Ukraine Defense Support empowers volunteers to play a role in directly saving lives in Ukraine. One of our volunteers, Anya, has a friend from her university days in Ukraine, whose brother is a microsurgeon treating defenders from the frontlines. Anya reached out offering medical gloves, donated to UDS from a local hospital. The microsurgeon mentioned the gloves would be helpful, but what he and his team needed most was microsutures. They were down to just two boxes, and with gravely injured soldiers coming in all the time, they knew those two boxes weren’t going to last long.
Trauma and microsurgeons fight every day in Ukraine to save the lives and functions of each injured soldier. The head, neck and shoulders are the most vulnerable parts of each defender’s body, and restoring them after battlefield injuries requires not just extremely skillful surgeons, but also specialized microsurgery tools, like microsutures. These supplies are becoming increasingly difficult to keep in stock, and without them, doctors cannot save a soldier’s eyesight, ability to swallow and speak, or ability to recognize themselves in a mirror.
Anya shared this need with UDS leadership, and then she and a team of volunteers got right to work raising money. They sent a first shipment of microsutures already – enough to cover about 15 – 20 microsurgeries. It’s a good start, but not nearly enough to meet the need. The surgeon has responded with gratitude and, at first, a little bit of disbelief that people thousands of miles away would be willing to help and help so quickly. But this is what UDS does. We send what Ukraine’s defenders, medics, hospitals, and surgeons need, as quickly as possible.
Your gift to this campaign will directly support microsurgeons in Ukraine. Thank you!
