Armenia: Yearning to create a new life to keep love and hope alive
“I didn’t just love my husband, I loved him deeply and felt very safe when he was by my side. Now, despite being surrounded by relatives, friends and parents, I feel lonely. I never felt this way when he was with me,” said Lusine Khachatryan, whose husband went missing following the conflict escalation in September 2023.
Lusine and her husband, Albert, have known each other since their student years. She recalls how they were instantly smitten by each other when they first met. For Lusine, it was love at first sight. Albert, too, soon realized that she was the one for him. They were content in their life together in Karabakh. Concerned for his safety, she would often express her fears about being unable to imagine a life without him if anything ever happened to him. In the 15 years of marriage, they always stood by each other through thick and thin, and faced life’s challenges together.
However, nothing compares to the challenge Lusine faces now. She has been doing her best to stay positive, noting that her husband loved life and always believed that no matter how hard the situation, he would find a way out. This gives her hope that he will find his way back to her one day.
As she continues to keep her hope alive for the return of the love of her life, Lusine’s greatest wish now is to have a baby. Albert and she had been trying to conceive for years, undergoing various fertility treatments, but without success. Eventually, they decided to try artificial insemination. They began the process at a medical centre in Yerevan by creating and preserving eight embryos. After completing the initial treatment, they had planned to return to Yerevan for implantation, but road closures prevented them from making the trip.
Her husband encouraged Lusine to move to Armenia, with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to go ahead with the treatment, but Lusine didn’t want to go without him. Then the conflict escalated, and the embryos remained frozen at the medical centre.
A few months ago, she attempted implantation, but it was unsuccessful. In the coming months, she plans to try one last time. If the process fails again, an undeterred Lusine intends to preserve the embryos and seek help from a surrogate mother in the future.
Lusine benefits from psychological support provided by the ICRC, which she says brings her significant relief through regular visits and conversations with psychologists. Additionally, she received assistance to start her own business, allowing her to earn a livelihood.
