Before February 24th, Katerina and Maksim could not fathom what would happen to their home city - Kharkiv, Ukraine. They were celebrating the birth of their son and trying to get their two little daughters, Masha and Liza, to sit still, behave, and eat their veggies. On February 24th, they woke up to sounds of explosions. That was the beginning of the war. The same day, they packed their bags and moved into an underground shelter with their three kids. The following days were a complete blur, filled with uncertainty, fear, and true horror. The newborn got two-sided pneumonia and was rushed to an ICU at a nearby hospital. While Katerina was at the hospital with the baby, Maksin was trying to figure out how to find needed antibiotics at a pharmacy. The girls were holding up well and spent their days watching as many cartoons as they wanted, which was a welcome treat on their end!

With the help of MANY people, Katerina and Maksim were able to leave Kharkiv and cross the Polish border today. They don't know if they will ever return to their home again. They are looking to start a new life from scratch somewhere in Europe (the final destination is still TBD). I started this GoFundMe to help raise money for their family so that they have some resources to cover living expenses for the first month or so, as they figure things out, find a living place, and find jobs.

Thank you very much for your support. Any donation helps.