CSS Hockey Player worries about his family in Ukraine
DULUTH, MN. (KBJR) – A student in Duluth faces the unimaginable as he communicates with his family in Ukraine.
Until recently, St. Scholastica’s second student, Danylo Sukhonos, had a singular purpose in life.
“Hockey is on my mind every day,” said Sukhonos, a Saints defenseman.
And while he takes on competitors on the ice, his family faces a much more dangerous fight in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
“My whole family is there, my parents, my 15-year-old brother and all my grandparents,” Sukhonos said.
He’s been in contact with them day and night since the invasion.
“There are times when I get text messages saying, ‘Oh my god, we’re bombed and it’s super loud,'” Sukhonos said.
He is especially worried about his younger brother with whom he has a lot in common.
“He’s a 2A defender and he plays for our home team,” Sukhonos said.
According to Sukhonos, he dreams of his brother enrolling at Marshall and getting a spot on their hockey team.
To this day, he has his teammates to keep him company.
They have their backs on the ice.
“We got blue and yellow duct tape just to show some kind of camaraderie and everyone taped their sticks resembling the Ukrainian flag,” said Brent Jones, a hockey player from St. Scholastica.
And off.
“Whether it’s helping out with extra dishes or helping out with extra laundry, we’re doing everything we can to show that we’re somehow there for him,” Jones said.
Support him like family until his Ukrainian family is out of harm’s way.
“I just want my family to find a safe place where they will be fine, where they won’t be afraid to fall asleep,” Sukhonos said.
According to Sukhonos, in addition to emotional support, he received financial support from friends and teammates.
He said that since the invasion, he and his family have not been able to access their bank accounts, so he is fundraising to try to pay for plane tickets for them, in case they can get out of town. ‘Ukraine.
Sukhonos is accepting donations through Venmo.
He said he is also on the “Zelle” app and his email is [email protected].
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