Vitalina and her family – her parents and her older sister – lived together in a loving home with a beautiful garden. After spending two weeks under Russian occupation, Vitalina’s father made the brave but difficult choice to send his family away to another city for their safety while he remained to guard their home by himself. Though it saved his family, it cost him his life.
Vitalina’s father was captured by the Russian military and subsequently tortured and shot. His body was found with his hands tied behind his back, the neighbors burying him in the garden the family once loved.
