A Rancher in Ukraine

The two weeks in Ukraine were a turning point in my life; there will forever be my life before Ukraine and my life after. 

On February 1, 2023, I boarded a one-way flight to Warsaw carrying several large suitcases. I delivered one to Agata at the refugee center in a Lublin train station. Two others were filled with medical kits, winter clothing, and various supplies bound for soldiers on the front lines of the Donbas. 

I arrived in Kyiv on a chilly, foggy morning and quickly began to seek a ride to the longest city in Europe, the some 120km city of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast about two- and one-half hours north of Kherson. There, I would spend the next two weeks volunteering with the refugee center, traveling to distant villages within the war zone with medical groups delivering food and much needed medicines and supplies. 

I met many local villagers who shared horrifying stories of devastation and ruin during the period they were occupied by the Russian invaders. While in these villages, we distributed bags of candy and crackers to the remaining children, and we saw firsthand the destruction of the villages and surrounding farmland. The most striking experience, however, was the very warm welcome from all the citizens and the gratitude shown, the hugs and handshakes, the smiles and determined faces of the Ukrainian people facing the enemy very close at hand. 

I was greatly impacted by the excruciating and impeccable work of the local volunteers and doctors caring for their neighbors. It was an inspiring act to witness as they worked tirelessly to meet the ever-increasing needs. 

One particular day I traveled with two men from a local organization to the city of Kherson. We visited a pediatric hospital that had been bombed a few weeks prior and the regional medical clinic that serves the greater Kherson area. Throughout both of these facilities we witnessed evidence of the destruction and theft of medical supplies and equipment, which left them without the ability to properly treat citizens and wounded. 

During our visit to these hospitals, we could hear the rockets and artillery fire in the distance. As the sounds became closer, we sought refuge further into the city. That is where I met the administrative members of Kherson and the Kherson Oblast, as well as the Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the southern theater of the war. 

Witnessing firsthand the tireless work being done by medical professionals and others in the warzone in Ukraine is why I have partnered with Project C.U.R.E. in Colorado to sponsor a 40-foot cargo container of medical equipment and supplies to Kherson and the facilities I had the privilege to visit.