I spent six months chronicling the journey of a Ukrainian family that fled the war in their country and found safety with sponsors in Maine, though they face an uncertain future. This story shares snapshots of Mariana, Zlata and Mykyta Haletska’s lives, and it aims to capture the tension of gratitude and loss as they navigate an impossibly unfair situation.
Now that the project is out in the world, I feel simultaneously relieved and like a piece of me is missing. Reporting and writing this story was personal. In some ways, the Haletska family’s experiences mirrored those of my parents and siblings, who were part of a wave of refugees leaving their motherland after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Like Mariana, many of my relatives still live in Ukraine, and I think of them often. The weight of the ongoing destruction there is soul-crushing.
I am grateful to the Halestka and Deveau families for opening their lives to me. It was an honor to tell this story, which I will carry with me for a long time.
— Valerie Royzman
