Delivering a Baby from a War Zone

Delivering a Baby from a War Zone

ALL GOOD THINGS. It was 3 long years that Israel Sosa and his wife Giselle attempted to conceive a baby, a journey that took them to numerous doctors and specialists, two failed procedures and eventually a war zone. It was their doctor who would recommend the surrogacy route as a final resort.

The Sosa’s took their doctor’s advice and soon began to research clinics in the United States, Italy, Mexico, and the country of Georgia before deciding on a company named, “Adonis” located in the Ukraine, a country at the forefront of surrogacy. With the decision set, it was a few short weeks later that they shipped 7 embryos to Kyiv, a city the world now knows well.

On June 15th, 2021, they received the news that the procedure was a success, and their surrogate, Olena was pregnant. The expectant parents did what all expectant parents do; getting a baby room ready, picking out a crib, and clothing, stocking up on diapers and bottles and anxiously waiting to bring their new baby home.

THE ODYSSEY BEGINS. Giselle was first to travel to Kyiv to be with Olena, followed a week later by Israel. Israel states, “honestly we were feeling quite calm. Many of our new Ukrainian friends told us that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been threatening war for 8 years so there was no need to worry.” The Sosa’s settled into Kyiv and found both the nation and its people utterly charming as they made new friends and enjoyed their temporary home.

On February 16 of this year, the Sosa’s welcomed a healthy baby boy who weighed 8.7 pounds and measured 21.6 inches long to the world, he would be named Elon Iannone Sosa. As planned, the Sosa’s would need to stay in the Ukraine for some time so all necessary paperwork could be processed. What wasn’t planned was that in 8 short days the Russian army would invade, and the Sosa’s departure would become a nightmare scenario few if any could ever prepare for.

Israel tells of the moment he knew that war had arrived, “it was 4:50 in the morning, and we were at the train station,” he continues, “and suddenly in the distance it looked as if the sky was on fire. You could see that the amazing people of the Ukraine were suddenly faced with the reality that eight years of bluffing by Putin had come to an end. This was real. This was war. It was mayhem”.

THE LAST TRAIN OUT. Working with the US Embassy, the Sosa’s needed to travel from Kyiv to Lviv via train where they were told they could safely cross the border to Poland. The train ride would take them over 300 miles of open terrain with Russian jets filling the skies overhead, Israel prayed that none of these jets would see the railroad, and the train itself as a target worth bombing. Fortunately for the Sosa’s and countless other passengers the train arrived safely but the journey was far from over. Israel would later learn this was the last train able to leave Kyiv before the entire rail system was suspended indefinitely.

The 37 miles from Lviv to the Polish border still needed to be traversed, and it was the good people at Adonis who secured a car to take them the distance. There at the border, the Sosa’s were only three in a crowd of thousands attempting to escape the war. Patiently they waited in the cold and the chaos but were eventually shepherded safely to Poland. Israel says, “this is when we could smile and breath, we knew we would all make it home safely”.

THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS. A few days later, the Sosa’s returned safely to their Texas home with a truly incredible story to tell. Many friends and family would visit them in the days and weeks to come and each time they would ask to hear about their amazing journey. Israel was happy to tell the tale, but his mind was never far from Olena and all those people he met in the Ukraine who were now in his thoughts, and prayers. He has seen the impact of war up close, and while he considers himself blessed that he and his family are safe, he understands there are millions of other families who have been driven from their homes and have become both refugees and targets of an unjustified war. Often, his final prayer of the day is for them.

Budd Van Lines is an independent, family owned and operated moving company based in New Jersey, Wisconsin, Georgia, Texas, and California.