Olena Heichenko was glad to see dozens of people attend a last-minute rally in support of Ukraine.
The group met at the Spirit of Sails statue in downtown Kelowna on July 9.
"I feel good, but very sad," Heichenko said about the rally. "It's very hard to live in war."
Heichenko hosted the event after a children's hospital in Kyiv was struck with a missile, killing dozens and injuring hundreds.
The Ukrainian wife and mom left Ukraine in 2022, but went back last November to visit her husband and other family she left behind. The war took its toll and Heichenko came back to Kelowna in the spring.