PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — It's been nearly two years since a family moved from war-torn Ukraine to the suburbs of Florida. The transition has been challenging. Life, as many of us know, comes with ups and downs. And for the Kurbanova family, it came with something else: a life-changing moment they didn't anticipate.
Their whirlwind journey from a war zone to the comfort and relative safety of America started in July 2022. They arrived in Florida as foreigners in a strange land but quickly found comfort and friendship in Kelli and Lee Stuart, the family who sponsored them.
"It's difficult. They came with the clothes on their back and are not speaking the language, and there are just a lot of challenges," Kelli said. "They've worked hard to make a life here. They came with the clothes on their back and did not speak the language. And there's just a lot of challenges."
During college, Kelli studied abroad in Ukraine. She fell in love with the country, learning to speak Russian, and her connection to the people, something she never forgot.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, her first reaction was to fly to Ukraine and help. But the mom of four knew that wasn't realistic.
While looking for a long-lost friend, Kelli learned about a family hoping to escape the war and start a new life in Ukraine. Emails were exchanged, and months later, the Kurbanovas arrived in Florida.
"Who knew this is how this was going to play out," Kelli said.
"I love it," Lee said. "We've been blessed to have them in our lives. I was nervous early on about how well they would adjust to the pace of American life. I've been very pleased with how our families have, in most instances, just dive right in and try to figure it out. They've said to us, we want to figure this out on our own."
ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska first met the Kurbanova family in July 2022. Mom Snejana and dad Viktor welcomed us into their home, along with their three children, Roman, Mylana, and Katalin. But for our next meeting, we met someone else—Kamelia Grace, their seven-month-old daughter born in America.
"How difficult has life been adjusting to our culture?" Paluska asked. Roman, who didn't speak English when we first met in 2022, acted as our translator.
"Everything is different for her; everything is new… it's nice," Roman said as he translated his mom's response.
When Paluska first met Roman in 2022, he was an excited teenager with a big smile and bright personality. Despite his lack of language skills, he tried hard to speak English. His grasp and growth of the English language have surpassed everyone in his family. As he rollerblades home from school, you would never know he is a refugee from Ukraine.
"We are praying about Ukraine; we worry about our home," Roman said.
Viktor's brother enlisted in the military, fighting against the Russians.
"He prays for his brother and his family that God saves him," Roman translated from his dad.
Despite martial law requiring all military-aged Ukrainian men to fight, Viktor was out of the country when the war started. He is legally deaf, with only minimal hearing in his left ear.
The Kurbanovas are just one out of thousands able to come to the US through the Uniting for Ukraine program. The Kurbanovas' two-year temporary protective stay is expiring.
However, the family applied for an extension. They hope at least one person in their family will never know the pain of war.
"We are happy Kamelia was born here," Viktor said in Russian. "We want her to stay where she was born."
Weeks after, the Ukrainians landed in America. Kelli faced a different war in her life.
"I was diagnosed with breast cancer," she said. "I had to do chemotherapy, and they would come, and they would clean our house for us. And we ate a lot of borsch last year, they made a lot of food. And it was just a really lovely picture because we stepped into their mess, you know, maybe somewhat, I wouldn't say unwillingly, but unwittingly, like not quite knowing what we were getting ourselves into. But we stepped into their mess. And they just, without even thinking, stepped right back into ours. And it's just been a nice partnership."
"Have you thought about where that came from, that gift that this family gave you guys when you gave them that gift first?" Paluska asked.
"From the Lord," both Kelli and Lee said.
"We thank God we are here and help her," Snejana said. "We love her family, and her family loves us. We are still together. We help. They help us. We help them."
Then Roman translated what his mom Snejana said, "Thank God she has a new American sister… Kelli. We want to thank the Americans and Kelli and Lee's family [that] helped us get here."
It was a team effort from all the volunteers at Stuart's church to community members who dedicated their time and energy to support the Kurbanovas. Everyone started paying it forward for the greater good, a larger purpose: to help their fellow man.
"We can't imagine now, going on life without having our Ukrainian family—that's what they are," Lee said.
"It was so comforting to know that they cared that much, that they cared enough to bring all the food and do the cleaning, and I'm just really thankful that they didn't hesitate at all to jump in and be our friends… just be our friends," Kelli said.
