A book of remembrance "By the Ray of the Sun" about the Hero of Ukraine Mykhailo Yavorsky, a native of Kolomyia, was presented in Chicago. He returned from the USA to Ukraine, voluntarily joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and unfortunately, died in the war, saving his brothers. The publication about the Defender was published on the initiative of the soldier's mother Maria Yavorskaya and was the result of two years of work by journalist Ruslana Romanyuk.
This was report by "Suspilne Ivano-Frankivsk".
As reported, the Hero's mother first spoke with the journalist a few days before her son's burial, which took place on June 15, 2023 in Chicago. That interview for the newspaper "Surma" (USA) was later included in the book as a separate memoir.
Later, Maria Yavorskaya went to Ukraine to visit the graves of her son's brothers. It was then that she finally decided to preserve the memory of Mykhailo in the format of a book for his daughter, who was five and a half years old at the time.
“I understood that there was something to write about him, and I wanted to preserve this memory for his little daughter. So I called Ruslana and said that I wanted her to do it,” the post says.
According to the author, Ruslana Romanyuk, the book is a biographical publication of almost 200 pages and contains about 40 articles and memoirs - from Mykhailo’s studies in Kolomyia to his battles at the front.
“I probably know everything about him. There was so much love in him that he shared it between Ukraine and all his closest people. An amazing person. Truly amazing,” says Romanyuk.
A symbolic place was chosen for the presentation - the Church of St. Joseph the Betrothed in Chicago. It was here that Mykhailo got married, baptized his daughter, and from here he was seen off on his final journey. The presentation took place in the atmosphere of an evening of remembrance, during which the Hero's mother, the author of the book, the organizers spoke about the idea of writing the book, stories from the life of the Defender himself, which were also included in the book, the attendees expressed their sincere gratitude for his feat, and dedicated a symbolic concert to Mykhailo Yavorsky with the participation of local artists and students of Ukrainian schools.
The book is planned to be given free of charge to school and city libraries in Ukraine, as well as to Ukrainian schools and organizations in Chicago. The edition was published in a print run of two thousand copies.
Background
Mykhailo Yavorsky was born in Kolomyia. At the age of 16, he moved to the USA with his family, where he lived for 25 years. He received his education in Chicago, served four years in the US Army, worked in the IT sector, married, and raised his daughter. When the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation began, he returned to Ukraine and joined the 67th separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps “Right Sector”. For 15 months he fought in the Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk directions.
On May 25, 2023, Mykhailo Yavorskyi died in the village of Dibrova, Luhansk region, while taking two wounded comrades out of the shelling. On May 6, 2024, the President of Ukraine posthumously awarded him the title of Hero of Ukraine.
Photo: Suspilne Ivano-Frankivsk
Prepared by: Inna Mikhno