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A fitness trainer. A heart defect. And, a war that forced him to flee his homeland, Ukraine.
When his city was attacked, Oleksii fled to survive and, in doing so, stepped into an uncertain future. His story echoes that of over 10 million Ukrainians who have been displaced since the start of the war. But Oleksii faced another challenge — a heart defect that threatened to end the career he had worked hard to build. In Ukraine, he had spent over five years studying sports education, ultimately earning a master’s degree.
To Oleksii, sports education was more than a profession. It was his passion. But even before he fled his homeland, he wasn’t sure if his career would survive. “Doctors in Ukraine told me I had to forget about my career in sport,” he said.
In 2023, Oleksii came to the United States through the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program, with a limited knowledge of English and no support system.
He connected with World Relief through a staff member he met at church. That introduction would mark the beginning of a new chapter.
“If [World Relief] wouldn’t have helped me, I don’t know — it would have been very difficult for me. It was more difficult than I expected. I came here without the knowledge of English and didn’t have any relatives in the U.S.,” said Oleksii.
His lack of fluency in English made it difficult for him to find a job to support himself. During this time, World Relief stepped in to help him with rent and household furniture and utensils.
And Oleksii isn’t an exception. From the earliest days of the war in Ukraine, World Relief has supported Ukrainians in their homeland as well as in the U.S. We have responded to urgent needs directly on the ground, providing shelter, food and psychosocial support. Through trusted partners in the region, we have reached over 355,000 individuals in Ukraine and surrounding countries.
And, with your support, we have served over 5,000 Ukrainians like Oleksii in the U.S. with language classes, cultural adjustment resources, job and housing assistance and more.
Your generosity helps displaced families move from survival to stability.
Oleksii later got a job in the warehouse of a multinational retail corporation. But, he held onto the dream of sports education that he had carried across the ocean. A dream that contended with his heart defect.
A Diagnosis That Threatened Everything
Since young adulthood, he knew he had a heart defect. For years, doctors in Ukraine told him surgery was not possible. Eventually, they told him he would have to forget about a future in sports.
“It was a very difficult period of time for me because I didn’t know if I could continue coaching people. I didn’t know what it would be like after the surgery … I was very depressed and didn’t even recognize myself in the mirror.”
After arriving in the U.S., Oleksii discovered that surgery was possible. One year ago, his life changed. Through access to governmental insurance, he was able to undergo a major operation to replace his aortic walls.
Today, he is healthy. Strong. Coaching again.
And, he sees his journey from surviving to thriving as an example for others — an example to keep fighting on the frontlines of life’s challenges.
“I’m very glad and thankful to God for this opportunity, that I could go through this process. Now I’m healthy and feeling very well. And I’m very proud that I can show by my own example to other people that life doesn’t stop and we need to go forward and continue to fight. I’m happy that I can coach people and help them to become healthy …” said Oleksii
Your generosity helps displaced families across the globe rebuild their lives.
From Client to Coach
Less than a year after surgery, Oleksii returned to the work he loves. Today, he runs his own business, Fitness Transformation, LLC. About 90 percent of his clients are Ukrainian, though he also trains Americans, especially in summer group sessions. He rents a small gym space, leads outdoor classes and now teaches weekly fitness classes for Ukrainian women at the World Relief office during colder months.
Each week, the women gather not only for exercise, but for connection with others from their home country — friends and neighbors who share in and understand their experiences.
“For Ukrainians, they don’t only need sport, they need community. And sport is one way we can be united with each other. The women who attend my trainings, they’ve started to get to know each other … When we come, we’re not very confident, so these connections help us psychologically and physically, which is very important,” said Oleksii.
For all his clients, Oleksii sees transformation as holistic.
“I think that I’m not only a coach. I lead a person toward reaching their goals, towards a better version of themselves. It’s not that I only like coaching or helping people with nutrition. No, I work with a client to help them reach their goal to be successful, to be beautiful, to be healthy.”
Community changes everything. Give today to help create spaces where newcomers can find strength, belonging and hope.
Living With Uncertainty
Even as Oleksii’s business grows, uncertainty remains. His brother is serving in the Ukrainian army. His hometown is half occupied and unsafe. His mother has joined him in the U.S., but her documentation will soon expire. She and Oleksii were allowed into the U.S. with “temporary protective status,” which the current administration has been slow to renew.
“The situation is very uncertain now for everyone, me included. Because the terms of the documents are coming to an end. For example, my mother’s documentation will stop being valid within two and a half months, and we don’t know what to do. We are from a city that is half occupied by Russia now. I don’t know what’s going to happen, because I don’t want my mom to go back there, but we don’t have documents to stay longer.”
Yet Oleksii continues to dream.
“I have a quote that I hold on to — I hope that God is with me, and we need to dream and the dream can come true. That’s why I dream about the success of the company and that I will be able to help more people and more people’s dreams will come true, that they will have the same hope I have.”
He is living proof that with support, healing and community, life does not stop. It moves forward.
And together, we can help more dreams come true. When you partner with World Relief, you provide urgent care, both in the U.S. and in hotspots of displacement like Ukraine, Sudan and Haiti. Your support helps us provide emergency lifesaving aid like food, clean water and shelter after a disaster strikes, and in the U.S., help people like Oleksii rebuild their lives.
Families in crisis who have been driven from their homes by war, violence and persecution need you. Will you respond? Your consistent support helps us respond quickly in their darkest hour of need.