Michigan man lands in Chicago after traveling to Ukraine to help refugees

CHICAGO - A Midwestern man didn’t hesitate to travel overseas to help Ukrainian refugees amid the war.

John T. Boston II from Niles, Michigan returned to O’Hare International Airport Wednesday night, where he was greeted by his wife, Karla, and daughter, Riley.

No stranger to humanitarian work, while abroad, he drove more than 60 hours – transporting Ukrainian refugees to safety, and delivering food and other items.

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He began his efforts last week in Munich, Germany. There he loaded up a vehicle with life-saving supplies and made the lengthy journey to Suceava, Romania.

"It takes three days to prepare for the trip, to make sure everything is in place, and it’s a 24-hour drive one way," said Boston.

Once he arrived in Romania, he crossed the border into Ukraine to assist mothers and children desperate to flee their war-torn country.

The trip back took longer; Boston drove about 35 hours, moving four families to safety. Behind his vehicle, was a larger bus with 65 more refugees.

All of them will now be placed with host families in Germany.

"Human trafficking is such a serious issue, people are being taken advantage of even as they try to traverse Ukraine. So by the time they get all the way to the west, to the border of Romania, they’ve been exposed to all types of thing," said Boston. "One mother she had been awake for almost 70 hours, and she was afraid to go to sleep on the ride. Finally, when we crossed the Hungarian border, she finally fell asleep and it was so rewarding to see her take a rest and have an opportunity to not have to experience feeling like she is alone."

Boston tells FOX 32 his own daughter, who is 10-years-old, was his inspiration to help those families. He also said he is not finished yet and plans to make another trip to Ukraine to continue these efforts.