But Euan is not everyone. He is one of a large band of volunteers risking their lives to bring humanitarian aid deep into Ukraine. And he just checked in to tell me about his latest mission. It was a dark story.
Call it fate, call it Kismet, call it chance, but I firmly believe that I was destined to meet Euan. When the unassuming little Scot called our Saving Ukraine 2022 humanitarian center in Halifax for help, I was there. Euan had teamed up with a group of like-minded people determined to go places where others dare not. One of them, a nurse, even got married one day, asked for help instead of wedding gifts, and left the next to spend her honeymoon driving around Ukraine teaching first aid to those who desperately need it. And there are many stories of her like hers.
Today I want to talk to you about Euan. Because somehow I think we’ve forgotten what’s going on in this war-torn country. Or at least put it in the back of our minds. The plight of a besieged nation has rarely made headlines in recent weeks. And if so, can we honestly say that we have seen it with the same intensity that we once did? In many ways, however, the situation is just as dire, perhaps even more dire than ever. Putin will not lose face. The Russian army continues to advance with the aim of destroying everything in its path and continuing its advances towards the vital Donbass region.
They may have withdrawn from Kyiv, but with the blockade of the port of Odessa, if he cannot win on his terms, he will starve the people of Ukraine into submission. But it won’t. Having been there, I know they will not give up or give up. And people like Euan are there to help. Three of those who have worked alongside them have died. His new co-pilot escaped from a Russian air-to-surface missile that exploded near his truck. One died next to him. However, he continues. For what he has witnessed, for what he is to come.
Just outside Kharkiv, a makeshift medical shelter has been opened in an underground subway. From there, Euan and his team have evacuated more than 100 people from danger. He is persecuted by those who refused to go saying they would rather die than leave what is rightfully theirs. A few days ago, a man staggered into his humble shrine. Euan has sent me pictures too distressing to share. Covered in burns after gasoline was poured on him, the man had escaped capture by the Russian army by playing dead. There is no place for him in hospitals, so he is being treated by volunteer doctors working in the most basic facilities. Infection is his biggest concern. But when he is well enough, Euan will take him to the border.
So how did this quiet family man from Huddersfield get there? Trust me, he’s not a mercenary. With no medical training, he associated with other like-minded people from around the world who by early March could no longer sit down.
They had contacts, they had strength, they had guts and determination galore but what they didn’t have were vehicles. We can help? Within a week, local businesses in Halifax and beyond answered the call. Five vans were donated without question, the donor understanding the fact that they would probably never return. And this weekend they did more. Much more. With the cost of fuel rising, it is costing the charity thousands more to deliver aid from this country, although another large articulated wagon full of food and medical supplies left this week. And so, as part of the committee, we organized a charity fundraiser. The response was amazing, a cliché I know. But how else can I describe the £340,000 raised in one night?
I’ve never seen anything like it before. And believe me, I have compared hundreds of similar events in my time.
From the florist to the balloon maker, the venue, The Arches at Dean Clough, home to our center, businesses and individuals from all faiths and all walks of life, gave everything that was asked of them and more.
A children’s choir sang. Ukrainian dancers danced, but when we showed the latest video from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and our ongoing efforts, including Euan, there was silence. For once I agree with Boris Johnson. It was much more important to visit the Ukraine than to go to the Northern Powerhouse. His fight is our fight and the escalation towards the rest of Europe continues to be a great threat. And his visit reminded us all. I know that the magnificent sum raised in Halifax this week is a drop in the ocean. But it means we can continue.
Euan will continue to do what he is doing. We can buy more supplies this time from within Europe to avoid costs and paperwork. But more importantly, it gives everyone who was there and many others who weren’t a stark memory.
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Source: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-06-25 15:45:59
