Family from Ukraine makes a fresh start in Birmingham

As Mykola and Olena Vyshyvanyuk escort new friends to their car, the stillness of the suburban night is briefly interrupted by an almost imperceptible sound in the distance: the wail of an ambulance siren headed to a nearby hospital.

Yet on this winter evening, no one notices. That itself is a miracle.

For the past year, Mykola and Olena and their three children lived with the constant cacophony of war – sirens, gunfire and missile strikes back home in L’viv, Ukraine.

But now, thanks to a handful of Regions associates, numerous friends and local churches in Birmingham, the Vyshyvanyuks and their three children have started a new life in a quiet, safe suburb of Alabama’s largest city.

“Back home, it’s very, very cold,” Olena said with a soft smile. “I don’t like winter anymore. The Alabama winter is much better.”

“We are still adjusting,” Mykola said. “But not our kids. In two or three weeks, they made new friends and made this home.”

How do you change lives, escape a war and find a new life in a year’s time? For the Vyshyvanyuks, it started with an article in the Wall Street Journal.

Ed Cotter remembers reading about a program called Uniting for Ukraine, implemented by the White House, to fast-track immigration from the war-torn nation to the U.S.

https://alabamanewscenter.com/2023/02/17/family-from-ukraine-makes-a-fresh-start-in-birmingham/