Posted on Feb 23, 2023
One family’s journey from Ukraine to Olathe, Kansas: 'Any minute could be your last'
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The Yeremenko family had no clue who the Kansas City Chiefs were seven months ago. They were focused on evading Russian bombs. With the help an Olathe family, they went from escaping death in their homeland to celebrating the Chiefs' Super Bowl title in Arizona.
For many American families, a trip to see the Super Bowl would be considered a dream come true. For one Ukrainian family now living in the Kansas City area, that trip came at an almost inconceivable price.
Until six months ago, Kyrylo “Kit” Yeremenko and his family were risking their lives daily, trying to escape the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Last week, they found themselves at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, as red and gold confetti fell from the rafters after a nail-biting conclusion to what many consider the pinnacle of American sports.
For many American families, a trip to see the Super Bowl would be considered a dream come true. For one Ukrainian family now living in the Kansas City area, that trip came at an almost inconceivable price.
Until six months ago, Kyrylo “Kit” Yeremenko and his family were risking their lives daily, trying to escape the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Last week, they found themselves at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, as red and gold confetti fell from the rafters after a nail-biting conclusion to what many consider the pinnacle of American sports.
One family’s journey from Ukraine to Olathe, Kansas: 'Any minute could be your last'
Posted from kcur.org
Olathe
Russia
Ukraine
Family
Posted >1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."The gridiron battle between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles pales in comparison to what the Yeremenkos survived since the war started, one year ago.
At Sunday’s AFC Championship game, the @Chiefs surprised the Teigland and Yeremenko families with tickets to #SBLVII, recognizing the Ukrainian refugees who are rebuilding their lives in the U.S., and the Americans stepping up to sponsor them."...
...“A lot of normal people are living in damaged or destroyed houses and nobody could help them,” said Yeremenko, who fled his home in the Kharkiv region shortly after the invasion began.
More than 5.9 million Ukrainians have been displaced within the country so far. Another 8 million have left the country to find safety, according to the United Nations. Russia’s invasion has caused the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II.
“When the war started, we thought that in two, maybe three weeks it would finish and everybody would get home. But that didn’t happen,” Yeremenko said. “At the moment, it's almost a year of the war, so I don't have any expectations about the end of all of this.”
The surprise Super Bowl trip was the work of Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt and the nonprofit resettlement organization Welcome.US, which reached out to the football franchise with the idea. Hunt presented the family with Super Bowl tickets at the end of the Chief’s AFC Championship victory over the Cincinnati Bengals."...
..."The gridiron battle between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles pales in comparison to what the Yeremenkos survived since the war started, one year ago.
At Sunday’s AFC Championship game, the @Chiefs surprised the Teigland and Yeremenko families with tickets to #SBLVII, recognizing the Ukrainian refugees who are rebuilding their lives in the U.S., and the Americans stepping up to sponsor them."...
...“A lot of normal people are living in damaged or destroyed houses and nobody could help them,” said Yeremenko, who fled his home in the Kharkiv region shortly after the invasion began.
More than 5.9 million Ukrainians have been displaced within the country so far. Another 8 million have left the country to find safety, according to the United Nations. Russia’s invasion has caused the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II.
“When the war started, we thought that in two, maybe three weeks it would finish and everybody would get home. But that didn’t happen,” Yeremenko said. “At the moment, it's almost a year of the war, so I don't have any expectations about the end of all of this.”
The surprise Super Bowl trip was the work of Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt and the nonprofit resettlement organization Welcome.US, which reached out to the football franchise with the idea. Hunt presented the family with Super Bowl tickets at the end of the Chief’s AFC Championship victory over the Cincinnati Bengals."...
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