Andrii Sidorov escaped Ukraine with his father and younger brother at the end of February while his mother and older teenage brothers stayed behind to fight against Russia. The trio made their way to Ireland and once they found safety at their new home in Galway, the 11-year-old really missed his beloved Lego collection.
Knowing how much Legos mean to his son, Andrii’s dad, Igor, turned to social media for help. He posted a request for donations in some local Facebook groups to ask if anyone had any spare Legos they could give his son. And just one day later, both new and pre-loved Lego sets started arriving at the hotel where the Sidorovs are staying.
Igor says his son has received around 50 sets so far, with donations coming from locations near them and as far away as Canada. Not only is Andrii happy to be able to build with his favorite bricks again, Igor is glad to see his son happy again. The dad says his son is “always smiling now” and that one of his first builds with the new Legos was an Irish flag. “Thanks to this great and incredibly friendly country,” the grateful boy writes on Instagram. “Thanks to all these wonderful and very kind people with very big hearts!”