TORONTO, May 20, 2024
/CNW/ - The Canada Ukraine Surgical Aid Program (CUSAP), a joint
initiative of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) and the
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, has finished its fifth surgical
mission in Czeladź, Poland. The
team of 64 Canadian volunteers (only 18% of Ukrainian descent) have
conducted 62 consultations and in 8 OR days, operated on 37
patients with devastating traumas sustained in Russia's war on Ukraine.
The team saw some of the most complicated injuries from the war
and completed highly complex craniofacial, orthopedic and hand /
peripheral nerve reconstructive procedures on patients who would
otherwise not be able to receive care in Ukraine due to overwhelming demand.
The heart and soul of these missions is the multidisciplinary
team of surgeons, anesthetists, intensivists, nurses,
administrative staff, and other specialties, including a
psychologist and an occupational therapist. This is a well-rounded
team of incredibly skilled professionals from across Canada, who continuously volunteer their time
and expertise since 2014 to treat those severely injured in
Russia's genocidal war on
Ukraine.
The volunteers' impact goes far beyond providing medical care;
their hours of dedication and hard work had a profound effect on
the lives of the patients and their families. They also provided
hope to all Ukrainians by showing that people from halfway across
the world are willing to lend their time and expertise in a moment
of immense need.
On April 25th, we
welcomed the Ambassador of Canada
to Ukraine, Natalka Cmoc. The Ambassador was greeted at the
host hospital in Czeladź, Poland, where CUSAP missions
have been held since the fall of 2022. Hospital Administration and
the Polish medical team spoke to the Ambassador about how
meaningful it is to them to host the CUSAP missions and be a part
of the team assisting Ukrainians in the time of war.
Her Excellency had the opportunity to tour the host hospital and
meet with Ukrainian patients, who shared their personal stories and
how eagerly they await the next steps in their recovery.
The Ambassador spoke to the CUSAP multidisciplinary medical team
and thanked them for volunteering their time and skills to help
Ukraine's victims of war.
We were honoured by the Ambassador's visit and thanked Her
Excellency, Natalka Cmoc for giving
her time to learn about our surgical program.
CUF also extends its gratitude to the donors and supporters of
CUSAP. People's generosity makes this humanitarian assistance
program possible and forever impacts the community of Ukrainian
veterans and civilians CUSAP serves.
It is more important than ever to remain committed to assisting
Ukrainians in this time of need. As we conclude another successful
surgical mission in Poland, we are
reminded of the work that remains to ease the tremendous burden on
Ukraine's healthcare system.
QUOTATIONS:
- "The Canada Ukraine Surgical Aid Program is an outstanding
example of how Canadian volunteers support Ukrainian doctors and
Ukrainian patients. In the past 10 years, volunteer medical
professionals from Canada have
provided invaluable support to more than 280 trauma patients from
Ukraine. This is remarkable
cooperation – Ukrainian doctors collect complete medical history
for every patient and help coordinate preparation for the
surgeries, take part in the surgeries and oversee the
rehabilitation. Under the impact of war, they are the people who
will take trauma care and post-trauma reconstruction in
Ukraine to a new level. The
surgeries here are life-changing. Ukrainian patients would not be
able to receive full treatment like this in Ukraine at this time. Every case is very
complex, but all the patients without exception are optimistic and
incredibly strong. They know they are not alone and in good hands.
I wholeheartedly wish them full recovery. According to the
surgeons, several years ago most of the patients in these missions
were veterans. Now there are more and more civilians with severe
traumas. It reflects the scale and toll of Russian war in
Ukraine." - Ambassador
of Canada to Ukraine, Her Excellency Natalka Cmoc
- "On behalf of CUF, I would like to thank all the
physicians and surgeons, nurses and all the support staff who have
given selflessly of their time. I am overwhelmed by their devotion
to CUSAP program and to the patients treated. The CUSAP family
ensured that this mission was successful and provided their
patients hope for the future. CUF is honoured to be part of this
program as a funding partner." – Olesia Luciw-Andryjowycz, Secretary, Chair of
the Civil Society Committee, Director, Canada-Ukraine
Foundation.
- "This 5th CUSAP mission has yet again proven the value
of providing complex reconstructions through a mobile tertiary
surgical unit. The capacity to provide comprehensive care to so
many patients with so many devastating injuries in such a short
space of time exceeds all expectations. It is truly remarkable to
witness what a group of dedicated volunteers can accomplish.
The impact of these interventions is difficult to
quantify. A young man whose life was abruptly torn apart when
shrapnel removed his entire midface was initially angry, withdrawn,
depressed. Following a series of reconstructive procedures, he is
admiring his new nose in a mirror, smiling, giving us a thumbs up.
A woman who sustained horrible injuries to both legs in a Russian
missile strike on her home was threatened with bilateral
amputations. This mission she stands up to "dance" with the
orthopedic surgeon who salvaged both legs. The individual stories
of resilience and renewed hope are both heartwarming and
inspiring
The reality is however that as Russia persists in its war on Ukraine, both the number of casualties and the
need for sustained surgical aid continue to increase. We will need
to adapt to meet these needs. There is no question that building
capacity within Ukraine and
providing Ukrainian health care professionals with the tools and
expertise to treat their own is a priority. We will continue to
modify and adapt our programs to provide the greatest support
possible to Ukraine, to those
injured by Russia's war, and to
those struggling to repair those injuries." - Dr.
Oleh Antonyshyn, Professor, Division
of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, University of Toronto. Reconstructive surgeon at
Sunnybrook Health Science Centre. Founder and head surgeon of
CUSAP.
News posts about the 5th mission can be found
at https://www.cufoundation.ca/news/
KEY FACTS:
- The Canada Ukraine Surgical Aid Program (CUSAP) is
a humanitarian surgical aid initiative established by the
Canada-Ukraine Foundation together with the Sunnybrook Health
Sciences Centre in 2013 that provides life-changing care to
patients affected by the war in Ukraine. The surgeries have significantly
improved the quality of life of Ukrainians who undergo the
operations.
- The Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) was founded in 1995
and has a strong track record of providing humanitarian assistance
to Ukraine in the areas of
healthcare, education, and civil society.
SOURCE Canada-Ukraine Foundation