Tatiana was in the hospital in Severodonetsk after suffering from a stroke. There, she was receiving only essential first aid, not the extensive care she required. Tatiana was partially paralyzed and malnourished, and she lost a lot of weight. Her discharge date was approaching, and there was nowhere for her to go. The front line was too close, and Tatiana’s condition was very serious. Her relatives were waiting for her in the free part of Ukraine, but there was no way severely ill Tatiana would make it on her own. This is when her family contacted HTL. Meanwhile, the counteroffensive began. The long route – to the south, through Donetsk Oblast and Zaporizhzhia – was the only option. That meant that in addition to finding transport and escort, we had to obtain at least two passes and make it through “filtration”. Occupied territories resemble perilous swamps. Everything is falling apart in front of your very eyes, no agreements or laws are held by the local administration. There’s barely any cell service. These conditions are ideal for scammers, and unfortunately, we ran into them too, about halfway through our journey, and ended up having to wait an extra week for transportation and passes. For that week, we found a place to stay and a caregiver for Tatiana and kept her and her family in good spirits while arranging everything. At last, by early November, Tatiana was in Zaporizhzhia, reunited with her relatives. Right now, thanks to her family support, she’s on the mend and already looking much more cheerful than a month ago.