A New Beginning
Anatolii and Svitlana Rochniak escaped their war-torn hometown of Shostka and found saftey at Homewood in Hagerstown.
A war-torn Ukrainian family finds hope and kindness in Hagerstown
By Jennifer Mellace
“Life in the Ukraine was very disturbing—sirens sound every day and this means that missiles and suicide bombers are flying somewhere over the city,” says 76-year-old Svitlana Rochniak. “You don’t know where they will fly. Rockets flew into our city, suicide bombers came into the park next to our house. The facility in the factory where my brother works was bombed, and the research institute where my mom worked was bombed.”
Living just 25 miles from the Russian border in Shostka, Rochniak and her 77-year-old, physically disabled husband, Anatolii, were in the war zone on February 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine in an escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War that began in 2014.
“My husband is very sick. He had his first stroke after the beginning of the war in 2014, and in 2022 it became full-scale,” she says. “He became very anxious. Most of the missile arrivals were early in the morning. The news is mostly about the war. It’s all tiring to live in constant anxiety.”
The Rochniaks lived in a state of war and stress until this past April when Uniting for Ukraine and their sponsor Diane Brockington, the wife of former Green Bay Packer John Brockington, helped bring them to the United States. Today, the couple is living in Homewood at Williamsport.
The Need to Help
The Rochniaks journey began a year ago when Jake Palczewski, a 17-year-old Smithsburg High School senior and member of Tri-State Fellowship Church in Hagerstown, traveled to Ukraine to help in a refugee camp. After 55 days, he returned home and shared stories of families who needed help, including the Semenova family—Hanna (the daughter of the Rochniaks), her husband, and their three children, ages 15, 12, and 7.
At the time, Dawn Nelson and her husband, also members of Tri-State Fellowship, knew they wanted to help, and made the decision to sponsor the Semenovas through the Uniting for Ukraine program.
“We walked into this with blind faith, but together, with the church, we agreed that we needed to do this,” Nelson recalls. “We would need to financially sponsor Hanna and her family for two years while helping them get established. But before we could bring them over, we needed to find a place for them to stay.”
Anatolii and Svitlana Rochniak and their daughter Hanna Semenova.
The search began, but finding a rental property was costly. Fortunately, Nelson and her husband had a camper that slept eight, and they agreed that this would work in the short-term so that they could at least get the family out of the Ukraine.
“We were able to secure a campground site at the Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park in Williamsport for two weeks while we continued to find a more permanent place.” Thankfully, before the Semenovas even arrived, a home became available through another member of the church.
“For us, living in the USA was a dream,” says Semenova. “But we didn’t think that we would come here because of the war that our neighbors started. America is a blessed country, and we so appreciate that it opens its doors to people in such situations.”
The Journey Out
Semenova knew that things were only getting worse at home in Ukraine, and she worried for her parents.
“One day Hanna took a call from her mother saying the town was being bombed,” said Nelson. “Hanna asked, could the church sponsor her parents? Her father was physically handicapped from a stroke, and they were stuck in the middle of the war zone.”
Months went by. During bible study one evening, Nelson and other church members prayed for a way to get the Rochniaks out and sponsor them. Soon after, a call came telling them about a ministry, led by Joni Eareckson Tada, that will bring disabled people out of the Ukraine. “But we still needed a sponsor and a place for them to live,” said Nelson.
That’s when Diane Brockington and the John Brockington Foundation stepped in and offered to sponsor the couple, and Melissa Hadley, executive director of Homewood at Williamsport, spoke with the CEO and Homewood agreed to help with housing.
Retired marine Aaron Palczewski traveled with an interpreter to help get the Rochniaks safely to America.
“When Dawn reached out to me, she was so passionate,” recalls Hadley. “Hearing what the Rochniaks had been through, I knew we had vacancy and knew we should do this. Part of our mission at Homewood is to reach out to others, particularly seniors. It just seemed like the right thing to do.”
The wheels were in motion, but the biggest challenge was getting Anatolii Rochniak, who was confined to a wheelchair, out of the war-torn country. The Rochniaks lived 25 miles from the Russian border and getting them to safety would require two lengthy train rides.
“We had no idea how we could make this happen,” said Nelson.
But help was still pouring in. Retired marine Aaron Palczewski—Jake’s father—offered to travel with an interpreter to help get the Rochniaks safely to America. With help from contacts at the refugee camp where Jake volunteered, they were able to find places to stay, and they fled just in the nick of time.
“They boarded the train with the Rochniaks as the town was being bombed,” said Nelson. “Aaron physically lifted Anatolii in and out of places and stayed with them through the entire trip.”
Svitlana Rochniak recalled the feelings she and her husband had as they were leaving their home.
“When we left from Ukraine, we were worried. This was the first flight in our lives. But thanks to our friend from Tri-State Fellowship, Dawn Nelson, she planned all the trip. Aaron flew from the USA to help us get out of the Ukraine. This was not an easy journey.”
A New Beginning
A year after saying goodbye to their daughter and grandchildren, the Rochniaks were safely in America and reunited with their family.
“We were glad that we would be in a safe place and would be able to see our children and grandchildren again a year later in a place where there is no war; where there is peace,” said Rochniak.
Homewood at Williamsport enables the Rochniaks to have an independent living situation while offering Anatolii Rochniak occupational and speech therapy. “In the Ukraine the medical field wasn’t able to help 10 years ago, so Anatolii had no physical therapy. He lost so much,” said Nelson.
Back home, the Rochniaks lived in a second-floor apartment without an elevator. So, leaving for walks or to get fresh air wasn’t an option for the couple. “We are so appreciative of Homewood who gave us the opportunity to live here,” said Svitlana Rochniak. “My husband can go out for a walk any time. We have met a lot of kind, polite people who are ready to help at any moment. We left Ukraine with two bags. People here have helped us buy furniture for the apartment and donated many things we needed.”
Hadley recalls the first time she saw the Rochniaks on their back deck and how grateful they were. “Seeing them on their deck when they hadn’t been able to go outside for who knows how long was truly humbling. Anatolii had tears running down his face. It puts things in perspective and makes us think of all the things we take for granted. They were so appreciative for the things we were able to give them.”
The couple’s joy and gratitude for having a safe place to call home resonates throughout the Homewood community. “Melissa shared that the Rochniaks arrival was good for the residents and staff after Covid,” said Nelson. “The community has rallied and helped them feel at home. Their apartment is furnished by staff and residents and, together with the Brockington Foundation, money was raised to buy Anatolii a lift chair.”
The day the couple arrived, Homewood had decorated with Ukraine banners, balloons, and welcome signs in Ukrainian, and every apartment in the unit had a Ukrainian flag over the door.
“Being in America means being safe next to our family and grandchildren,” says Svitlana Rochniak. “America is a blessed country. We have never received so much care and kindness in our lives. We give so much thanks to Tristate Fellowship Church and Diane Brockington and everyone for all the help they gave us.”
Svitlana Rochniak and her daughter Hanna Semenova.