Team

My name is Oksana Kiyanytsia. My aunt calls me Sana. I like this, and it helps in the big international world I live in now. Funny, a name that is so common in Ukraine is not always so easy to pronounce here. I was born near Kyiv and graduated from university there. However, destiny, or better to say our propper decision, transferred my family and me to Canada. My Canadian home, the charming city of Montreal, is full of greenery, just like my hometown. The difference is that people are not very fond of squirrels and dandelions, a problem that never existed back in Ukraine.

I am the mother of Sashka (Olek) and three girls. I work as a teacher in an elementary school. My passion is reading, drawing, writing, and the great outdoors. And not so long ago, I became a yoga instructor. This education helps me in communication. I can hear the wisdom that children tell.

I joined the project for my son, who came up with an incredible task of a frightening scale. But when you are told at eighteen that your child is disabled, you learn not to be afraid and live, no matter what. On my phone, Sasha is recorded under the tag My Gifted Son because that’s exactly who he is. He has encouraged me to evolve and learn new things all his life.

When Russia treacherously attacked Ukraine, incredible pain pierced our hearts, and we lived with only one desire: to help our Motherland. So my son came up with the idea to make a long hike, to draw the attention of Canadians to the disabled and their potential, and most importantly, to raise funds for Ukrainians who became people with disabilities in one moment. My son knows how to live and find his place when you are not like everyone else. He surely understands how scary and the painful world is for such people. Immediately, Sasha made his choice. He chose to help hospitals and their patients.

Our entire team is working hard to make my son’s project come true, and I believe we will succeed because we act sincerely and with love.