Amid spinal surgery, teenager sets sights on brighter future

When a psychologist once asked 13-year-old Alisa to draw a flower, the girl drew a thorny green cactus with several delicate buds blooming on it.

Anna, Alisa’s mother, was not surprised – her daughter, who lives with a spinal tumour amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, is determined to thrive no matter what. 

"That's who she is,” says Anna, 34. “Strong, beautiful and cheerful. She goes through all the difficulties and pain with a smile, and she also supports me. She appreciates every day.”

Since Alisa was diagnosed with the spinal tumour shortly before the full-scale war, she has struggled to walk. 

“Now I need to have surgeries,” says the teenager, who lives with her parents in Kharkiv. “We travel to different cities, because there is no possibility of surgery in Kharkiv – the doctors have left. I've already had six operations in total.”

“I am really grateful” 

Alisa, whose next surgery is scheduled for this summer in Ivano-Frankivsk, tries to see the positive in everything. 

“On the one hand, the war means shelling and destruction but, on the other hand, if it were not for the war, I would not have visited almost all regions of Ukraine in such a short time, would not have met so many people, would not have found new friends."

However, despite her fierce optimism, like all children in Ukraine, Alisa feels the long-term impact of the war. She was forced to change schools five times and move because of the devastating shelling of Kharkiv. The war took away her access to education and medicine. But worst of all, the war took away one of her loved ones.

"My brother, Alisa's uncle, died in the war,” explains Anna. “And she remembers him well. She even recently wrote an essay about him. After that, she grew up quickly. It was hard for her to realise that he had always been there and suddenly he was gone. And he was always so positive. Perhaps Alisa took this positivity from him.”

Alisa has been helped by a psychologist at the Kharkiv Lyceum ‘Obdarovanist’ educational centre, opened with UNICEF support. The centre, located in a well-equipped shelter, is one of the few places where children in the district can feel safe.

"I am really grateful for the programmes at the lyceum,” says Anna. “I can see that they really helped. That Alisa has worked through this with psychologists here. Because due to parental love, emotions, we sometimes cannot explain everything the way a professional would. And I'm glad that she feels not only my support, but also the support here.”

“I liked so many things I can’t choose”

Today, Alisa and dozens of other students conducted science experiments at the centre.

"I liked so many things today that I can't choose one thing,” says Alisa, excitedly. “We talked about electricity, took photos, and I really liked how we made candles. Everything was interesting.”

Like all school children in Kharkiv, Alisa is unable to attend school due to the security situation. So when catch-up classes began at the Kharkiv Lyceum in September 2023, Anna was one of the first to enrol her daughter. Twice a week, children of different age groups – from grades 3 to 10 – have the opportunity to attend maths and Ukrainian language lessons.

Alisa has improved her maths and other sciences in these classes. She hopes one day to become an architect who will rebuild Kharkiv after the war.

"Kharkiv is a hero city, a city of one love,” says the girl. “Of course, something flies here every day, but we always hide. And at any time we can come to the lyceum to the shelter and wait out the danger. But here I am at home. And the architecture here is very beautiful. Unfortunately, there are many broken buildings. But when I become an architect, I will rebuild them all.”

Each of Alisa’s surgeries is performed under general anaesthesia and, after each one, she has to undergo a period of rehabilitation. 

"I really dream that this will be my last surgery,” she says.

"Looking at her, you want to live,” adds Anna, proudly. “And you think that everything is not so scary even during the war."

Despite all the challenges, there is still hope embodied by Alisa and children and young people across the country. UNICEF is working with the government at the national and local levels to help recover lost learning and to build the skills and human capital needed for the country’s future.