We are the Studinskiy family, and we would like to introduce ourselves. All four of us, Andrei, Natasha, Nikita and Timofei, were born in Kyiv Ukraine and have been proud to call this beautiful city our home.
Sadly, our home is now under attack.
We would like to express our immense gratitude to each and every one of you forthe incredible support you have provided to our country and to so many families. While it is impossible to drown out the sound of missiles exploding in the middle of residential neighborhoods, the humanitarian and military support that our country has received from all around the world, and from people like you, cannot be overstated. Simply put, if it wasn’t for you, our country and hundreds of thousands of peaceful Ukrainians would no longer exist!
But we are still here and we’re resisting with everything we’ve got.
A little bit about us
We are humble, hardworking people who never thought that we’d be facing a choice between living in constant fear in our own home or leaving everything behind and fleeing our homeland with whatever we can stuff into a suitcase and a backpack. For our kids’ sake, we have made this impossible choice and are now getting ready to leave Ukraine for Chicago.
"We consider ourselves lucky compared to so many other Ukrainians; we have a childhood friend who wants to help get us out of the war zone. He applied for the Humanitarian Parole on our behalf so that we would have a legal sponsor in America."
In a matter of days, we were surprised to find out that the US government approved our petition and we are now allowed to travel to the US as refugees, a term that we never thought we’d learn so much about.
My name is Natasha (41) and my husband Andrei (46). We were both raised and educated in Kyiv, where we met many years ago when we worked together for the same company. We knew right away that they were meant to be together and three months later we were married. That was 19 years ago! In 2004, our first son, Nikita, was born and during his first few years, I continued to work and take care of the family while trying to find my true calling.
In 2010, Timofei was born, and, at around the same time, I realized my skills (design, photography, and project management) perfectly match my passion for entertaining kids and teenagers by organizing thematic and unique parties. I decided to start my own business, even though I had no experience running a business nor any financial backing. Step by step, my business was slowly growing while Andrei continued to work to cover our expenses.
Getting our family business up and running
Unfortunately, in 2013, Andrei’s firm was taken over by the government and most people lost their jobs, including him. He has been helping me with my business ever since. In 2014, the first wave of military conflict in Donbass began in our country and business became much more difficult. But in the face of adversity, we did not give up as there was a great desire to keep moving forward. Over the years, I was able to assemble a huge team of talented actors, magicians, DJs, and acrobats.
Amazingly, our business continued to attract new clients and great reviews as parents and kids loved the unforgettable experiences we were offering to them. The shows were getting bigger, more creative, and Natasha was happy to put most of the earnings back into growing the business (buying new costumes, adding special effects, creating new backdrops and props).
COVID and Russia strikes
In March of 2020, Covid-19 brought our business and our livelihood to a standstill. This was a devastating blow to our family’s financial and emotional situation. Still, after 12+ months in a complete lockdown, we were able to restart some of the shows, although at a smaller scale and with many precautions.
Yet on February 24th, 2022, we were dealt a second blow, one that came with sounds of air raids and explosions. Putin and Russia made a barbaric decision to invade our country and take over Ukrainian lands, properties, and lives. Our business was no longer our top priority and instead we had to focus on ensuring that our kids are as safe as possible, and we are there to support them physically and mentally.
"We went from planning how to throw a ‘Sweet 16’ party for 50 excited teenagers to making sure we have food and water for the next few days and have all of our essential belongings and documents packed in the event we need to abandon our apartment and run."
We are very positive people and believe that good will prevail over evil. We believe that Ukraine, with help from around the world, will win this unjust war. But for now, we feel that it is our responsibility to ensure that our children are as far away from this war as possible.
Coming to Chicago
We are trying to be excited about coming to Chicago and starting from zero. We know it will be incredibly hard with many tough days and weeks ahead, especially considering that Andrei will not be traveling with us to the US as all men of fighting age are required to stay in Ukraine and help defend the country. We are still hoping and praying that Andrei will be able to join us in the near future in Chicago, but for now it can only be our wish.
Yes, nothing will ever be the same, but we are determined to rebuild our lives and I have a secret dream of trying to rebuild my business from zero in Chicago.
Thank you for your support
Thank you for taking a few minutes to read our story and we really hope to meet you in person so that we can express our immense gratitude to you for everything you have done to help our family and people of Ukraine!
