent to the front lines, he was killed by a drone while in the field.
His fellow soldiers witnessed what happened.
They told my cousin that they asked their commanding officer to retrieve Alexei’s body, but the officer refused, saying it was too dangerous. They also told her that Alexei’s death was not officially acknowledged and that he was instead reported as missing in action.
His fellow soldiers were frightened to speak openly because, according to what they told my cousin, they feared punishment from their commander.
Imagine receiving a phone call telling you that the person you love is dead — while officially being told that he is simply “missing.”
Imagine not being able to properly mourn your husband.
Imagine having a three-year-old little boy who will grow up asking where his father is, knowing that he will never get to hear his father’s voice, hold his hand, or watch him grow up.
And imagine trying to raise your child while living through a war and facing profound financial uncertainty.
That is the reality my cousin is facing right now.
Because Alexei has not been officially recognized as killed in action, my cousin is also facing uncertainty about whether and when her family will receive the financial support that would normally accompany the death of a serviceman.
I cannot change what happened to Alexei.
I cannot bring him home.
But I can help make sure his wife and little boy are not left alone to face the consequences.
So this year, my birthday wish is simple:
❤️ Please don't buy me a birthday gift.
If you were thinking of sending me something, please consider donating that money to my cousin instead.
Every $10, $25, $50, or $100 can help provide food, housing, clothing, medical needs, childcare, and basic security for a young family whose life was shattered by this war.
My birthday gift this year is knowing that, together, we helped a mother and her child survive one of the darkest moments of their lives.
Please donate if you can.
Please share this fundraiser if you cannot.
And please keep my cousin, her little boy, and Alexei’s children in your thoughts.
No family should have to fight this hard just to be allowed to grieve.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. ❤️
For my birthday, please give a gift to them instead of me.
