Little Hania was born into a Polish family in the village of Gaj, which was murdered on 30 August 1943. We do not know her real name.
A few days after the massacre, a group of Ukrainians from the neighbouring village of Kashivka were forced to go to the Grove to bury the dead. There they found a little two-year-old girl who had miraculously escaped death. She sat alone, among the dead, hungry and thirsty, with an empty cup in her hand.
The UPA ordered the killing of everyone, even small children. But the Ukrainians, risking their lives, decided to save the girl. The whole village took the risk. Little Hania was taken into their home by the couple Fedor and Kateryna Bojmistruk.
Ms Hanna was brought up by the Bojmistruks. As she points out - her foster parents treated her very well. She always felt loved by them.
She found out about her Polish roots as an adult. She tried several times to find Polish relatives. Sadly, this has never been the case.
She is 82 years old now. She has never been to Poland, but she has not lost hope that her Polish family will one day find her.