Ukrainian family reunited in Bristol while eight-year-old fights cancer

A Ukrainian family separated by the Russian invasion has been reunited under a new housing scheme.

Tetiana Vifliangseva, 40, was forced to leave her youngest daughter in Poland with her grandmother, when she came to the UK with her eight-year-old daughter, who has leukaemia.

Now a new government-funded housing scheme has allowed the family to be housed under one roof in Bristol.

"Today is a wonderful day for my family," said Ms Vifliangseva.

"It's really important for us that we can be together."

Using the government funds, Bristol City Council will reimburse landlords for housing refugees.

Ms Vifliangseva's family had been prioritised because eight-year-old Marharyta is undergoing chemotherapy at Bristol Children's Hospital.

Marharyta was diagnosed with leukaemia in February, just two weeks before Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

Her three-year-old sister Viktoriia went to live with her grandmother, Nadiia Batiushko, 62 miles (100km) out of Kyiv, before the whole family was later evacuated to Poland.

"We got the good news that mums and children would be evacuated from Poland to different countries. Marhartya and I were some of the last people who left," Ms Vifliangseva said.

Eventually, Ms Vifliangseva and Marharyta were flown to the UK to receive treatment at Bristol Children's Hospital, whilst Viktoriia and her grandmother stayed in Poland for another two months.

"I didn't think about my feelings, I just try to do as much than I can. I don't have the time to think about what I'm feeling," Ms Vifliangseva said.

When they first arrived in Bristol, Ms Vifliangseva and Marharyta stayed in a Holiday Inn, which is close to the hospital.

But Ms Batiushko and Viktoriia were able to stay with 71-year-old Helen Thomas, who hosted them for four months in her Bristol home.

"It's going to make such a difference for them to have their own space, they're such a lovely close knit family," Ms Thomas said.

The new housing scheme will offer landlords £1,000, as a 'thank you' payment, six months of guaranteed paid rent, and money towards maintaining the property.

Josephine Walker, 34, and Gibran Hemani, 37, researchers at the University of Bristol, said they were delighted to be able to house the family in their property.

The couple said they spent time getting the house ready for their new tenants.

Ms Walker said: "Because of the housing shortage we came round to being convinced that using the house in this way was the most valuable thing we could do to help."

"We have had really positive experiences housing refugees before, who enriched our lives," Mr Hemani said.

"We hope the country as a whole is welcoming to people who need to escape from where they are," Ms Walker added.

The scheme means most of the family can be together as Marharyta goes through treatment, yet her father is still in Ukraine and is not yet able to leave.

Ms Vifliangseva said: "I think I have two wars - one war in Ukraine and one with Marharyta's disease.

"At the moment no war is won. I hope we can win both wars. After that I can then rest, but not now."

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