Oksana Koledova came to the U.S. from Ukraine 19 years ago, but the four-year-long war in her homeland is her daily life.

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Four years ago, when Russia first invaded Ukraine, Oksana Koledova regularly checked in on her brother on the front lines, where he was fighting against Russian forces.

Her brother was wounded two years ago when his vehicle was fired on. He now brings resources to fellow troops after he was pulled back to help care for a sick relative.

Koledova is still checking in on loved ones facing down bullets and bombs. Most days she waits for a short message from a friend on the front line: “450” means he’s “safe and OK.”

“But sometimes there’s no answer,” Koledova said. “Whenever we don’t receive a message, there’s anxiety.”

For Koledova, a Vernon Hills resident who moved to the U.S. from Ukraine 19 years ago, the fight for her home country is her “daily life.” Her husband is a Ukrainian diplomat, and her father has been running meals and supplies to soldiers since the start of the war.

An estimated 1.8 million soldiers have been killed, wounded or are missing on both sides, according to a report last month by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank. But that number doesn’t include many of Koledova’s loved ones who have returned from the battlefield with mental health struggles.

“It’s been very hard for them to return to a normal life,” she said.