A Collingwood couple with family ties to Ukraine has started collecting medical supplies and cash to be sent to support refugees and hospitals for those injured and fleeing the Russian attack.
Andy Tereshyn has been joined by a small group of active community members who have started a community collection campaign to gather medical supplies and money to be sent to the Ukrainian-Polish border.
Tereshyn’s grandparents are from Ukraine and his cousin is currently in the army stationed in western Ukraine where there is, at the moment, less fighting. Refugees from the war zones have been pouring into the western portion of the country on their way to Poland.
Tereshyn and his wife Aleksandra Chafranska moved to Collingwood about a year ago and both have family in Ukraine. Chafranska is from Lviv (western Ukraine) and finished medical school there before coming to Canada, where she now works at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto in the cancer rehabilitation program. She is a registered physiotherapist.
Both Tereshyn and Chafranska previously spent three months volunteering at a children’s rehabilitation centre in Ukraine, and when the war is over they have plans to return to the country to work with veterans in the hospitals.
“The worst part is seeing these people in Ukraine who are suffering,” said Tereshyn. “It’s shaken me.”
Normally a skier, Tereshyn said he hasn’t been able to go to the hill because it doesn’t seem right to have fun while there are people suffering in Ukraine.
As feelings of helplessness crept in, Tereshyn decided to take up local collections of supplies.
“I thought this would be a good project because at least I’m doing something to help,” he said.
According to a letter from the Ministry of Health in Ukraine, hospitals in the western part of the country have ceased planned surgeries to prioritize emergencies.
“Air raid sirens are heard throughout all of Ukraine, even in the western cities of Lviv and Ternopil,” stated the letter sent from the Ministry of Health to the Ukrainian Federation of America. “All of this combined with most of the commercial pharmacies being closed makes it extremely difficult for the civilian population to get access to even emergency healthcare.”
The ministry is asking for humanitarian aid such as donations of medical supplies. Some are specialized drugs administered only by hospitals and physicans, but there are items on the list available for purchase over the counter at pharmacies.
Tereshyn is a member of the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral in Toronto, where the congregation has been collecting medical supplies to send to Ukraine. The supplies are being shipped at no cost by a Toronto-based company.
“They’ve been very successful there,” said Tereshyn. “Since I’m in Collingwood most of the time I thought maybe it would be a good idea to do something up here.”
He started putting out a call to neighbours and posting to social media sites last week, and since then has had others join the campaign and added a public drop spot for collections.
The Collingwood Fire Department is the main local drop off spot in town, with a bin in the lobby that is accessible 24/7. There may be more collection points soon.
At this time only medical supplies and money is being collected, clothing and food are not being accepted.
You can donate the following items, which must not be expired:
Medical Supplies:
- Trauma Kits / Emergency First Aid and Medical Backpacks
- Tourniquets (CAT)
- Compression gauze
- Wound Dressings; Occlusive Dressings / Bandages (seals the wound)
- Hemostatic Dressings and Bandages
- Celox-A or Quikclot Gauze and Dressings (blood stopping kits)
- Resuscitators and Ambu bags
- Elastic Bandages, Medical tape, patches
- Scissors, Medical Shears and Gloves
- Nasopharyngeal airway (airway, tube)
- Thermal blankets
- Air Release System needle decompression kit (ARS needle Systems)
- Hard neck collar with size adjustment
Medications
- Pain and fever relief (Tylenol, Advil, Motrin)
- Anti-nausea meds (Imodium, Gravol, Pepto-Bismol)
- NeoCitran powder
- Sore throat lozenges
- Antibiotic ointment (Polysporin)
- Cold medicine
- Decongestant
- Allergy medicine (Claritin, Aerius)
- Chlorohexdine gluconate (oral rinse)
- Betadine / povidone iodine (topical antiseptic)
- Hydrogen peroxide 3% v/v
- Isopropyl alcohol / Ethanol 70%
Donations will be sent to the Polish/Ukrainian border to help refugees, wounded civilians, and local hospitals. The donations of cash and supplies are being given to the Canada Ukraine Foundation.
You can make online monetary donations here, or drop off cheques made out to the foundation at the Collingwood Fire Department.
