farragutpress

Rotarians, friends rescue Ukrainian refugee

August 10, 2022 by Tammy Cheek

Ukrainian refugee and 2007-08 Rotary Club of Farragut Youth Exchange student Yuliia “Julie” Tryukhan, 32, and her two children, Mark, 3, and Polina, 18 months, made it safely to Knox County Friday evening, Aug. 5.

They traveled from Zilna, Slovakia, to Prague, Czech Republic, then flew through Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Atlanta, Georgia. They were delayed in Atlanta Thursday, Aug. 4, but took a flight to McGhee Tyson Airport in Alcoa the following morning.

“I still cannot believe we have actually made it to the U.S.,” Tryukhan said. “I’m really happy we got this opportunity.”

She is one of 250 Ukrainian refugees in East Tennessee — and of those, one of 150 in Knoxville,” said Jim O’Brien, president of Rotary Club of Farragut Foundation, which helped arrange for the Tryukhans’ trip.

“Team Julie,” consisting of RCF’s Vickie Williams and O’Brien, along with Bill and Dinah Vogel who hosted Tryukhan when she was a student, greeted the family and Oleksandr “Alex” Surkov, a friend of the Tryukhans, when they arrived at McGhee Tyson.

“It’s Déjà vu all over again,” Bill Vogel said. “Having her back is a privilege.

“I was able to briefly talk to (Julie’s husband, Dmytro )“Dima” via Facetime yesterday, 5 (p.m.)ish our time — midnight-ish his time Friday, and he thanked us for what we are doing for the ‘most precious people in his life,’” he added. “Those simple words made me realize what an honor and privilege we have to have Julie back in our home during such a terrible, difficult time for her family.”

“The Vogels are the most wonderful people, “ Tryukhan said. “They are like a family to me. Of course, seeing them again felt amazing, and entering their home felt like entering actual home. I feel so lucky I’ve got them in my life.”

“They kept relations,” O’Brien said about the Vogels and Tryukhan. “They opened up their home, and Julie will be staying with them until she finds an apartment.”

Throughout the trip, “Keeping my kids safe is my No. 1 priority, and I’m glad they are not only as far as possible from the war, but also in a place where they can get comfort,” she said, adding both did “much better than I expected” on the trip

“It was their first time on a plane, so I think the excitement helped to overcome all the stress,” their mother added. “They miss their dad terribly, though.”

Arriving in Knox County, she recalled her first thoughts were bittersweet.

“It feels wonderful to be back because I love America with all my heart,” Tryukhan said. “I just wish it was under different circumstances.

“It’s hard to fully enjoy it without my husband,” she added. “It’s been our dream for years to visit the U.S. with our kids, so it really breaks my heart that he is not here with us.”

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Rotary Club of Farragut sprung into action, as Bill Nichols, RCF’s Outbound Exchange Committee chairman, had been keeping in touch with Tryukhan through the years, as did the Vogels, Webb School International Center director Liz Gregor, former club member Linda Bellich and Ivana Sabakova, another RYE student, and Ivana’s father, Jurij Sabakova, a Zilna, Slovakia Rotarian.

Sabakova and his Rotary Club helped Tryukhan flee Ukraine for Zilna, Slovakia, where she lived with his family until recently.

In Zilna, “Rotarians there have cared and supported them throughout,” RCF public image chair Tom King stated in a RCF Flagship newsletter.

Meanwhile, Julie’s husband, who is serving the Ukranian army, fought the Russians in eastern Ukraine until three weeks ago, when his unit was rotated to a safer Western front.

“My husband has finally been transferred to a different unit where he won’t have to go back to the frontline,” Tryukhan added. “It’s a big relief for us. He is happy we’ve managed to come to Knoxville; but once again, his heart is aching over the fact that we cannot enjoy this new chapter of our life together.

“My mother is back in Crimea,” she said. “she is doing well.”

“Before our (July 20) meeting, two members made donations to the Rotary Club of Farragut Foundation that would cover the three airline tickets,” King stated in a July 24 newsletter. “We also should be prepared to pay for her husband’s flight when he joins them here.”

With that in mind, he asked fellow Rotarians to make donations to the Foundation to continue supporting Julie and her family going forward. Rotarians are asked to help raise $2,000 to support Tryukhan.

For Bill Vogel, the U4U program is familiar since it was a similar program many years ago that brought his father, a 19-year-old Jewish man, from Germany to the United States during World War II. He was sponsored by his cousin so he could make the trip.

“Alex” Surkov

“Jim (O’Brien), who has handled all of the travel and airline tickets for Julie, says that Oleksandr ‘Alex’ Surkov, one of Julie and Dima’s friends — and Mark’s godfather — flew from Canada to Slovakia some weeks ago,” King stated. “He accompanied Julie’s mother on her trip from Zilina to her home in Crimea (via Poland).”

Surkov traveled with Tryukhan and her children on their flights from Prague to Knox County before returning to his home in Toronto.

“An unsung hero in this story,” Surkov “put his life on hold several weeks ago, bought a ticket and flew to Slovakia to offer his assistance to Julie and her children,” O’Brien stated in an e-mail. “He ended up escorting Julie’s mother on her journey from Slovakia, through Poland and Russia back to her home in Crimea, and then returning to Slovakia.”

“My heart is full knowing that we have a friend like him,” Tryukhan said about Surkov. “I mean, he is a definition of friendship and devotion to me.

“I don’t know who else on this planet would have done that for us,” she added. “In fact, if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have made it to Knoxville with two kids all by myself.

“He is my hero, for sure.”


Although the Tryukhans are in America and safe, after a Wednesday, Aug. 3, RCF meeting, O’Brien said because her husband is still in Ukraine “there is not a celebration.

“They are still in need of prayers,” he added.

“Thursday felt like the longest and the hardest day ever,” Tryukhan recalled of the trip. “It was just a very long trip, filled with both excitement and anxiety. Friday, on the contrary, felt like the easiest one. I consider Knoxville to be my comfort zone, so finally getting here after everything we’ve been through felt very rewarding.”

Adjusting to new life

The first order of business for Tryukhan is to settle down and adjust to the new life.

“I have not really made any further plans yet,” she said. “I mean, we’ve taken a big turn in our life, so there is going to be some adaptation period. I’m hoping it won’t take too long and we’ll be able to make plans for life again.

“I love Ukraine,” Tryukhan added. “I loved our life back in Ukraine, and I wish we could just live it there peacefully. However, at this point it’s a matter of safety and future of my children.

“Therefore, going back to Ukraine is an option I will consider only when both those matters are guaranteed. I don’t know if (Dima and her mother) will be joining us, since Dima cannot leave the country and for my mom such a trip would be close to impossible. We’ll have to see.”

Through it all, folks from Farragut and Knoxville to Zelina, Slovakia, have stepped up to help. “I am overwhelmed with the amount of help and support we have been getting,” Tryukhan said. “I honestly don’t know what I did to deserve such wonderful people in my life

“... It’s just amazing how everything has worked out. Being a part of the Rotary family really saved my life, and I will be eternally thankful for that,” she added.