Hanna Yermolaieva arrived to the U.S. in August 2022 under the “Uniting for Ukraine (U4U)” humanitarian parole program as a result of Russia’s war on Ukraine. In March 2023, she was found unconscious at her apartment in Florida and doctors diagnosed her with a brain tumor. Her brother Ivan and his family had also recently arrived under same U4U program to a wonderful host family and church community in Cary, NC, and since Hanna knew she would need the support and strength of her family to battle this terrible disease, she decided to relocate to NC and seek treatment. On April 12, she will undergo surgery at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Our NC community has started this GoFundMe campaign to help Hanna pay for her parents to travel from Ukraine to NC and to help them with housing expenses as they walk alongside her during her road to recovery. Thank you so much!

Hanna is an impressive, thoughtful young woman in her late 20s. As she approaches brain surgery, she has a remarkable peace and calm that inspires those who meet her. She graduated from Kherson State University with degrees in English and Ukrainian languages. Weeks prior to her diagnosis, she had just started her first U.S. job with Jewish Community Services of South Florida as a Case Manager to help other Ukrainians integrate into the community … something to which she hopes she can return to after her successful recovery. Prior to Russian invasion, Hanna worked for the largest company in Ukraine building utility-scale solar farms. As far as hobbies go, she enjoys reading, sports, going to the gym and generally being active.

Hanna’s father Pavlo is in construction by official education and hopes to continue to work in the logistics field. He enjoys gardening and animals. Hanna’s mother Tetiana is an accountant by official education and hopes to continue to work in the fields of cooking and restaurant fields. As you might expect, she is very fond of cooking, meeting with friends and exercising. They are very family oriented, but unfortunately the war separated everyone.

From Hanna -

From the first days of the Russian invasion, Russian troops occupied Kherson. No one understood what to do, there was panic, people could not refuel at the gas station or take money from the ATM or buy food. In the days that followed, everyone sat at home in panic of whether to take to the streets as the streets began to fill with Russian soldiers, the city was being shelled, tanks were moving freely around the city and shooting of local buildings began. My parents, along with their elderly grandmother, were at home, in the area of the bridge over which the Russian military crossed from the left bank of the Dnipro - it was the most dangerous place in the city. While the children and grandchildren left the city at the end of March 2022, my parents remained in Kherson throughout the occupation. When the liberation of the city of Kherson began in October 2022, it became impossible to stay in the city due to the fear of constant shelling, so my parents decided to go to the neighboring city of Nikolaev where they remain currently. They rented apartment in a different city and were left without work from the very first days of the war. To this day they can not find work, since in Ukraine there is a poorly developed network for finding a job, especially in southern cities. My father’s 89-year-old mother will remain behind in a nursing home as it would be too difficult for her to make such journey. My parents love to spend time with their family, and our mother constantly longs for her grandchildren and children. We have a very friendly and large family, unfortunately, the war separated everyone.

My name is Brian Snyder, and I am a local volunteer with Sister Cities and Ukrainians in the Carolina Association. I live in Apex, NC, grew up in Durham, NC and received Bachelor's and Master's degrees from UNC-CH. I helped Hanna’s brother’s family get here under “Uniting for Ukraine” humanitarian parole program, and I have complete confidence that our NC community will empower Hanna (and her family) to beat brain cancer this year.

All funds will be used as previously described.