Leanne Steel (far left) and her wife Julie (not pictured) welcomed in Sasha, Denys, Toma and Lelya (left to right) along with their pets after the family escaped war-torn Ukraine. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

a new beginning

‘What would you want someone to do for you?’ Nanaimo couple open doors to fleeing Ukrainian family

Apr 13, 2022 | 5:27 AM

NANAIMO — Out of the goodness of their hearts, a Nanaimo couple and their kids have welcomed a family of Ukrainian refugees, melding into one full house.

Leanne Steel, her wife Julie and their two young children opened their doors to a Ukrainian family fleeing the war-torn country in late March, welcoming Sasha Rumynin and Denys Polishcuk, Denys’ sister Lelya, mother Toma and their two cats and two dogs.

It was a leap of faith inspired by Steel’s own past and not wanting people leaving everything they know behind to go without.

“I’ve been many times in my life without places to go or people to help me, I don’t have much in the way of family and so, what would you want someone to do for you? What would I want someone to do for my family if we were in that position?”

The groups got connected through a website, Ukraine Take Shelter, an entirely private connection with no government funding, grants or money exchanging hands.

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Steel converted a downstairs space in their Uplands area home to accommodate the family of four.

It’s not a large space, but it’s one away from conflict and one where all four can use their three-year work visas to set up new lives in Canada.

With two kids of their own, five and six months old, Steel said the blending of families and culture has gone smoothly.

“At first I was like ‘I don’t care what the personality is like, we’re just helping people and we don’t have to be friends with them, they’re just going to be stressed and just need a place to rest their heads.’ They’ve come and it’s been like family.”

Both sides have spent evenings sharing meals from their respective backgrounds: borscht from the Ukrainians, scones and Tim Horton’s donuts from the Canadians.

It’s also given an unexpected opportunity for Leanne and Julie’s two kids to have a grandparent in their life.

“Our children don’t have any grandparents (left) and to have Toma down there, she’s like Babushka, like Grandma and hugs our kids and tells them she loves them.”

Steel also said people on the street and in malls through Nanaimo have made a positive first impression on the four, actively engaging and welcoming them once they find out they’re new to the country.

The families have merged quickly, sharing parts of their respective cultures including authentic borscht. (submitted photo/Leanne Steel)

Laying the foundation for a new life
Time is being devoted to get the four into their own place and standing on their own feet in their new country.

“I work as a nurse, I have a diploma in nursing and experience in nursing and now I’m looking (for work),” Sasha told NanaimoNewsNOW. “I’m sending out resumes and I hope maybe people will hear about this and know about our situation and maybe it’s not a long time (to be out of work).”

Denys is unsure what he’ll do in Canada, while Lelya is looking to continue work as a make-up artist. Toma, the mother, is a seamstress and has already picked up a job locally.

Sasha said none of this would be possible without the generosity afforded them.

“These fantastic women (Leanne and Julie), these wonderful women, they’ve made our life very happy and they’re helping every day, every hour and asking what we need and now they’re like family. After two or three days, we don’t think of us as different people, it’s like family.”

Job and house hunting however will take a temporary back seat with Sasha and Denys due to marry each other at a small oceanfront ceremony in Nanaimo on Sunday, April 17.

They’ve been together for 12 years, but same-sex relationships are not recognized by Ukraine, while marriage is constitutionally banned.

Escaping Ukraine
The fortune Sasha, Denys, Lelya and Toma are experiencing is not lost on them.

The four left behind friends and family escaping Odesa in Ukraine’s southern area overlooking the Black Sea. They were able to escape through nearby Moldova, before spending time in Romania, flying to Paris and ultimately Canada.

“It’s a terrible tragedy what happened to our country, what happened to our lives,” Lelya said through a translator. “We get a lot of love here, it’s amazing. We didn’t expect that somewhere we could be loved so much.”

Lelya added they were woken up repeatedly by bombing in Odesa, which became a daily occurence prior to leaving.

An emotional Toma echoed the thoughts of her family, saying she is immeasurably grateful to Canada for taking them in.

“We don’t want war, people all over the world don’t want it. It is great grief to lose loved ones. A lot of people travelled by car, there was big traffic jams and we walked a long distance on foot and then they let us through to Moldova.”

For Denys, the month of travel from country to country was worth it and confirmed to him there are people all over the world ready to help those fleeing violence and oppression.

“They are waiting, ready to help and ready to take care. Ready to share joy in grief therefore you should not be afraid to get out there if there is an opportunity because this is a matter of life and death in a literal sense.”

Leanne and Julie will welcome a fifth Ukrainian refugee in the coming weeks, after a storage space in their home is converted into another bedroom.

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alex@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley