Friday, Sept. 29 was a big day for Yuriy Patruk.

After five years of intense interviews capped with exams on American history, geography, and government that only one in three Americans would pass (according to a 2018 survey by the National Institute for Citizens & Scholars), he became a naturalized American citizen following a simple swearing in ceremony at a Johnston office with about 50 other newly-minted Americans.

After the mid-morning ceremony, Patruk and his partner Ted Regan were returning to Bristol famished and decided to grab a late breakfast at Destiny’s Hometown Diner in the Bristol Shopping Center on Gooding Avenue.

It turned out to be serendipity — the decor inside Destiny’s is decidedly patriotic.

“We took more pictures here than we did at the government building,” laughed Regan. “We devoured everything they had, and it was delicious.”

Patruk and Regan were fueled by more than just hunger — there was also palpable relief. Patruk, a Ukrainian national, relocated to the United States seven years ago on a student visa. The outbreak of war following the February 2022 Russian invasion raised the stakes considerably. If he had not been able to pass the citizenship test and interviews, he would have been sent back to Ukraine — and almost certainly conscripted to fight. At minimum, a return to Ukraine would be, for the time being, permanent, as currently men aged 18-60 are forbidden from leaving the country.

Home in Ukraine was Lviv. Very close to the Polish border, it’s as safe a city as you can find in Ukraine due to its proximity to a NATO country and the fact that relief agencies and consulates have set up wartime headquarters in the city. Even so, not long ago an errant bomb landed in Lviv, not far from a family home.

Here in Bristol, Patruk, a former kickboxing champion and a classically-trained concert pianist, works as a personal trainer; he is also developing a wellness assessment platform intended to democratize the life coaching industry and provide affordable access to coaching. A potential client will be able to answer a few questions and through this algorithm Patruk has developed, the platform will dissect what’s not working and offer solutions for bringing spiritual, social, physical, and financial health into balance.

So as Patruk and Regan ate and enjoyed a great late breakfast along with the relief and satisfaction of achieving citizenship, they had no idea that the best was yet to come. Owner Donna Diniz delivered their bill with an announcement.

“Congratulations, your meal is on the house,” she said. “My husband was an immigrant and we know how hard it can be.” (Donna’s husband Joseph emigrated from the Azores when he was 8 years old.)

She then told everyone in the diner, about 25 people, “We have a new American here!”

“Spontaneously, everyone erupted in cheers and congratulations,” said Patruk. “This warm welcome by total strangers was incredible.”

Thanks to the generosity of the Diniz family, and the generosity of spirit of their patrons, Bristol’s newest American citizen enjoyed a joyful end to a truly unforgettable morning.