Emina Hadziosmanovic was just four when she was caught up in a brutal and bloody civil war.
And she believes her family only survived ethnic cleansing because of one woman's incredible act of kindness.
"I know that it was like living in hell. Hearing bombs exploding and snipers shooting. The sounds of war," she explains on new BBC series Saved by a Stranger.
When Bosnia and Herzegovina voted for independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, their comfortable life in Sarajevo suddenly changed overnight when the city was attacked from nearby hills.
They were targeted because they were Muslim and people they had lived alongside and been friends with took up arms on the other side and started shooting at them.
"I think that was one of the hardest parts about that conflict. It was people you had trusted who were radicalised by this nationalist propaganda about wanting to have one ethnic community in Bosnia. It was massive ethnic cleansing," says Emina.
A shell exploded in their front yard and parts went into the building, but they realised they definitely had to flee when Emina's sister became poorly and needed urgent medical attention.
The year before sister Edina was born with Down's Syndrome, which her mother had not even heard of and didn't know how long she would live or if she would ever be able to walk or talk.
One of the first people their mum Jasminka met was pediatric doctor Natasha Savic, who was an amazing support when Edina was born.
It was Dr Savic who told the family that Edina needed medical support that Bosnia could no longer supply due to the severe number of civilian casualties.
There was no guaranteed safe way for people to leave the city of their own accord, but Dr Savic managed to get them on a special medical evacuation list.
Dr Savic ensured the family were on one of the only buses that were permitted to leave Bosnia with people needing urgent medical attention.
However, their father chose to stay to defend his country and Emina remembers screaming and crying as they were separated.
Once on the bus they were still not safe as the journey was stop and start due to Serbs coming on board to make checks.
"If you have any valuables they were taken. If you refused to give your ring your finger was cut off with the ring," explains Emina.
"People were taken off the coach and never came back on. It was mainly boys."
Over two million people fled the war and over 100,000 were killed.
By far the worst part of the journey was crossing a bridge which was bombed just minutes after they got over - and Emina remembers seeing it explode and hundreds of people falling to their deaths.
After surviving several days on the bus they escaped to refugee coach in Croatia before beginning a new life in Birmingham and it would take another 10 years for their father to finally join them in the UK.
Coming to the UK was everything they had hoped of in terms of opportunities and support for Edina and the whole family, but they always wanted to reunite with Dr Savic to thank her.
"She not only saved our lives but had a massive impact on what we've gone on to do," says Emina, who was influenced by Dr Savic to become a doctor of criminal psychology to also help others.
"My sister would never have got the treatment she got in the UK, gone on to finish school, college, got NVQs, had dreams and hopes. That just wasn’t the case for children in post-war Bosnia with Down's Syndrome."
Unable to find any trace of Dr Savic in Bosnia, presenter Anita Rani and the Saved by a Stranger team begin searching and find her name in a newspaper article which was published just two weeks after they escaped.
They speak to British volunteer Jeremy Braid, who helped people get onto buses as part of peace keeping mission and witnessed many atrocities.
"I came away absolutely shocked and horrified at the ability of human nature. The big education for me is civilisation is incredibly fragile and can be stopped by human nature in a heartbeat."
He doesn't remember meeting Dr Savic, but points them in the direction of a doctor who worked in the city while being fired at by snipers, Dr Faruk Kulenovik.
This then leads them to Dusko Tomic, who founded the First Children's Embassy in the World, an organisation to try and get children out of the war-torn country.
He explains that they got 50,000 children and mothers out, including Emina's family, and Dr Savic was his first collaborator from the medical team.
"She didnt make any distinction between people. Nor did I, I am Serbian but a normal one who loves Bosnia," Tomic says.
"Those are the kind of people I surrounded myself with and Natasha was one of them. She was a big mother to everyone."
They discover that Dr Savic, who got an award in 2012 for outstanding work in her field, is now living in Holland and wants to come over to the UK to see the family.
Before they meet, Dr Savic says: "We tried to help kids that cannot live in Bosnia anymore. It was very difficult.
"I didnt ask, 'Are you Muslims? Are you Serbs?'. For me it was only people we can help.
"But I never know where is the people where is the child, I am so happy that people look and ask for me. I'm so glad that they've found me."
After 27 years apart the family finally have opportunity to show their heartfelt gratitude to Dr Savic and there are tears when they hug.
"Ive been wanting to say 'thank you' from me and my family for 27 years and all the other children you saved. You changed our lives," says an emotional Emina.
Dr Savic explains it was her mission to help people, while Emina says she gave her mum hope that her sister Edina could have an amazing life.
Having last seen Edina as a baby, both are in tears as they share a hug, with Dr Savic saying: "You are still my little girl."
She adds: "For me, today to see something special. A feeling that is my people, my girl. So many years I missed. I’m so glad."
Emina says: "The moment I hugged her I felt a massive weight had been lifted off my own shoulders to see she was well and happy.
"One of the most moving moments of my life. It was overwhelming in the most amazing way possible."
*Saved by a Stranger airs Thursdays on BBC Two at 9pm
