A Ukrainian family from Vaals manages to get their grandparents to safety with a van. The family has just returned home after an hours-long journey, after which the grandfather dies.
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“A drama squared,” says mayor Harry Leunessen van Vaals.
Previous escape attempts
Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion. The Ukrainian family from Vaals was very concerned about their grandparents. Grandpa and grandma have wanted to leave the country before, but they have not succeeded.
It is ultimately plan B that the family has pulled out of the closet. Through a fundraiser there was enough money so that they could drive a van to the east. At the Polish-Ukrainian border, the family queued for hours because of the chaos, but it was all worth it. Grandma and Grandpa were finally safe. After the reunification, a return trip to Vaals followed.
A drama for the family
In the night from Saturday to Sunday, the family is back in Vaals. But then something they never expected happens. “Within half an hour after arrival, the father of a resident of Vaals dies,” explains Leunessen. The family lost their grandfather to a cardiac arrest. He turned 77 years old.
Paying for a funeral service
There was no social safety net, because the seventy-year-old had no status as a refugee. Funding the funeral became a problem. The municipality felt that their grandfather deserved a dignified farewell and decided to make a financial contribution from the emergency fund. “This was unforeseeable,” said Leunessen.
The family is in deep mourning, but is extremely grateful to the congregation. On Tuesday the loved ones say goodbye to their grandfather, Wednesday is the cremation.
*The name of the family from Vaals is known to the editors, but is not mentioned for privacy reasons.
