New mission for "Ambulance to Ukraine"

Shortly after our second mission, we received a voice message from England. A friend of Irina who asked us to help to evacuate a badly injured Ukrainian military for treatment and rehabilitation in Sweden. He was a commander and a hero, one of the few who survived while stopping the invasion near Chernihiv on the border with Belarus. Severely damaged by bomb blasts where he was buried under the debris and still survived. After five acute difficult operations, he was medically stable and received permission from the Ukrainian Armed Forces to be transported to Sweden for treatment.

In the meantime, we worked hard to gather the team and to prepare for the trip. Now we needed not only a functioning ambulance but also all medicines and all ambulance equipment necessary for the transport as well as skillful ambulance attendants.

At the same time, we needed to make an appointment with the Ukrainian team to meet and take over the patient at the border with Poland and then catch the ferry to Sweden on time.

Thanks to a good collaboration, we gathered a good team for the trip. We packed the car with everything needed and were ready to drive.

This time it was Nisse and I - Eugen who started driving from Ljungskile. Åsa (IVA nurse) and Gunilla (anesthesia nurse) joined us in Malmö.

After a long drive through Denmark, Germany and the whole of Poland, we slept at the border with Ukraine. The next morning we’ve met the Ukrainian ambulance which was one of the cars we handed over on the last trip.

The patient Dima was happy that he could speak Ukrainian with one of the medical staffs who made it much easier for him to explain his needs. He was medically stable and brave and tried to do as much as possible himself despite pain due to severe injuries.

Åsa and Gunilla immediately took the patient into their professional hands. He was given painkillers, food and everything else needed to relax and have a quiet trip to the ferry.

On the ferry we received a great welcome from helpful and knowledgeable staff. We also received help to bring the patient to a special cabin, food and other things that made the whole trip easier for us.

The next morning we needed to pay a visit to the Swedish Migration Board before we could drive the patient to Sahlgrenska Hospital. After several phone calls, we received information about where to drive the patient. When we arrived at the Swedish Migration Agency, we’ve met very friendly and helpful staff who helped us with all the necessary paperwork. After that we continued on to Gothenburg where Evelina met us and together we came to the emergency room at Sahlgrenska Hospital.

At the hospital, we were well received by medical staff, several doctors and nurses who took over the patient. We called Dima's parents in Ukraine and they were deeply moved to hear his voice and know that Dima is now in place and in safe hands. Eventually, after all the necessary checks, we said goodbye to Dima. After that we went home to rest after a long but rewarding journey.

It's nice to know that we can really help and make a difference in people's lives.

We will try to stay up to date on how things are going with Dima in the future. In the meantime, we will continue to prepare for our next trip and hopefully we will have some time to rest somewhere in between.