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LITTLETON, Colo. (KDVR) — A Colorado woman escaped the heart of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and now, she’s facing a tough journey trying to get back home with her mother.

Long-distance relationships can be tough. For John MacBride and his wife Tanya Quillen, the last two weeks of it have been excruciating.

“It’s been nerve-wracking,” MacBride said.

Nine months ago, Quillen left her home in Littleton to go take care of her mother in Odesa, Ukraine. Her mother’s 80 years old and she had a stroke.

Two weeks ago, Quillen and her mother found themselves in the center of the conflict. Her mother’s home is half a mile from the Odesa airport by a military base.

MacBride could hear and see the chaos over a video call.

“It sounded like a lot of artillery going off and then a cruise missile flew over,” MacBride said. “It was frightening. It came in and just kaboom. It made the most frightening sound.”

A week into the attacks, a friend told MacBride about a group called Project Dynamo that is helping Ukrainian refugees cross the border. Two days ago, the group helped Quillen and her mother get to Romania.

“They had to walk over the border,” MacBride said. “Tanya’s mother, she’s 80 years old, and she’s a warrior. She’s disabled and she walked a whole mile by herself. They had to walk across the border with thousands of other people and it was quite an experience for her.”

Quillen is now trying to get her mother an expedited visa so she can bring her home to Colorado.