December 2024
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December 29
This is the final medicine pickup for the year 2024.
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December 24
PROJECT MONKEY JUMP
The second ambulance for MONKEY JUMP has been delivered (pictured here in Kyiv with myself and Shiva, one of the medics in our team who recently completed the Hospitallers CMC course with us at the training base a few weeks ago). As the ambulance hails from Italy, we have named her “Bianca.”
Mechanics in Lviv installed a new clutch and gearbox in <Bianca>, a Volkswagen T4, replacing the wheels and reinforcing the suspension, so she is ready for MEDEVAC rotations on rough Donetsk roads.
The ambulance was driven to Ukraine from Berlin, where we received twenty boxes of medical supplies from the UK, courtesy of Ambulance For Ukraine, Kent, and €25,000 worth of cutting-edge surgical equipment from ResQsupply in Denmark, including two power generators and six laparoscopic sealer/divider/dissector tools, which will be sent to the 25th City Hospital in Kharkiv for use in trauma surgery.
We are expecting another shipment of medical supplies from the NHS in England in the second week of January, along with the third ambulance in our fleet, a Volkswagen T5, also sourced by our British partners.
<Bianca> is currently being loaded with medical supplies, including monitor and ventilator, but still needs a drone jammer, portable power banks, and a fridge to store blood for transfusions.
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December 17
PROJECT MONKEY JUMP
Things are moving forward, even if it feels like we're shuffling. While the new trucks are getting tune-ups from mechanics, we’ve been sourcing drone jammers and medical supplies. We've made significant progress, securing a defibrillator/monitor and a ventilator, which marks a major milestone. In the next 7 days, we’ll be ready to begin stocking our first ambulance.
In the midst of it all, we're deep in meetings — lots of them - collaborating with a medical school here in Kyiv to develop our new Combat Medic/Corpsman class. The tasks semeingly never end, but we're making steady progress and pushing hard to be ready, back on the road, and in action by New Year's.
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December 14
When we returned home from our shipment on Friday, the 13th, we found some boxes that had arrived earlier than expected. They contained urgently needed medical supplies, so we quickly packed three additional boxes and shipped them out on Saturday, the 14th. A big thank you to Natali Gray and Olena Labrecque for providing these vital supplies!
12/14, 3 boxes to Lviv, Kharkiv and Kyiv (this box is designated for Ben to replenish ambulance supplies for the PROJECT MONKEY JUMP.
101 lbs, $377.29.
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December 13
Shipment on December 13: 10 boxes of hospital supplies sent to Odesa (Vezha)
Total cost: $625.98 Total weight: 442 lbs.
Contents: surgical sutures, medical gloves, enteral feeding, suction supplies, gauzes and bandages.
Special Thanks: Our gratitude goes to Dr. Bronfine, Irina Kalaida, Mr. Kenneth Benjamin, Mrs. Morgan MacAulay, Mr. William Katzing, Mrs. Dawn Cloutier, Mrs. Alice Stiger for donating the medical supplies.
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December 11
Dear Friends!
We are thrilled to announce the relaunch of the “Monkey Jump” project! This initiative will be led by Ben (Benya) Asack. Since 2022, Ben has been deployed with the GDRT on three occasions and has worked with other organizations as a medic. He has also trained and provided guidance to Ukrainian frontline medical personnel. Ben has already assembled an international team of volunteer medical professionals, secured vehicles, and is actively coordinating training sessions and logistics. The team will operate close to the front lines, delivering critical medical assistance and evacuation support to those in need. We’ll keep you updated regularly and will be reaching out for your support.
Thank you for standing with us as we undertake this vital mission!
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December 7
Shipment on December 7: 7 boxes of hospital supplies sent to Kharkiv (ETOC)
Total cost: $687.10 Total weight: 243 lbs. Contents: Wound Vac dressings, surgical sutures, medical gloves, enteral feeding, gauzes and bandages.
Special Thanks: Our gratitude goes to Dr. Bronfine and Mrs. Morgan MacAulay for donating the medical supplies.
