Good Samaritans donate airline miles to bring Ukrainian family to the US

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) – A mother and her two children were able to leave the war zone in Ukraine and reunite with family in North Carolina thanks to the help of total strangers.

The hugs couldn’t wait for Halyna Marchenko and her two children when they fully cleared security after their expedition from Ukraine to Raleigh.

Marchenko’s sisters greeted her with balloons and flowers at Raleigh Durham International Airport. She and other family members were in Kiev.

Her husband, who cannot leave the country, drove them to Lviv. From there, they walked for hours before being picked up by Polish friends.

“Yes, I’m lucky, but there are so many people in Ukraine, women especially, with children who are not so lucky,” Marchenko explained.

“Still, the husbands are there, our brothers are there, our children are there. They’re fighting for our freedom. Ukrainian is the most peaceful nation in the world,” her sister, Ulyana Marchenko said.

Halyna and her children were able to get out of harm’s way because of the generosity of a couple in North Carolina that donated hundreds of thousands of United Airlines miles to help people like her.

“It’s amazing, I don’t have words to explain to you. It’s amazing that we’re all together, our whole family is together in one place. Now I can sleep,” she said.

One of the good Samaritans who donated the airline miles said more Ukrainians are flying to New York, Chicago and other cities. He said he only wishes he could do more.

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