A Chicago-based artist is back in the city after spending three days and three nights trying to flee Ukraine at the start of Russia’s invasion of the country.

“It was tough and scary, and my family is still in my hometown,” Zhanna Biletska said. “They are still afraid to leave their home town to get closer to the border or even cross the border.”

Biletska flew to Ukraine in early February on a planned trip to visit family and friends. A few weeks later, Russian forces invaded his homeland.

“People in Ukraine while I was there before February 24, they were pretty positive,” she said. “Nobody really thought a full-scale war would happen.”

Her family wanted her to return to the United States as soon as possible. Biletska told NBC 5 that she was able to hitchhike with a family friend in a town outside of Poland.

“They had a seat so I went with them,” she said. “What would usually take 12 hours to drive, it took us over 24 hours to get there.”

From there, Biletska said a taxi driver offered to help her get to Poland, but it was impossible to get further with the long lines of cars, so she decided to walk to the place.

“We started walking and I was also thinking, ‘It’s okay, all we can do is walk,'” she said. “I don’t have water, but it’s okay, I’ll do it.”

Biletska crossed safely into Poland five hours later walking with another woman and her two children, while thinking of her family who chose to stay.

“I always felt like I should have pushed them to come with me more, like organizing everything and just taking them,” she said. “I always felt like I left them behind.”

His family lives in a town more than six hours’ drive from the capital Kiev.

“Our hometown is still going strong, it’s still holding up,” she said. “He even took other refugees from other towns.”

Biletska is grateful for the humanitarian aid and volunteers in Poland and said they have welcomed her and other Ukrainians with open arms.

“It was really touching to see how much they help how kind they are,” she said.

Biletska thinks of her family in Ukraine every day. She has now settled in Chicago and hopes to paint again when the weather warms up, but said her goal now is to help her family and others in need by donating money and sending supplies .

“I think all of this could help because the war unfortunately continues,” she said. “They still need everything, any help they can get to get through this.”