Lynsey Addario: “Mom, I Want to Live” – A Young Girl Battles War and Cancer

In 2020, two-year-old Sonya Liakh was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer. Four years later, the photographer accompanied the little girl at a time when war had long left its mark on society. Far from the main battlegrounds, the series speaks of the turmoil in a Ukraine torn apart by suffering – and sheds light on the war’s impact on the population.

War casts large shadows: they cross streets, wind their way through landscape and seep into the smallest corners of society – until darkness falls and, with the final rays of light, the last spark of hope is extinguished. Though three-year-old Sonya Liakh was due for chemotherapy at the Ochmatdyt Hospital in Kiev on February 27, 2022, it was not to happen. Three days earlier Russia had launched a brutal invasion of Ukraine. Sonya was evacuated to Poland with her mother. Six months were to pass before the little girl was able to return to Ukraine and continue her treatment – by then, the cancer had already spread to the rest of her body.

“Mom, I Want to Live” is the story of a child who lost her life under the shadow of war. Her death could have been avoided, or at least pushed back, if the medical facilities in her country had not been overwhelmed or closed down. At the same time, the project speaks of a little girl’s tenacious battle against a form of eye cancer that is curable under normal circumstances, spending the final months of her life in hospital, at the playground and in a children’s hospice. Photographer Lynsey Addario accompanied Sonya and her family, acquaintances and friends for three months until the child passed away in August 2024, at the age of six. “I tried to stay focused on how important these stories are for the greater public to understand that war extends far beyond missiles and trenches, and affects people at all levels, far from the frontline,” Addario explains.

Addario’s pictures offer an intimate glimpse into the everyday lives of people who find themselves in an intolerable situation. They reveal the constant threat of death, which lurks like the worst enemy, hidden behind a facade of bright colours and sunlight. Through the expressive images, the viewer experiences first-hand the moments of deteriorating health. Countless syringes lying in a rubbish bag symbolise hopelessness, for example. At the same time, however, the photographer also captures the love between Sonya and those around her, showing moments of play and joy. She is a charismatic little girl with a zest for life, who often rewards others with the broadest of smiles. “I just kept wondering as a mother, how I would ever cope with such a situation,” Addario remembers. “Knowing the end of my child’s life is imminent, but maintaining the strength and dignity that Natalia maintained.”
The photographer has been reporting from Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion. She has travelled to the country a dozen times since February, 2022 and has seen the drastic consequences of the war. However, she says that this story was particularly painful for her. Addario herself has a son of the same age as Sonya.

Lynsey Addario’s series was submitted by Gaia Tripoli, who was among this year’s group of international LOBA nominators.