Alisa Ivanytska: Life, Interrupted

An AMA employee shares her harrowing story of starting over

Written by Misty Harris

Imagine going to sleep after an ordinary day, then waking up to bomb sirens and news of war.

Imagine packing your family’s entire life into a single suitcase and fleeing your home within hours.

Imagine driving 24 hours straight, stopping only for fuel, in a desperate bid to survive.

It’s ok if you can’t. Even for AMA employee Alisa Ivanytska, who experienced this firsthand, the circumstances felt unimaginable. But when Kyiv was invaded by Russia on Feb. 24, 2022, there was no time to think; she could focus only on getting herself, her husband Michael, her four-year-old daughter Kira, two siblings, parents, and grandmother to safety.

“In the months before, everybody was talking about it, saying, ‘it cannot be, it cannot be.’ We never believed war would happen,” says Alisa, whose life before the invasion was objectively normal—a comfortable home, gymnastics class for her daughter, and a small family bakery business.

By Feb. 25, everything had changed. Four generations of her family were sharing a single hotel room in?Svalyava, 750 km from Kyiv, and it was clear there was no going home.

On March 1, they received a call from a friend in Germany, who offered his home as a temporary refuge. Michael and Alisa’s dad weren’t allowed to leave Ukraine—men were expected to join the war effort—so the opportunity meant both freedom and farewell.

Alisa was devastated but knew it was the right decision. Within two hours, they’d squeezed six family members into a small vehicle—along with whatever possessions they could fit—and drove 1,700 km to Germany, leaving the men behind.

Nine days later, Michael was called to the military. And for the first time since they’d gotten married, Alisa was on her own.

“I cannot come back to my home because it’s occupied. My husband is not with us. What can I do?” she says, recalling the fear and uncertainty of those early days—feelings that clung to her like a shadow as she considered next steps.

“When you're moving with your family, you always supporting each other. And you always have someone to talk with and to cry with. But I was just alone,” she says. “Maybe I’m stronger now, I’m not sure. But I don’t want anyone to feel this feeling, to be in this situation.”

STARTING OVER IN CANADA

Time seemed to stop yet move faster than ever. By early August, she and Kira were on a refugee flight to Canada. It was there that they met their host family and, for the first time since escaping Kyiv, were given their own bedrooms—a luxury taken for granted just seven months earlier.

Coincidentally (or perhaps not), an AMA retail centre was Alisa’s first stop after arriving in Calgary and dropping off her luggage. Her host family took her to Calgary Shawnessy to get an I.D. card and HelloAlberta membership.

Later that month, her daughter at her side, Alisa attended a local job fair in hopes of gaining employment. A large display of black and blue sunglasses attracted young Kira to the AMA table.

“I was so nervous because I was not sure about my English or even what I was saying to people!” recalls Alisa, laughing. But she instantly hit it off with Jody Sennett, Manager of Member Services, who put a giant star on Alisa’s CV and ensured she was contacted within the hour to book an interview.

“I'm really thankful for Jody, that she believes in me,” says Alisa, who’s now on a six-month contract as a retail support agent. “I think it was destiny that I meet her in this career fair.”

Alisa was immediately embraced by the AMA team, who set her up with a Nespresso, gift cards, a second-hand TV, kids books and other essentials to help make Calgary feel like home.

There was just one thing missing, an ocean away.

A TEARFUL HOMECOMING

In March 2023, after 371 days apart, Alisa was reunited with Michael at the Calgary airport. A co-worker drove her to the tearful meeting, where Alisa ran past the Customs barrier at first sight of her husband.

“He just hugged me and say: ‘I'm home. My home is where my family is.’”

Together again, the couple is now trying to find work for Michael and secure permanent residency in Canada. But Alisa avoids planning too far ahead, as the past year has taught her that life can change in an instant. She’s just enjoying each moment as it comes.

As for Kira, who’s now five, Alisa will never forget her reaction after learning her dad was back.

“The night he came home, she ask me, ‘Am I dreaming or is it true father is here?’ I said, ‘it’s really true.’”