Lower Thirds:

0:01	Report by | Mariel Müller
0:17	Natalia Hordiychuk | Widow and mother
1:50	 Natalia Hordiychuk | Widow and mother
3:05	Iryna Tsaruk | Obstetrician-gynecologist
3.33	Natalia Hordiychuk | Widow and mother

((Anmod Suggestion: 
Starting a family is never simple — but in times of war, it’s a whole different challenge. 
In Ukraine, some military couples are turning to sperm freezing — partly to buy time, but also in case a soldier sent to the front doesn’t make it back. It's being offered for free to soldiers. And now, Ukraine has seen its first posthumous birth. Natalia Hordiychuk lost her husband in battle. A month after his death, she began the process to have a baby using his frozen sperm — keeping a promise they made together: to make him a father. Mariel Müller reports.)) 

Script: 

00:00
He still has the power to make her smile - even from beyond the grave. 
Natalia fell in love with Yuriy after meeting him in a park near the city of Rivne.

00:16
+++ SOT Natalia Hordiychuk, widow and mother (Ukrainian) 
He was always laughing. I used to tell him, “Yuriy! Where’s the smile?” Then I’d say, “Ah, there it is, he’s smiling again!” He was such a good man. I always said I’d never find another like him. And it turns out: there really isn’t anyone like him. +++ 

00:41
They dated for a year, everything was perfect, Natalia says.
  
00:46
+++ SOT Natalia Hordiychuk, widow and mother (Ukrainian) 
He kept coming to see me all year, always with flowers or gifts. One day, he proposed. And I said yes. +++ 

00:55
When Russia’s full-scale invasion began, he left his car mechanic job and joined the army.  He knew he'd be sent to the front line.

So they married quickly and ended up trying for a baby via artificial insemination - they also froze some sperm just in case. 
   
2 weeks after Yuriy reached the frontline, Natalia told him she was pregnant. 
  
01:22
+++ SOT Natalia Hordiychuk, widow and mother (Ukrainian) 
I sent him a text to tell him the news. He called me right away — crying. I said, “Why are you crying?” He said, “From joy.” I told him, “Congratulations!” And he said, “Congratulations to you, too!” +++ 

01:35
Just two months later, she got the news she’d hoped would never come — Yuriy had been killed on the front line. A sniper’s bullet near Donetsk. 
  
01:47
+++ SOT Natalia Hordiychuk, widow and mother (Ukrainian) 
I didn’t believe that he died. I wouldn’t believe it until I saw him. I screamed, I cried, I squealed — I said, “That’s not him.” Then I lost the baby.  Nine days after his death, I started bleeding heavily. After everything… I lost it. +++ 

02:05
She says it was the hardest time of her life. But two months after losing Yuriy and their unborn baby, she decided to use the sperm they’d frozen earlier – and try again. 
  
02:19
+++ SOT Natalia Hordiychuk, widow and mother (Ukrainian) 
I thought, why should I be alone? I won’t be alone. I decided to do what my husband wanted. He really wanted to have a son. I took that second chance. I went through it all. And when I did, it felt like I was reborn. +++ 

02:41
At a nearby fertility clinic, doctors gave her hope — and a number: a 60% chance of success. 
Natalia was the first woman in Ukraine to try for a baby with her dead husband’s sperm. But her doctor at the fertility clinic is sure she won’t be the last. 

03:02
+++ SOT Iryna Tsaruk, obstetrician-gynecologist (Ukrainian) 
Since the start of the full-scale war, the number of samples has gone up significantly. We now have around 100 samples from military men who’ve preserved their biological material. +++ 

03:19
A month ago, Natalia gave birth to her baby - with a close friend by her side.
 
03:30
+++ SOT Natalia Hordiychuk, widow and mother (Ukrainian)
When he was born, the moment I saw Yuriy in him, I felt such relief — it made me feel so good. It’s like Yuriy is still alive somewhere. The way he folds his hands when he sleeps, the way he smiles — that’s Yuriy’s smile. And I believe I’ll manage. Somehow, I’ll get through this. I’m strong. +++ 

03:53
Still deep in grief, and in the middle of a war, Natalia kept a promise — and brought new life into a world filled with loss. For her, Yuriy didn’t just leave a memory… he left a future. 

End of text: 04:10
End of pix: 04:13