Our hearts broke on 2/3/26 when we received the news that our beloved Mom — known to many as Mariia, Morika, Mom, or Baba — has been diagnosed with a second type of cancer. This time, it is the rapidly spreading HER2 variant.

Anyone who knows our mom knows she is the kind of person who makes you feel like family within minutes. She is gentle, giving, endlessly thoughtful — the type of woman who worries about someone else’s pain even while carrying her own.

Ten years ago, on May 10, 2016, our mom came to America with incredible hope and an open heart. She learned a new language and built a new life. Back home from humble beginnings, she raised two children and achieved remarkable success — even being selected by the state to serve as CEO overseeing 19 pharmacy stores. Yet through it all, she never lost her humanity, constantly supporting others with a generous heart.

She loves the simple joys of life: being outdoors, gardening, cooking, spending time with family, attending daily her senior health center, while socializing and exercising there, and chatting on the phone with friends just to hear about their life updates. She treasures conversations with loved ones near and far, including her 96-year-old aunt in the mountains of Ukraine.

She underwent her first colon cancer surgery in July 2025 at Cleveland Clinic with Dr. Hermann Kessler. Now, she is facing this new HER2 diagnosis. Her doctors believe there is a real path forward with aggressive treatment — but the financial burden is overwhelming. Medical bills exceed insurance reimbursements. For the first time, we are asking — on her behalf — for support from friends, family, and anyone touched by her warmth.

All funds raised will go directly toward her pre- and post-surgery care not covered by insurance, including:

• Two weeks, 2/16/26-2/27/26, of full-time treatment at Cancer Center For Healing (Irvine, CA) (~$10,000)

• Two-Three weeks of full-time treatment at Oasis of Hope Cancer Hospital, Tijuana, Mexico (~$40,000)

• Second-opinion consultations to reduce toxicity given her preexisting neurological condition at Mayo Clinic and in Boston

• Post-surgery rehabilitation at UCSD, radiation therapy, and other essential medications and follow-up care

Please consider supporting Mariia through a donation, sharing her story, or keeping her in your prayers. The world needs this God-fearing and caring woman. Our greatest hope is so simple: that she can have more time — more seasons, more laughter, more sunshine — to continue enjoying this beautiful world she has always embraced with so much love.

With endless gratitude, hugs and love,

Iurii, Yurii, Viktoriia, Andrew, Mariya, and baby Maya