'Overjoyed To Be Home,' NH Man Escapes Ukraine War In Cab Of 18-Wheeler
BOSTON (CBS) – A New Hampshire man is back in New England after escaping the war in Ukraine. "I'm very relieved to be home," John Cavanaugh said. "I'm overjoyed to be home."
Exhausted and relieved, Cavanaugh walked out of Logan Airport with a whole new outlook on life after a harrowing experience getting out of Ukraine.
"I witnessed a throng of humanity trying to get onto these trains at the Lviv train station," Cavanaugh said. "I couldn't even approach the platform. Thousands and thousands of people just packed together, trying to flee to safety."
Knowing that wasn't going to work, Cavanaugh used his friends and informal networks to connect with a grassroots non-profit called We Are One. Its mission is to help civilians seek refuge.
"After several nights of not sleeping, we were lucky to collect him from Lviv and smuggle through the border with other Ukrainian people," Kamil Prusinowski of We Are One said.
Cavanaugh says it was amazing how it all happened. "I actually got out in the cab of an 18-wheeler. I was fortunate enough to be able get a seat on this truck. The driver, Roman, another hero. Roman thank you very much," he said.
Cavanaugh was actually living in Kyiv since last June but left for Lviv one day before the initial Russian attacks. But he's been stuck in Lviv for more than two weeks.
He says the three-day exodus with other Ukrainians including children has been life changing. He now has a whole new mission to help the non-profit that helped him get home safely. He plans to have a fundraiser to get as many people out as possible. "We will be sending money back and helping them do what they do," he said.
Cavanaugh says he is humbled and grateful for all the support he's received but there's a lot of work to do and people to save. "Right now, it's trying to get as much people out into safety as possible," he said.