Imagine preparing for a corporate presentation one day and then being forced to flee your home the next. That’s exactly what happened to Tetiana Fomenko when Russia invaded Kyiv in 2022. Overnight, Tetiana became a Ukrainian refugee when she, her husband, and their 9-year-old son were forced to pack up and leave.
Before that fateful day, Tetiana’s career was thriving. After nine years of study and a Master’s Degree in Pharmacy, she had worked her way through the ranks of the pharmaceutical industry. She was working as a Business Development Manager for an ophthalmological clinic in Kyiv when terror struck.
The Day Everything Changed
Rumours of war were brewing for some time, but Tetiana didn’t believe the simmering tensions between Russia and Ukraine would escalate. “People were talking around. But to be honest, in my optimistic attitude, I didn’t take it seriously. It thought it can’t happen in the 21st Century.”
At 5 am on Thursday, 24 February 2022, Russian forces invaded, turning her world upside down. Her family was sound asleep one moment, then preparing for survival the next.
“First, we moved to Lviv. I spent the week volunteering and helping people who escaped the same way we did. But then my husband and I understood it was too dangerous for our child and we needed to make the next move.”
Coping as a Ukrainian Refugee
Tetiana turned to Facebook for help. She connected with someone she knew from her university days, and the acquaintance, who was living in the Czech Republic, agreed to house Tetiana and her son. Another friend drove them across the border to safety, while Tetiana’s husband remained in Ukraine.
However, this was not the end of their journey. The language barrier made it difficult for Tetiana to find work or a place to rent, and so, six weeks later, after learning of a Ukrainian refugee programme in the UK, the pair was on the move again. This time, they headed for the small town of Thame in Oxfordshire.
When the Universe Has Other Plans
Tetiana hoped to resume her professional life in the UK, but there was only one problem: her qualifications, “I did try to find work as a pharmacist in the UK, and it looked quite easy in the beginning, because I’ve got my statement of comparability, and I had a paper which says my education equal to English degree, but you can’t work as a pharmacist without registration.”
To register, Tetiana needed to complete a 12-month course for £15,000 (something she wouldn’t have had to complete if Ukraine were part of the EU). With a young son to support, Tetiana couldn’t afford the time or money required for the course. She would need to find another way to support them both.
Are You a Bee or a Fly?
The setback didn’t deter Tetiana, as she told Belle on the Step Into Me podcast:
“I quite often say the Universe has only three answers to you: Yes. Yes, but later. Or no, I have something better for you. You can always find something good, or you can find something bad in every situation. Like bees go for the flowers, flies go for the bad things. I choose to be a bee.”
Tetiana found her flower in the form of a leaflet. While waiting for a friend at the local doctor’s surgery, she picked up a flyer for a health coach.
“I was shocked, because it was me! (In Kyiv) I had a side hobby, teaching people how to change – nutrition, sport, and changes in their lifestyle. It is what I have loved all along, but never thought it could be my real job.”
That flower has since blossomed into a thriving health coaching business, one Tetiana hopes to take back to Ukraine once the conflict with Russia has ended. In the meantime, she is offering her services online to people in the UK and abroad, including her homeland.
A Ukrainian Refugee Mindset
With 18 months left on her visa, Tetiana is prepared for whatever comes next. “You can have plans, but be flexible with your plans. The biggest changes in my life have taught me not to plan too much.”
Tetiana’s resilience, openness to change, and willingness to see possibility in every situation remind us that there is hope even in the toughest of times.
“My grandfather taught me the only things you don’t have to carry in a suitcase are your knowledge, your experience, and your attitude. That’s what I brought with me to the UK, across every border. If I have to leave again, those are the things I will take.”
Hear Tetiana’s full story on Episode 9 of Step Into Me, hosted by Belinda Lee.
