Thank you for loving your neighbors in Ukraine. Because of you, thousands of people have received essential care when they had nowhere else to go.
In many hard-hit communities, health facilities were damaged or destroyed. Many health workers fled, and others were killed or forced to leave. This has left millions of Ukrainians, especially the elderly, without the care they need to survive.
Your compassion is meeting them right where they are. Since it hit the road in September 2022, the mobile clinic — located in the back of a tractor-trailer that travels from city to city — has reached 5,000 people in need of medical care.
In the words of Dr. Oksana Rudenko, "Our mission is significant ... For them this truck, this big vehicle, is a sign that they are not forgotten."
Many brave Ukrainians had to stay behind
Iryna Martynenko, 57, works at a local library in Balakliia. She worries about her children and grandchildren, who barely escaped shelling in Kharkiv. And her children worry about her, as she lived under Russian occupation for half of last year.
Like three-quarters of Ukrainians, she says she had no choice but to stay home when war came to her doorstep. Evacuating would have meant abandoning her elderly mother, who is not mobile. Iryna also didn’t want to leave her husband, who is an energy specialist. Someone needs to keep the city's electricity flowing, and it’s a job he takes seriously.
Together, they are working bravely to maintain a sense of normalcy for themselves and their community.
We met Iryna during her visit to the mobile clinic. She shared that she has an autoimmune condition and hasn’t been able to see her doctor for over a year. Your kindness enabled both Iryna and her mother to have a checkup and a series of tests. Iryna was visibly relieved to have received quality care.
"I just don’t know how to thank you," she says.
Meet some of the tireless heroes you’re helping on the front lines
The hardworking doctors see patients from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., rotating on and off in two-week shifts. The staff includes a cardiologist, ophthalmologist, psychologist and an OB/GYN who is also an ultrasound specialist. These specialties were chosen based on the World Health Organization’s research into the most common health care needs.
Powered by your generosity, our mobile clinic staff are true heroes in the face of war.
Dr. Vitalij Olkhovyk, the OB/GYN, once saw 40 patients in one day because “out of kindness” he couldn’t turn them away.
Dr. Oksana Rudenko, an ophthalmologist, says she is scheduled to see 14-16 patients a day, but she generally makes time for 20 or more due to the enormous demand.
Oleksii Bordunov serves as the mobile clinic’s onsite general manager. He says he was not able to join the military due to a health condition, so instead he has devoted his energy to meeting humanitarian needs.
Dr. Vitalij Olkhovyk, the OB/GYN, once saw 40 patients in one day because "out of kindness" he couldn't turn them away.
The mobile clinic generally visits hard hit communities — some that already have been decimated by shelling and others that are still in danger. But Dr. Olkhovyk takes his work seriously because the need is so great. So far, he has diagnosed three cases of cervical cancer, one case of breast cancer and an aortic aneurysm. In each case, the patient was referred to the nearest functioning hospital for treatment. He remembers each one and has followed up with them to ensure they are getting the care they need. He reflects, "There was a patient today who said, I want to hug you. They realize you are providing them with high-quality care, and they would have no access to it otherwise."
Dr. Oksana Rudenko, an ophthalmologist, says she is scheduled to see 14-16 patients a day, but she generally makes time for 20 or more due to the enormous demand.
Although she is reluctant to say it, the pace and pressure of serving in a war zone is physically and emotionally exhausting. That's partly because she cares so much. In addition to her patients' medical concerns, many are desperate to share their stories with her. Of course, she does her best to listen and provide whatever support she can.
One patient stands out in her memory. He visited the mobile clinic twice in the same week for two different but serious issues. He was not able to find a local doctor to help, but our mobile clinic was able to squeeze him in.
"His gratitude made me cry," she recalls.
Oleksii Bordunov serves as the mobile clinic's onsite general manager. He says he was not able to join the military due to a health condition, so instead he has devoted his energy to meeting humanitarian needs. Oleksii works hard to schedule the clinic in communities as far east as possible, toward Russian occupied territory, to reach those who otherwise have been forgotten.
He explains, "It is essential to help people who have stayed in their homes, no matter what. They live under shelling. They live after the occupation, a terrible occupation when the Russians just wanted to kill them because they were Ukrainians. This is what we are fighting for, and this is what we will fight for to the end. We will support these people and visit them under any circumstances. And we will be very grateful if you, for your part, can help us — if not in the military, then in this humanitarian struggle. Because let me emphasize once again, war is not just about the frontline. It is also about people who stay here and need our help."
Thank you for showing your neighbors in Ukraine that they are deeply loved and cared for.
Until your love reaches every neighbor.
