Next month will mark one-year since the war in Ukraine began. Millions of refugees were forced to leave everything behind, including the Kee family.
Viktor Kee and Ulzii Mergen are circus performers who are used to traveling around the world. Now, they're in Chicago indefinitely, starting a new life with their two young sons. Only year ago, they were living in Viktor's native home of Ukraine, dreaming of a stable life for their two boys.
"We went back there, purchased property and were planning to settle down and find schools there for our boys," Kee said.
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But their entire world was turned upside down when Russia invaded Ukraine, and the war began.
"I was away in Miami when the war began last February, but my wife and two kids, my babies, were in Ukraine," Kee continued. "It was so stressful."
"The war started on the 24th and I felt it in the air when I woke up, it was all polluted," said Mergen, who is originally from Mongolia. She vividly remembers having to bunker down in a basement with her sons, as bombs dropped near their home. Their youngest son was 7-months-old at the time.
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"It was very scary… as mom to two kids," Mergen said.
The family says thanks to the Mongolian embassy, Mergen was able to get the necessary paperwork to leave the country and head to Poland. From there, she went to Switzerland for a few months. Finally, in April 2022, Mergen and her sons were able to fly the United States and reunite with Kee in Miami.
"We’re really lucky," Kee said. "Lots of people are in a much worse situation than us… there are terrible things happening there."
Now, the family is feeling grateful about being in Chicago, especially because they get to use their talents to be a part of a unique production. Kee is a master juggler, who's been a finalist on NBC's America's Got Talent, while Mergen has been a contortionist since she was 11-years-old.
The pair is now performing with the Cabaret ZaZou, an immersive variety dinner show that plays in a vintage Belgian Spiegeltent on the 14th floor of the Cambria Hotel in downtown Chicago.
Recently, the production celebrated their 100th show.
"Every night, it’s a joy to perform. The audience in Chicago has been amazing," Kee said.
The couple hopes the show continues to succeed so they can stay in Chicago as long as possible.
