Ukrainian girl survivor of missile attack on Kramatorsk train station will participate in Boston Marathon

Lviv City Council reported this.

Yana Stepanenko has been intensively preparing for the Boston Marathon for two months. She trains four times a week: twice at the National Rehabilitation Center "Nezlamni" with a physical therapist, and twice more on the bike track and at the stadium with professional coaches of the PROBIG running club.

The girl was invited to participate in the Boston Marathon by the American foundation One World Strong, which helps veterans and civilians affected by terrorist attacks and military operations. Yana's goal is to run 5 km in Boston.

"By participating in the world-famous marathon, the young Ukrainian wants to remind the world that the war in her country continues, children and adults continue to suffer and die, thousands of lives are maimed and the number of people with amputations is growing every day. But despite everything, Ukrainians remain unbreakable," the Lviv City Council added. 

Another Yana's goal in Boston is a charity one. She wants to raise money for a sports prosthesis for a severely wounded defender, Andriy Kropyvnytskyi, who lost a limb in the war. The girl wants him to be able to run like her.

The post adds that Andriy Kropyvnytskyi is a 37-year-old veteran and patient of the Nezlamni Center. When the full-scale invasion began, he immediately came home from abroad and joined the army. He lost his right leg in Donetsk region. Doctors fought for a long time to save the limb, but it had to be amputated. The defender is currently recovering in Lviv.