The parents of a British aid worker killed in Ukraine have described their son as "an inspiration.".
In Soledar last month, volunteer Chris Parry, 28, of Truro, and fellow worker Andrew Bagshaw both passed away.
According to Mr. Bagshaw's family, the couple's car was struck by an artillery shell while they were trying to save a woman in a zone of active military activity.
The family was taking things "day by day," according to Chris's parents, Rob and Christine Parry.
It doesn't get any simpler every day, said Mrs. Parry.
When I consider all the opportunities he will miss out on, I feel that it is a waste.
"He's not going to show up again.
It's extremely difficult to bring him back and plan his funeral because of how complicated it is.
"We're just mentally exhausted every day, we're just exhausted.
Mr. and Mrs. Parry described their son, a Truro native who had been residing in Cheltenham, as "generous" and "full of life" in an interview with BBC Radio Cornwall.
Chris always had this contagious enthusiasm and energy, Mr. Parry praised, no matter what he did in life.
"One of his legacies is life - live it, live it to the fullest," he continued.
Adding that they were with the Ukrainian people "every step of the way," Mrs. Parry said she and her family would "always feel tied" to Ukraine.
Chris may have been closer to the front line than he had indicated to her and his father, she said, adding that she had suspicions about this.
Chris reportedly claimed to only be working in Kyiv and in areas that the military had already cleared, according to Mrs. Parry.
Chris also explained to his parents that he was "just a driver," and that he would only operate the vehicle and wait in the van while others entered the building to rescue civilians.
She stated that she believed Chris wanted to spare them from worry.
She said, "I always thought it was a little boring what he was telling us he was doing and that was not like Chris. I had my suspicions.".
"Chris would have wanted to be right in the middle of it, aiding people, and just to be delivering whatever was required to be delivered to the front line and back again on lorries - that was never Chris.
"Consequently, it wasn't a complete shock in some ways.
Mr. Parry gave an explanation of why he and his wife didn't try to persuade him not to travel to Ukraine.
If he was set on something, Chris, he said, he would. Nothing you could have done could have stopped him, unfortunately.
Chris was "very eager to get back," according to Mrs. Parry, to Ukraine before his eventual return later in 2022.
"I think he was still so caught up in the war in Ukraine, and I'm sure he'd seen some awful things. The banality of life over here, and the trivia of it, he found very hard," she said.
Chris promised his parents he wouldn't let them check his Instagram account, which he used to post updates on his work and the situation in Ukraine.
Mrs. Parry claimed that her daughter, Kate, Chris's sister, had seen the Instagram page and was better able to understand what he was up to.
But Chris made her promise not to tell their parents, Mrs. Parry said, because he did not want his parents to know the full scope of what he was doing.
She recalled a time in October when she became particularly upset because she was aware of how dangerous what he was doing was.
I just think it's so tragic for her that she had to carry that burden alone, said Mrs. Parry.
On the evening of January 6, the Foreign Office called Chris's parents to let them know that he and his colleague Andrew Bagshaw had vanished.
According to Mrs. Parry, Chris's family "never gave up hope" that he would be located.
Mr. Parry informed his wife and daughter of Chris's passing over the phone after receiving word from Devon and Cornwall Police.
He claimed that everyone sobbed uncontrollably.
Receiving help from people outside of Cornwall, according to Mr. Parry, had been "so comforting.".
It's amazing how much comfort you get from that and how kind people are in situations like that, the man said.
According to Mr. and Mrs. Parry, they are still awaiting the return of their son's body.
They claimed to be in the planning stages for his funeral, which will reportedly take place at Truro Cathedral.
