PARMA, Ohio — We can count our steps, or make them count.
Before Olena Sadovska could walk, her family took steps to pursue a better life.
"I moved here with my parents and my brother and then the rest of my family stayed behind and Ukraine,” Sadovska said.
They settled near Cleveland.
Recognizing the opportunity her parents created for her, Olena decided on a dream of her own.
But instead of steps, it would take strokes to get there.
“It has always been a dream to swim collegiately,” she said. “And OSU has the nation's best brushstroke program currently, which is my best stroke.”
Next school year she will be a freshman at Ohio State University and a member of the women's swim team.
“I was crying on the phone call when I called them to commit,” she said.
But in the last month, there have been more tears, and concern, for her family back home in Ukraine. She knew in her heart she had to step up to help. She turned to the Stairmaster at her local gym.
"No one goes on it for longer than an hour because of how difficult it is."
Taking to TikTok, Olena documented her dedication to climbing on the Stairmaster for one entire day straight.
“It was definitely the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, the most pain I've ever experienced. But after the halfway point, when I reached 12 hours, that's when I had my longest break. It was like 10 minutes.”
She took some breaks. But those weren't counted towards her 24 hour total.
“The time went by so slow, and it was just brutal,” she explained.
A brutal challenge -- with a big payoff. She raised more than $12,000 -- money to support human relief efforts in Ukraine.
Twenty-four hours of steps to support her relatives living through war.
“The bottoms of my feet have a ton of blisters and bruises, but they will be okay, so I'll be fine. I don't regret anything. It was definitely worth it.”