Hello my name is James, I am a carpenter in California. In the image is Nelly (My fiance), Kira (Her daughter), and Asya their dog.

Nelly and Kira are from Cherkassy Ukraine. They have lived there all their life, and have not exactly had an easy life at that, though if you met them you would never know it because Nelly is just about as kind, loving, and positive as any person I've ever met.

In the past week Nelly has had to leave her home in Cherkassy, escaping by bus with her daughter Kira, her sister Oksahna, and her niece Dasha. They were terrified to leave, unsure of whether the journey would be more dangerous than hiding in their apartment hoping they would not be bombed. Ultimately they decided to take their chances and flee, leaving their mother, grandmother, aunts, and uncles who refused to leave.

They have made their way to Poland along with other women and children who made the same decision. I love Nelly and we intend to get married. She will come to the USA and begin a new life, and we will struggle together to meet the challenges along the way. I am currently doing everything I can to help pay for Nelly's food clothing and shelter, and my family is helping as well.

The short of it is, we are overextended and Nelly will not leave her sister and Niece alone in Poland, which is respectable. I have flown out to Poland as of last Friday to aid them in whatever way I could, getting them basics like simple clothing, and some drawing materials for their 7 year old daughters.

I will be returning home to work feverishly to help their situation but I know that my own personal pride needs to be set aside in this situation because there is too much at stake. Nelly means the absolute world to me, and so I am exploring every avenue I can to ensure she and her family are safe.

If anyone is able and willing to help, it would be greatly appreciated, though I know at this time there are thousands of stories like my own.