With Ukrainian blood on her clothes, Dr. Suzanne was smiling. Returning to our farmhouse base from what was supposed to be another ultrasound training, Suzanne was put into action saving a badly wounded soldier. At a field hospital southeast of Kharkiv, she had the pleasure of teaching and donating another Butterfly ultrasound to Captain Morgan and his team (his desired nickname and a vascular surgeon). Just like in other field hospitals, the staff were overjoyed to receive this training and ultrasonic vision that comes with the Butterfly. Right after training, a Ukrainian soldier was brought in who was walking with his electrician friend when his buddy stepped on a landmine and it blew up. The patient was badly injured, his friend who stepped on the mine did not survive. As Russian troops retreated from this area, they damaged the electric power plant, leaving the whole area in the dark. As Ukrainian electrical technicians went in to repair the power plant, they discovered the hard way that Russian troops sabotaged their efforts by hiding landmines all around the area. Within minutes of finishing the training, Suzanne and the ultrasound were put into action, key in ruling out major internal bleeding, helping to safely place a central venous catheter, and checking peripheral perfusion, all things that were not able to do as rapidly or precisely only hours before.
Thank you to all of you who’ve donated to this cause, you are literally saving lives. Attached are a few pictures, the first of Suzanne and the local team saving the soldier’s life. The next 4 are of the training that she facilitated only hours before, and the last of vascular surgeon Captain Morgan and his sidekick Commander in full military uniform.
Slava Ukraini! Heroiam Slava!
