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Over the course of four years, he visited Heidi, Mike, and their son in Texas over Christmas and during summer vacations, quickly becoming a fixture at their home—and a big fan of their three cats, Daisy, Duke, and Fuzzball, and their dog Luke.
The pandemic brought an end to the visits, but the family kept in touch with Oleh over Instagram and Facebook Messenger. Though he’d spent part of his childhood in an orphanage, he was now staying with a foster family and enjoying life in Ukraine.
Mike, Oleh, and Heidi Forgione live together comfortably but use Global Refuge for help navigating resources.
“I would go to school, ride my bike a lot, and hang out with my friends,” he recalls.
When the war broke out, Oleh and his 10 foster brothers and sisters were forced to flee to Poland—and after living there for several months, Oleh turned 18.
“His foster mom reached out to me because she wasn’t sure how much longer they could stay in Poland,” Heidi shares. “She was worried about him returning to Ukraine, because they were bringing all adult males into the military, and she had some concerns about whether that would be good for him.”
Oleh’s foster mom asked the Forgione family if they would be open to bringing him to the United States through Uniting for Ukraine, a new humanitarian parole program that allows groups in the U.S. to sponsor Ukrainian individuals and families. Their answer was immediate: of course. Oleh was family.
“If you have an opportunity to help, you do,” says Heidi. “I can’t imagine what they’re going through there—[Oleh’s] life had been in limbo for months at that point. There was nothing for him. And so we thought, if we can bring him here, we can at least give him a safe place to live.”
The process was quick; within two weeks, the application was approved and Oleh was on his way back to Texas. The journey itself, however, was not as easy—Oleh got briefly stuck in Germany and recalls being questioned by immigration officials several times throughout the voyage, including in the United States.
It was, as Heidi put it, “quite a trip,” but the family quickly settled back into their routines as if nothing had changed.
“There were some hugs for us, but lots of hugs for the animals,” Mike recalls with a laugh.
“He always has a cat on his lap,” adds Heidi.
From left: Mike, Oleh, and Heidi.
(Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal)
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