This Thanksgiving, some Ukranian families in the Chicago area will be celebrating the cherished American tradition for the first time, as they start a new life in the United States.
The Chekhotskyi family is one of them. They arrived in Chicago back in July after leaving everything behind in their hometown of Chornomorsk, in the Odessa region of Ukraine.
"We heard some explosions everywhere, we opened the window, we saw when the war began and at this moment we decide to move to save our children," said 40-year-old Alla Chekhotska, who escaped with her husband Oleksander, and their two sons, 13-year-old Yaroslav and 8-year-old Mark. The family says they packed what they could in their car and traveled for five days to reach the Czech Republic, where they stayed with Alla's brother in Prague for a few months. But their goal, was always to end up in the United States.Sign up for NBC Chicago newsletters.Through a mutual connection, they met Sheri and Christopher Mohrman from Plainfield, Illinois.
The Mohrman's say it's a decision they didn't take lightly, especially since they already share five children. But they felt compelled to help in some way, after becoming empty nesters. Seeing the disturbing images out of Ukraine in the midst of a war motivated them to take action.
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