July 2023 Update
————————————————————————————————————
July 30-31
Transported a family of three. Picked them up in Cherkasy. Originally, they came from Bahmut. There was a man with his adult daughter and her grandmother. The girl and her father are severely disabled.
————————————————————————————————————
July 28
Today, we brought two boys with their mother. They were traveling by train from the deoccupied territory. The train was severely delayed, and one of the boys was very ill. They had already had enough adventures.
After that, it's us, and everything is going smoothly on our end. They are now resting at a shelter with volunteers.
The elder boy gave us a picture. In it, there's a train and our Nika.
It's... very precious.
————————————————————————————————————
July 27
The long-distance runs are still in the planning stage, so for now, we are only doing local runs. Today, we took two handicapped people across the border. Given their medical conditions, the average 10-hour wait at the border control could be very problematic for them. Therefore, we took the responsibility of taking care of them.
————————————————————————————————————
July 25
We went to Zaporizhzhia. There and back, two days, 17 hours a day behind the wheel. We took five people with us. A mother with two daughters, a woman with cancer, and a sturdy grandma.
The mother's husband used to transport refugees out of the occupied territory through the Zaporizhzhia checkpoint. He died in September when the Russians shot the convoy. She said, 'I don't want to leave, but they're bombing again, and my girls are scared.'
The woman had two brothers who died—one in 1914 and the other in 1922, at the beginning. 'It took a long time to bury them because they couldn't be identified.'
The grandma is just an elderly lady. As for the two girls in the photo, they look cheerful and brave.
We travel for a long time, and they tell us all these stories, they tell and tell...
————————————————————————————————————
July 22
Shipment 07-20 to Odessa. Children's and maternity hospital. 8 boxes, 316 lbs, $895.80. Many thanks to our doctors - Boris, Zoe, Irina, Brian.
————————————————————————————————————
July 20, 21
Yesterday, in a completely mystical manner, we met our Ruslan Zin at the train station. He was just heading across the border for another round of aid to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Strange things happen here.
We transport children. Yesterday, it was a little princess with her mother and aunt from Dnipro, and today, a very young girl from Zaporizhzhia, where nothing is left of their town anymore.
When the war began, the little girl was only 20 days old, and now she's running around, interacting with people and dogs. We had to explain to her grandmother, who isn't that old herself, that there's no need to be nervous now and that everything will be alright.
We have to convince everyone that everything will be alright now. Can you imagine what it's like to try to reassure civilians after a year and a half of war in their homes that everything will be fine?
————————————————————————————————————
July 19
07-17 shipment of medical supplies from our doctors (especially gratitude to Boris Bronfine and Irina Kalaida for collection work in several hospitals) to Odessa and Kherson - 5 boxes to hospital and 2x2 for stabilization points. 9 boxes, 416 lbs, $1140.80
07-19 - Report from Леся Доброскоченко-Оводовська (https://www.facebook.com/vezha.org.ua) in Kherson. Previous shipment (5/27) delivered to end recipients - Kherson Hospital and front-line medics.
————————————————————————————————————
July 18
This time, Juna (ambulance) was tired, and we are combining repair chores with local runs. Today, we transported two ladies and a gentleman to Poland. With the temperature here exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, they encountered an air conditioner (already fixed by us in Nika) for the first time in a long time on their journey from Zaporizhzhia. This was particularly exciting, especially considering the gentleman's not-so-great health condition.
Overall, accompanied by kind wishes from Ukrainian border guards, we entered Poland smoothly, and with our passengers all settled in, the mission is complete. Routine. Just another day.
————————————————————————————————————
July 17
Another short journey, lasting only 12 hours in total. We brought an 87-year-old male who had a stroke to Caritas in Poland. He is bedbound and partially paralyzed. Originally from the Donbas region, he has lost everything.
————————————————————————————————————
July 15
We needed to transport a sick person from a village on the Romanian border to Poland, and that's exactly what we did, driving through the regions of Prykarpattia, Zakarpattia, and the Carpathian Mountains in a single day. The mission was calm but challenging, far from the war zone.
13 out of the 17 hours of driving were spent on winding mountain serpentines, cursing at the regularly encountered potholes on generally good roads and ruined bridges. Moreover, the patient turned out to have a complex condition that was not easily understood by Ukrainian medicine.
We carried out the mission as planned, but it was exhausting. However, we had the opportunity to explore the Carpathian Mountains, which are even more beautiful than the alpine meadows of Switzerland! And there is so much more of the Carpathians compared to Switzerland.
Alexander Zharov
————————————————————————————————————
July 14
The shipment of Wound Vacs arrived at its intended recipients – the Sisters of Mercy of Kherson.
————————————————————————————————————
July 9 - July 11
We had quite an eventful run!
First, we went to Kherson, where we took care of various important tasks. The city is alive, with people on the streets and cafes bustling. Around 8 PM, as if on schedule, the unsettling artillery fire begins. Everyone has gotten used to it. Well, if you can ever get used to such things.
Then we headed to the town on the border with Prednistrovie.
Across the river, about 300 meters away, is the “Russian World” - a light version. No one is shooting yet, but everyone understands the situation. However, Russia is bombing. There's an airfield and plenty of other military facilities near the border, with half the town being populated by soldiers, although their air defense is weak.
The mother of one of the young men in the photo was caught up in the clashes twice and decided it was enough. For the sake of her child. That's why we ended up there... It took us 18 hours with four refueling stops on the way - the road wasn't easy, and both the young men and young mothers were a bit tired. But it all ended with a shelter in Poland and some rest, as usual. Just the way it should be. I believe they will rest in Europe and come back. Most of them return.
And during this mission, we covered a little over 2,500 kilometers.
Alexander Zharov
————————————————————————————————————
July 11
Sixteen hours drive is hard even for adults. And when you have kids onboard - the box with games and toys becomes mission critical equipment.
————————————————————————————————————
July 10
Two news updates:
07-07 shipment of medical supplies from our doctors (especially gratitude to Boris Bronfine for his collect work in several hospitals) to Lviv - part 2: hospital and new stabilization point. 8 boxes, 283 lbs, $703.9
07-08 - Report from Леся Доброскоченко-Оводовська in Odessa. Previous shipment delivered to end recipients - surgical tables, dressing, trauma and IV supplies.
————————————————————————————————————
July 7
We returned to the base after four days in Ukraine. We crossed the border with humanitarian medical supplies provided by Sergey Karachenets , took care of accumulated tasks, and then headed to Dnipro. There, we met two ladies and a gentleman who were in need of our assistance. Their health required immediate attention, but the resources were severely limited. Moreover, the weather in their area had worsened significantly, with constant falling and exploding from the sky. One of the ladies was even from Marganets, which the Russians have systematically turned into Bahmut. Despite a challenging 13-hour journey, the entire team patiently endured, and we parted ways at a Polish shelter, content with each other. Everything went smoothly, just as it should be for us.
In general, I've noticed something peculiar among Ukrainians over the age of 65. With age, they seem to lose their anxiety, which is natural in times of war, and instead develop a resilience towards circumstances, with confidence in a better tomorrow. Their formula is: 'Tomorrow we will win, rebuild, and everything will be fine. And from you, a sunflower will grow, feeding children and sparrows.'
Did I already write about this? 'They are not retreating here; they are temporarily stepping back.
Alexander Zharov
————————————————————————————————————
July 4
In the past two weeks, we have received medical donations from our doctors (Sveta from NY, Boris from NH) as well as a large amount from the MedShare charity. We are sending the medicine to the final recipients - volunteer organizations in Odessa and Lviv for distribution to hospital and front line doctors.
Slava Oleynik also joined the shipment. We managed to pack everything, and the first batch was sent yesterday through Meest to NY. It consisted of 7 boxes, weighing 271 lbs, costing $693.3. Three more shipments are being packed. There will be more updates. Meanwhile, the previous shipment has been received in Odessa and delivered as intended.
————————————————————————————————————
July 3
Late at night on July 2, Sergey Karachenets arrived at our base. Sergey had previously worked with us and had proven himself to be a valuable member of the team. Unfortunately, this time we didn't have any available positions for him, so I referred him to Pal-UA, another organization. However, Sergey brought with him eight large bags filled with medical supplies for Ukrainian hospitals and the front line. We loaded all the supplies into the ambulance and set off for the border at six o'clock in the morning. Sergey and I shipped the bags via Nova Posta, a local postal service, while Alex Zharov took the ambulance to the mechanic for repairs.
After dropping off Sergey at the bus station, I met with Alex Zharov. By the end of the day most of our vehicle problems (hopefully) was solved. We checked into a small resort that often accommodates volunteer ambulance crews, as the owners always keep a few rooms available for us.
Today, our plan was to go to Kherson's hospital to pick up a wounded soldier and transport him to a hospital in Kyiv. However, the hospital canceled the run as they were not yet ready to release the patient. That's alright, as we have another run lined up. We spent the day working on our vehicles, and tomorrow we will be heading to the Dnipro Region for our next mission.
————————————————————————————————————
July 1
When you're a medic, you're never off-duty.
Yesterday, late at night, we returned from our mission in Ukraine. Today, most of the day was spent on administrative tasks and rehabilitating our vehicle.
It was getting late, and I was standing outside, having my last cigarette before going to bed. Suddenly, I saw a guy running towards our base. He approached me and was speaking in Polish. I replied, "Sorry, I don't speak Polish. Do you speak English?" He replied, "There has been an accident. We need medical help!" I immediately called for Alexander Zharov, and we quickly jumped into the ambulance and drove to the scene.
A bicyclist had been hit by a car in a hit-and-run incident. I performed CPR with the help of a bystander, placed him on the monitor, but unfortunately, luck was not on our side. Given the severity of his injuries, he did not have any chances of survival. His leg sustained opened fracture and he bleed to death I think in a two or three minute before we arrived. He also had a fractured skull and broken ribs on both sides of his chest (flail chest), most likely resulting in a massive pneumothorax. We continued our efforts until the Polish ambulance arrived and pronounced him dead.
It is important to note that the bicyclist was not wearing a reflective vest, and the area was very dark. I want to emphasize to everyone, if you are going for a bicycle ride at night, please ensure you wear reflective clothing. It can potentially save your life.
