POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A retired Polk County doctor with strong roots in Ukraine ran toward war as many were fleeing it.
At their Lakeland home, her husband John McColley worries about her safety but is amazed by her patriotism and courage.
“I’m proud of her. I’m proud of her. She is a person who cares very much about her country. She realizes the risks and she’s willing to take that as most Ukrainians are,” said McColley.
McColley has requested News Channel 8 only use her first name – Tetyana. He calls her Tanya.
The couple met online in 1999 and were married nearly 20 years ago.
Tanya was born in Russia and moved to Ukraine as a teenager. She spent most of her life there.
“She’s been through a bit in her life,” said McColley.
McColley said his wife helped triage victims for three days in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster in the 1980s. Now she has returned to offer her help again.
“In Ukraine, every single part of society has mobilized to do what they need to do to protect their country. They are so unified, it is unbelievable,” said McColley.
Tanya traveled to Ukraine in early February to help her daughter, granddaughter and other family members.
However, she assumed reports Russian President Vladimir Putin planned to invade Ukraine would not come to fruition.
“She left with American dollars to possibly assist in their leaving if they needed to leave and to be there to support them if they needed to stay together,” said McColley.
As those family members seek refuge in other countries, Tanya has stayed behind in a village of 7,000 people 30 miles southwest of Kyiv, according to McColley.
“She’s seen Russian planes. She’s heard many explosions,” said McColley.
Tanya is a retired epidemiologist and is ready to help if the fighting heads toward her village.
“They turned a restaurant into a place for rehabilitation for wounded soldiers. If they come, as they come, she will help in their rehabilitation,” said McColley.
McColley expects his wife to stay in Ukraine unless the fighting gets too intense in her village and conditions become too dangerous.
He wishes he could be with her but said he felt, at his age, he would be more of a burden.
The couple has been renovating their home in Ukraine and planned to live there part-time. McColley hopes the house will remain standing and they can return soon.
In the meantime, McColley awaits a peaceful resolution.
“I worry to death. I cry. I cry when I talk to her, when I think about it. Right now, I’m a little emotional because I am thinking about it,” he said. “I was a Marine. I was a Marine officer. It’s what you do. If you love your country, it’s what you do. She’s doing what I would do if I were [her].”
