Imagine you are seriously ill in Ukraine this Winter

You are bedridden. The temperature inside your home has dropped close to freezing. The electricity has been cut again. The lift is not working. Outside, sirens sound in the night. You are in pain. You cannot get to a shelter. Your family is doing everything they can – but it is not enough. This is the devastating reality for many people in Ukraine.

Our Ukrainian hospice partner teams in Kyiv and Ivano-Frankivsk are working around the clock in extreme conditions to provide vital care to those in need. Exhausted, stretched, but never giving up. This winter, 4 years since the start of the war on the country, the need in Ukraine is growing. Families are not only battling serious illness, they are battling freezing temperatures, power cuts and exhaustion.

Can you help? 

Bohdan lives in Kyiv with his father and his grandmother. He is an adult with severe cerebral palsy. He cannot sit up on his own. He cannot speak. He cannot swallow properly. He depends entirely on those around him.

When the electricity fails, as it often does, everything becomes harder.

Without power, his food cannot be blended. The suction device that prevents him from choking cannot be used. Heating disappears, and Bohdan, who has circulatory problems and weighs under 40kg, quickly becomes dangerously cold.

His grandmother wraps him in wool socks and layers, places hot-water bottles around him and checks them constantly through the night. His father sleeps nearby on the sofa. They are adapting as best they can.

Thankfully, Bohdan is not alone.  

Through our hospice partner in Kyiv, Dr Olena visits him regularly and remains in close telephone contact with his father and grandmother. Early on, his pain medication was carefully reviewed and adjusted. Today, thanks to that expertise, Bohdan is experiencing little to no pain. 

His family has been shown how to carry out gentle passive exercises to reduce muscle spasticity and prevent further discomfort. A suction device has been provided to help protect his breathing. An air humidifier now makes it easier for him to breathe during long winter nights, generously gifted by Dr Olena and her husband.  

These may sound like small things. But for Bohdan, they make the difference between distress and comfort. Between isolation and connection. Between surviving and living with dignity. 

This winter, many patients in Ukraine are facing two battles: 

Your donation today can help ensure that our hospice teams continue reaching patients like Bohdan. Climbing dark stairwells during blackouts, carrying equipment, delivering medication, offering comfort and practical help where it is needed most.  

Every Gift Matters

Please stand with families in Ukraine this winter. Give today and help ensure that no one faces serious illness alone.