Help Ukrainian Refugee family

We are the Bodak family - my name is Sergii and I’m 59 years old. I am with my wife, Anna (41 yrs), and our two sons (12 yrs and 4 yrs).

On February 26, 2022, in an effort to save all of our lives, we left our home in Kyiv and traveled to Ivano-Frankivisk. We stayed there until March 6, 2022. We lived in underground shelters the entire time we were there – we were under constant shelling by Russian artillery and missile attacks. All-day long, we heard sirens and booms. With the constant attacks and fear of death, we started our journey to a refugee camp in Poland where we stayed for a few days. We became very ill while in the refugee camp. My youngest son had a fever of 100.5 degrees (38.7). But we are so grateful and happy to recover and make our way to America. We arrived at Washington Dulles Airport on March 11, 2022.

I helped my family escape the war but part of my heart is with my Ukrainian brothers defending our Motherland. In 2002, I was released from the Ukrainian active military list after suffering a heart attack. For 20 years, I served at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station and was a Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station rescue team member. I am one of the few who survived the catastrophic nuclear event that took place there many years ago. Sadly, my first wife Larissa passed away in 2001 from radiation exposure. To the best of my knowledge, our apartment in Kyiv and our country house in the Kyiv region were partially destroyed by Russian invaders.

We are grateful for some many things – to have made it safely to America and to have found a family willing to help us until we are capable of living on our own. We are currently staying in Rockville, MD with the Stepensky family.

Currently, the United States is not approving visas for Ukrainians to enter the country. The US does not have a refugee support program for Ukrainians who have made it to America. All funds will be given directly to the family and will help facilitate:

Housing

Legal/immigration assistance

Clothing - we arrived with 2 sets of clothes

School supplies

Medical fees/doctor visits/vaccinations

Transportation fees

Kitchen supplies

Food and groceries

Marsha Stepensky-Dorn and Jason Dorn are currently helping manage this fund for the Bodak Family