PHOENIX — “My stepfather is on the frontline,” said Svitlana Sbonsler to her coworkers Wednesday. “We don’t know when it’s gonna end, hopefully by next summer it will end.”
Every second of every day, Svitlana’s thoughts and heart are with her family fighting in Ukraine.
“I look at all the pictures, I’ve very shocked by what was done, it’s hard to see, it’s heartbreaking,” said Svitlana, a supply chain manager for HonorHealth.
Her stepfather is serving with Ukrainian forces. Her mother who is a psychologist relocated families dealing with the trauma of war.
“I immediately told my mom, leave the country, you need to go, and she said nope, we’ll stay, we have to stay in Ukraine and defend freedom,” said Svitlana.
A mentality that’s inspired her and her colleagues at HonorHealth to do all they can as well.
“Chest tubes and drain systems, scalpels, needles and syringes, everything you would use in a fast-paced trauma, tourniquets, they’re in these boxes and that’s what we want to be able to send over there,” said Nurse and volunteer Camie Rideout.
The war in Ukraine has caused a health care crisis.
The country is now desperate for medical equipment and supplies.
Since April 2022, HonorHealth has donated tens of thousands of critical items.
Many of the supplies already packed into the boxes are reaching their expiration dates but will soon have a new purpose.
“Just because it’s expired, on our end, according to what our regulations are here in the United States, doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t use it in other parts of the world,” said Rideout.
Today, if it can be used, it won’t be wasted.
Items like masks, gloves, bandages, medical tape, trauma dressing, antibiotic ointments and sutures.
The impact of their efforts with each shipment is even more apparent when they hear Svitlana’s stories.
“I’m just thinking about how much we’re helping them, it’s what nurses do,” said Nurse Beth Sposito. “Hearing what her family is going through is really impactful.”
For Svitlana, the kindness she see’s in her coworkers is helping restore her hope for a future where the fighting stops, where families reunite and heal together... a day she can return home and embrace her mom and dad.
“I pray every day for this war to end,” said Svitlana. “Until then, I will do anything I can support my brave family and friends fighting for their land, their country.”