On March 11 of 2020, the city of Dnipro, Ukraine was hit by Russian missiles. Less than three hours away, caregivers who worked at an institution for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the town of Znimanka were planning their escape. They organized a group of 29 individuals from the
institution, boarded a bus provided by the institution, and drove for three days and three nights until they reached Krasnobrod, Poland, which sits about 20 miles from the Ukrainian border.
There, they found an elderly respite center, called Sanatorium. The center was at capacity, but made space in an older building in the back of the facility which had not been touched since the 17th century. The staff at Sanatorium made up one room for the caretakers and two large rooms for the 29 individuals with ID. I interviewed Oleksandra, who narrates this short. Her best friends are Vita and Rosa. Rosa learned to walk last year, at Sanatorium. Olek and Vita helped her. This is their story!

By Kathleen Potter Shriver (USA)