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'Separated by a twist of fate': Cleveland woman's family stuck in Ukraine while father returns to fight in war

"The only thing I try to think about is what I can do to help."

CLEVELAND — A family separated by a twist of fate.

"The way I was just ripped apart from everyone because I was just with everyone and not being able to do anything about it... that was hard." 

A month ago, 26-year-old Anastasiya Koval was in Ukraine with her mom helping to care for her bed-bound grandparents battling COVID-19.

Fast forward two weeks later and she left for Turkey on her own, in search of a grad school program.

"I was originally supposed to fly back Wednesday but by a freak twist of fate I extended my flight by a day," Anastasiya says.

When she woke up Thursday morning for her flight back to the Ukraine -- the Russian invasion was already under way. "I had no choice but to redirect my flight back to the states, so at that point my mom was stuck over there." 

 Anastasiya's 57-year-old father returned to Ukraine to fight for his country. "My dad flies out the following day to go fight in the war, so my brother is here, my parents are there."

 "The whole day I didn't really have a moment to process it and then I dropped him off and once he went through security and I couldn't see him anymore, I lost it in the airport. I just lost it in front of everyone because I just didn't know if that was the last time i was going to see him," Anastasiya recalls.

"I kept looking at him all day and he was like 'why do you keep looking at me?' and I was like 'because I just want to look at you right now because I don't know if I'll ever be able to look at you again." 

"You have to understand a lot about our culture and heritage and what our people have gone through for hundreds of years, he's not the only one. There's tens of thousands of men who have returned to fight this war, which is so incredible to see." 

Anastasiya's mother and father are currently in the western city of L'Viv, about 30 miles outside the Poland border. 

"She's on the fourth floor and when the sirens go off in the city, which they do several times a day, they don't go to a bomb shelter, they stay there. there's no lift. my grandpa is bed ridden so god forbidden rockets did fly, bombs then she's not going anywhere to protect herself." 

While the end of war is nowhere in sight - instead of focusing on the chaos, Anastasiya channels all her efforts to what she can do to help overseas. 

"I don't really have time to think about it because when I do think about it I just go to a really dark place really quick," she says. "I'm helping my dad translate things, set up bank accounts, purchase military equipment, help send funds to other people." 

About 95 percent of her family remains in Ukraine.

"It's not just my parents over there, I have so many cousins, I have aunts and uncles. I was just told today that one of my uncles got sent to the frontlines," Anastasiya adds. "I got a goddaughter over there, she's two years and three months and is a refugee right now." 

And while she's had to prepare for the worst, she's hoping for the best. 

"It was a horrific day I'll be honest, signing his will, dividing his assets between me and my brother. The only thing I try to think about is what I can do to help. I don't go to the past, I don't dwell, I don't think about what could be, what if. You can't control what happens to you, only how you react to it and I'm a big believer in that." 

To learn more about how you can help the Koval family, email EdHeben@HebenLaw.com or call (216) 431-5297.

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