Arina Malenkova is an eight-year-old girl from Kryvyi Rih whose house was hit by a Russian missile in December 2022. Arina and her mother Maryna were seriously injured. The girl was in critical condition, she was immediately taken to the intensive care unit and connected to ALV. Doctors reported combined injuries to the lungs, ribs, shoulder, eye and other injuries. But they made every effort to stabilise her condition, provided all the necessary medical care. A few days later, both of them were transported to Dnipro. Maryna - to the Mechnykov Hospital, Arina – to the regional children's hospital. Both were expected to undergo numerous operations and long rehabilitation. All the time, Maryna’s husband Vitaly was nearby, who literally was torn into two hospitals, took care of his girls, inspired and surrounded them with care.
Arina and Maryna became participants in the Unbreakable Mom project from the Masha Foundation and Saving Lives humanitarian initiative of Metinvest Group. The specialists were dealing with them on a separate schedule: conducted group and individual consultations and sessions, body therapy and art workshops.
After returning home, Arina's father was looking for a rehabilitation centre that could consolidate the achieved results, and found the one in Turkey. With the financial support of American donors and Saving Lives partners, the girl underwent a rehabilitation course and returned to Kryvyi Rih. After rehabilitation programmes, the girl's psychological state improved, breathing and the work of the musculo-skeletal system improved significantly, she even began to run.
Now Arina is preparing for the new school year, dreams of going swimming and dancing again and, like all Ukrainians, is looking forward to victory.