NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. — According to NBC News, more than 4 million Ukrainians have fled their home to get to safety, and now one has made it to Buffalo.
The Isaacs decided to leave Ukraine two weeks ago, primarily for their children's safety. They finally made it to Buffalo Niagara International Airport on March 4.
Josh Isaacs was born and raised in North Tonawanda. His wife, Kate Isaacs, is from Ukraine but has had a tourist visa because her family comes to the United States often. Their children, 6-year-old Arden and 3-year-old Anna, are dual citizens.
The Isaacs decided to leave Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 26. It took them seven days to travel between trying to get to Romania and finally arriving here in Buffalo.
The Isaacs say one of the scariest parts of their journey was hearing bombings and not knowing whether they were going to run into Russian military members or Ukrainian ones.
That's because they say you can't tell the difference.
The Isaacs car even broke down during their trip. They say the man who helped them get to safety is their guardian angel.
"A soldier who had just said goodbye to two of his children and sent them to the border picked us up. It was his last night of, well, I can't say freedom, but his last night to rest," Josh Isaacs said.
"He was going to spend it sleeping all night, and instead he picked us up, drove us to Dnipro, and helped us get the tires fixed. He gave that up, and then the next day he reported, so we're in communication with him pretty regularly."
The Isaacs had to leave their dog with a neighbor, and Kate Isaacs' 80-year-old father is still in Ukraine.
The Isaacs are completely starting over in Buffalo.
Currency exchanges here won't take hryvnia, or Ukrainian currency, at the moment. It's why the little money the Isaacs have is useless in the United States.
If you would like to help them, you can donate to a GoFundMe they had set up to help them get resources for their journey from Ukraine to Buffalo here.