In western Ukraine, the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital delivers over 2,000 blood transfusions annually to treat pediatric cancer and other critical conditions for a region home to more than 1.5 million residents.
War Zone Challenges Disrupt Care
Oleg Atamaniuk, who manages the hospital, highlights how Russian drone and rocket attacks frequently interrupt treatments. “Every day we have drone attacks, we have rocket attacks,” Atamaniuk states. During air raid sirens, staff move young patients to the facility’s bomb shelter to maintain ongoing care.
Vancouver Island Team’s Fifth Aid Trip
Bruce Brown and Bob Beckett lead Vancouver Island Supports Ukraine, a humanitarian group that has completed four missions to the conflict area. The team plans its fifth journey in April to install a blood bank at the children’s hospital. “It is important that the blood is located in the hospital,” Atamaniuk emphasizes.
The group has secured funding for multiple projects but needs an additional $50,000 for the blood bank equipment. Beckett notes this initiative will aid children battling cancer as well as those wounded by ongoing bombardments. “The goal is to raise $50,000 for that equipment and we’re short,” he says.
Long-Term Commitment to Ukraine’s Children
Stew Young, former mayor of Langford, joined the inaugural 2022 mission. “What I came back with, which I can’t get out of my mind, is the fact that these are kids that are dying in Ukraine,” Young shares. He continues fundraising through events like his charity golf tournament. “We have to do this and we have to keep doing this until this war is over,” he adds.
Over four years, the team has delivered hundreds of thousands of dollars in support to four communities and two hospitals in Ukraine. Before each trip, they consult partners on priority needs, always centering children. “Their requests deal with the needs of children, and for the Ukrainian people, their future is in their children,” Brown explains.
Urgent Call for Support
This blood bank project targets life-saving impact for thousands of young patients, many too young to remember peace. “If there is any way at all that you can provide $5, $100, all of that money—every cent will go to the project of building that blood bank,” Beckett urges. Donations are accepted through Vancouver Island Supports Ukraine’s website.
