OLATHE, Kan. — The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to weigh on the hearts and minds of many in the Kansas City community, especially for one family in Olathe.
"I had nightmares for like two months when they were all there and got out, and I couldn’t sleep," Nadiya DiBenedetto, who has lived in the Kansas City area for more than a decade, said.
The last few months have worn on her and her parents, Valentyna and Ivan.
"I made my decision right away, it was [for them] to come over. My parents did not want to leave though," Nadiya said.
Her parents fled the city of Mykolaiv, leaving everything but their cat Simba behind. Her father recalled the escape, through Nadiya's translation.
"The bridges were open, it was one little bridge you can cross by feet, no cars were allowed," Ivan said.
Nadiya added, "They had to take their cat and walk at night with the little cat through the little bridge to get to the car that was waiting for them, while the sirens were going, they didn’t know the car would wait for them."
Though they escaped only two months ago, it’s still a painful memory.
"We don’t know if they have a place to go back home, if they have to stay here, we don’t know," Nadiya said.
Her parents live with her now, and live with an uncertain future.
"What to do next? If they stay, we have to proceed further, with maybe finding social help, they don’t have medical insurance, and they’re elderly people, if something happened, I don’t know, we’d have to figure out a lot of things," Nadiya said.
As the war rages into a fourth month, a return home is also up in the air.
"We got tickets to go back in August, we were optimistic, but I don’t know if they can this time, they still strike the city daily," Nadiya said.
But even after leaving their lives behind, Valentyna and Ivan dream of returning to the life they once knew in Ukraine.
"They have a hope. They have a hope that everything will be over and they can go back home," Nadiya said.
KSHB 41 News has compiled a list of resources for those who wish to help people in Ukraine impacted by the war.
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