Hi everybody,

Can you believe we are going back to Ukraine this year? It’s true, and yes I am a bit apprehensive about going.

As you probably already know, I’ve been a hand injury therapist for 30 years. In June and July 2024 I traveled with my husband to Ukraine. He taught in the churches and I taught hand injury rehabilitation at six centers, in four cities of Ukraine. The trip was coordinated at the invitation of the Ukrainian Christian Medical Association. All people who are injured were helped. There was no discrimination. I was assisted by the talents of hand therapists and surgeons from Australia and the USA via Zoom. And this GoFundMe avenue raised enough money to help cover a lot of the out-of-pocket expenses, such as capitol equipment for the hospitals and accommodation, transport, dinners for staff and volunteer interpreters and a myriad of other expenses.

I found that Jon and I were going to all kinds of shops each afternoon to find items to do the “MacGyver thing” for splint making, oedema control and scar management consumables. It was challenging with the language barrier, but people were so helpful, even escorting us from one shop to another to make sure we did not get lost! I am sure that it won’t be any different this time around. The hospitals are very under resourced.

The therapists that remain in Ukraine and cope daily with blackouts, air aids, incredible shortages of consumables and daily fear of missile attacks are to be encouraged and supported. Part of my role in the 2025 trip is to continue the training I started in 2024, continue to build networks of other talented professionals and also to simply encourage those that are there during this extremely difficult time. They are doing an amazing job with so little at hand.

Since my visit in 2024, I’ve continued to give and coordinate Zoom lectures into Ukraine with the help of wonderful volunteer therapists, surgeons and interpreters. It’s been Team Ukraine! Jon and I could not do it alone. The Ukrainians are very touched by the network of support we share and represent, that is for them.

All of the projects, such as the Sewing Project for compression garments, have all been created in response to the stated needs of the Ukrainian therapists.

During this 2025 trip as well as educating and continuing to support the therapists I hope to continue to build up their network of other health care professionals to call upon. And to provide more equipment in terms of consumables and capital equipment, but I need your help for this.

Some of my typical costs are:

Zoom

continuing to provide Zoom Workplace Pro to record and share lectures

$24.60 per month, as an ongoing cost

Travel

this time the flight cost in and out of Poland was $2,640 for myself, (the only aircraft flying in Ukraine are military).

Gratitude gifts

Gratitude gift to each interpreter:

$100 each for 4 interpreters

Accommodation when not billeted:

$60-100 per night, depending on the City, or gratitude gifts to hosts such as a meal at a restaurant or a monetary gift.

Ride share costs:

$10-20 per day, depending on the distances between accommodation and the hospitals.

Gratitude gifts for the 5 Ukrainian volunteer seamstresses in Kyiv that are working on the Sewing Project at Feofania Hospital. They also run businesses and are raising children. These are amazing women.

$100 each seamstress

Overnight sleeper trains between the cities of Kyiv and Lviv cost approximately $80- $120 each, depending on which train is available. This saves time and accommodation costs if we can travel overnight and feel ready to teach and support the therapists the next day.

Last year I found myself purchasing large amounts of consumables for each day of training as the therapy departments have very meager supplies of basic equipment. The wards typically have no soap or hand drying equipment.

Consumables:

$100 donation pays for enough kinesiotape to teach functional anatomy in a fun and meaningful way to 10 participants. 

Velcro for splints and compression garments

Plaster of Paris for teaching a technique to reduce stiffness in hands

$150 enables a Large electric fry pan to be given for softening thermoplastics

Dental putty for the flattening of raised scars

Coban

Kinesiotape

Heavy duty scissors to cut splint materials

Retractable knives to slice thermoplastic sheets

Massage balls

A sewing machine has been donated (by a German group, via a lady in the UK) to the hospital in Kyiv, I would like to give one to a hospital in Vinnytsia.

Compulsory travel insurance by the Ukrainian Government $142.48 for each of us (Jon and myself) for the 31 days that we will be in Ukraine.

As the war proceeds these hospitals are drained of even the basic equipment needed to function.

One surgeon asked me to source a surgical headlight as he could not see clearly to perform microsurgery and could not source this equipment in Ukraine.

The list of expenses is long and there will be some unexpected expenses no doubt.

I will keep everybody updated when I can, either on What’s App, Telegram or via emails when I have internet access. Constant power outages make this difficult.

Already I have been given 69 kg of splinting material and strapping by one generous European group! Another group have organized for it to be delivered to Kyiv and Vinnytsia. Such amazing team work has been wonderful for the morale. I will need to add some local equipment such as Stanley knives, heat guns etc. for the splinting Masterclasses.

The amazing way people are already supporting this venture is truly heart warming. Please be part of this team. It’s not just my husband and myself going, it’s the whole team of donors behind us.

The Ukrainians have been amazed and very touched by all of your support. One of my big goals is to let them know that they are seen and heard and are not alone. Even as they work long hours for meager wages.

I am very grateful for any size donations. It will all be spent in Ukraine, for their rehabilitation efforts. Again I’ll post lots of photos on the closed What’s App group and the other secure platforms and keep you all up to date, when possible.