I am writing this on behalf of my dear friend Helena Koivu in hopes of spreading awareness and getting her the support she and her children so desperately need. As a former NHL wife, she was the primary care provider for her children due to the demanding schedule of professional hockey players. To know Helena, is to know and love her children. They make the perfect team. One just an extension of the other. Thick as thieves. She has brought them up to be incredibly self sufficient and true believers in Jesus Christ. Her Instagram depicts their daily life before their world was turned upside down. Mornings in the Word followed by family prayer. Cooking countless meals to enjoy together, with a fun clean up to follow. Typically involving friends, music, dancing, and so much laughter. A safe, happy, faithful home filled with unconditional love.
A little over a month ago, the rug was pulled out from underneath them. Robbing Helena, Sofie, Kasper and Oskar of everything they knew and loved. The courts ruled that the children, who are U.S. citizens, were to be booked on a one way flight to Turku, Finland. To a town they have never lived in. A house they have only visited a handful of times. Helena was given 3 days to move out of her and the kids home she lived with her 3 children for 11 years and return her car. Everything was taken from her. Not only the court ordered everything to her ex but left in debt with her attorneys and no access to money, and most importantly without the three heartbeats she cherishes more than anything. Now she is forced to move to Turku if she wants to see her kids. Kids were doing well here in Minnesota they were happy even tho the divorce has been long and difficult but at least kids had their stability their routines their friends school doctors etc. Now they are ripped away from their life here and taken from their mom. Kids are traumatized and sad and they dont wish anything more than to come back to Minnesota where their home and mom is.
Helena knows her children deserve a healthy, consistent relationship with their father. She has never believed otherwise. As a community we need to rally behind Helena, the most incredible mother I, and so many others know, and bring some peace and comfort into this mess but most importantly we need justice here. Where are mothers rights? Kids rights? Womens rights? US citizen rights? These kids they need their mom. Now its been almost 5 months them being ripped away from their home.
Helenas hands are tied as she did not even received the money she was ordered to get in July 196k, they wont release the money to her because her previous attorney Sue Wilson who made more than half of a million out of this case and left Helena struggle with nothing is now after the only money Helena has left by claiming she has a lien on her divorce that Helena did not know about. Helena also did not receive her prenup 1milj that her ex forced her to sign in Finland 2 days before the wedding, saying "otherwise the wedding will be cancelled" . They had 200 people in town from different countries to celebrate the wedding, she was left with no options to sign it. At the time they had one year daughter Sofie. This prenup was made by her exs attorney, Helena did not have an attorney or time to search one. She had no other options than to sign it without not knowing her rights. They convinced Helena that at the event of the divorce this would secure yours and your daughters financial future that you would never be left without a home or a money. She left her career moved to Minnesota to support her husband, she stayed home with 3 kids to enable her husband to have his career and make 5.4milj in a year. She took care of everything else at home. When the kids started daycare Helena wanted to work but she wasnt legally able to as she was under her exs visa which wouldnt allow her to work. She was also told that she cannot have any other visas on her own. Helena was 3 months pregnant for their 3rd child, she found out that her husband was unfaithful. Devastating news crushed her whole world. Now today she is facing this horrific situation of not only her home taken from her and the money, she is cornered and left in a dark, her hands tied so that she cannot afford to fight for her rights and her childrens rights. Lets come together here and help her out. Any donation will help her. She needs an attorney who can protect her. Her last court hearing she was representing herself and now the kids have ordered another year to spend Christmas Eve with their dad. Helena has no funds to provide her 3 children, she has no home in Finland where to go and be with her children nor any money to provide for them or herself. She is working hard with her company Helenakoivubeauty line, a start up company she started but that will need some time and investments to get it going as all her time has gone to battle this divorce. These kids were waiting to be Christmas with their mom and now they again are devastated and sad about these news. No one is there to fight for her and her kids rights or protect her. Attorneys are asking from 10k to 50k for a retainment. This is all so wrong what has happened in Helenas case, this is not right to take everything away from the stay at home mom who gave birth to these 3 kids have raised them mostly solely for all these 10 years and now she is left with nothing and cannot even see her kids because she cant afford even to have an attorney nor can she just leave to Finland, because she has no place or money to have her kids. Instead when she tried to go her 50% owned home last time her ex called cobs on her and blamed that she broke in their home as well as her ex husband called child protection on her because when she finally was able to see her kids she was claimed by her ex that she cannot provide for the kids, as kids were sleeping in her sisters small apartment on the mattress. And blamed she cant keep kids in their routines. Helena doesnt have a family in Turku so she took the kids to Helsinki where her sisters live and that was used against her. Helena is been treated like she has no rights whatsover and treated like some sort of a criminal. She is the mother and these kids needs to be with their loving mom. This is all so devastating especially for the children. Lets bring these kids back, let bring some justice here. Lets help Helena to hire an attorney who can fight for these children. Lets bring the kids back where they belong!
