CUMBERLAND — A Ukrainian mother and son have been reunited, and credit their new extended family in Cumberland for making that happen.
Rodion Horbasenko, 17, is a junior at Bishop Walsh High School where he plays basketball.
He moved from Ukraine to Cumberland last year, and plans to stay at BW through his graduation.
Beth Moran, a local attorney who was born and raised in Westernport, got to know Horbasenko through her son, Morgan Milhausen, 16, who also plays on the BW basketball team.
Moran and her son live close to Bishop Walsh High School, so members of the basketball team, most of whom are from other countries, frequently hang out at her house, she said.
“Morgan absolutely loves these boys like brothers,” she said. “I always wanted to have a big family … It’s been wonderful.”
Although Horbasenko’s father was unable to leave Ukraine when Russia invaded the country, his mother, Natalia Kalmykova, fled to Germany, Moran said.
“I can’t imagine what that journey must have been like for her … having to leave her husband,” Moran said.
‘Blessed’
During the summer, Moran and Horbasenko completed a lengthy application process to bring his mother to the U.S.
“It was a new program that our government started,” Moran said of an initiative created after the war in Ukraine happened.
Moran’s parents, Donald and Virginia Moran, owners of Fore Sisters Golf Course in Rawlings, fulfilled part of the application requirements and sponsored Kalmykova’s relocation to the U.S.
Additionally, Moran said her sister, Kelly Moran of Gaithersburg, was instrumental in securing housing in Cumberland for Kalmykova.
Recently, Beth Moran took Kalmykova to get a Christmas tree for her new apartment in Cumberland.
“It was just a really nice experience,” Beth Moran said and added she and her son are grateful for all of the people in their now international expanded family.
“I just feel so blessed,” she said. “Morgan and I truly could not love them anymore if they were our own biological family.”
‘Saved our lives’
Kalmykova via a translator participated in an email interview with Cumberland Times-News.
She said BW offered a great opportunity for her son to pursue academics and athletics.
“Rodion has always strived to improve his skills in sports and studies,” Kalmykova said.
After the war began, BW remained supportive of her son, she said.
“I am very grateful to them for their attention,” Kalmykova said.
She also thanked the Moran family for helping her come to Cumberland and reunite with her son.
The Morans “saved our lives,” Kalmykova said. “Without their support it would not have been possible.”
She said in Cumberland, she and her son are surrounded by caring and understanding people.
“I really appreciate this support,” Kalmykova said. “I want the community to know about the people who (helped) me and my family.”
International
BW enrolls international students, said Connie Milligan, director of admissions and communications at BW.
“They have to meet admissions guidelines just like everyone else,” she said via email. “These include English language proficiency and good grades.”
Horbasenko learned of BW through his basketball program in Ukraine.
“They have a list of schools that provide a good education and an opportunity to play basketball,” Milligan said. “Bishop Walsh is on that list.”
Although international students are responsible for funding their BW tuition and housing, due to the war in Ukraine, donations helped cover costs for Horbasenko and his classmate Nikolai Kushnarev.
Kushnarev, 17, is from the Russian city of Blagoveschensk.
He said he came to BW last year “because I was really interested in both academic and athletic opportunities in the school.”
‘Nobody expected it’
Kushnarev doesn’t know when he might return to Russia.
“It really depends on a lot of factors,” he said via email.
When asked about the Russian military draft for the war in Ukraine, Kushnarev said some reports about the effort are “overhyped right now … but it is still sad how many young people are getting drafted and going to war.”
He remains in touch with family and friends in Russia, and said they are safe for now.
Kushnarev said he wants the community to understand it’s important to help people damaged by war, and learn more about the situation.
“Get information about it not only from U.S. news reports, but also from Russian and Ukrainian sources,” he said.
Horbasenko said the war in Ukraine was a surprise.
“Nobody expected it,” he said.
Horbasenko stays in touch with family, including his father and grandparents, in Ukraine.
“They’re trying to stay safe,” he said.
Horbasenko said he’s grateful for support from the U.S. and other countries that help people in Ukraine.
“It’s really important,” he said. “The people in the U.S. are good.”