Last newsletter we brought you the story of a nurse from Alberta who collected supplies for Ukraine. Her story was recently shared in a local St. Albert, Alberta newspaper and mentions the generous donations sent by our members. Please see the story below.
“It was so valuable that I felt an obligation to the donors to ensure the product arrived safely,” said Shannon Boddez, who made her second trip to her ancestral homeland in early December.
Blood clotting factor products and hemostatic agents – all “gently expired” – were brought by Boddez along with other medical supplies, clothing and other items. When asked to explain the term “carefully expired,” Boddez said the products — donated by families affiliated with the Canadian Hemophilia Society — “can’t be used in Canada, but it’s like a miracle in Ukraine.”
Boddez, who has been organizing aid deliveries since early March, said she felt she had to deliver the medical supplies in person. “When you ship it, there’s no control over it, that’s why I left,” said the big-hearted nurse, who delivered the products to a Lviv hospital and provided practical instructions.
“There was a bit of teaching because they don’t have access to what we have,” she said.
As a nurse at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Boddez changed shifts and used the vacation time to go on an eight-day trip to Lviv in late September and a three-day trek in early December. On both trips, she traveled with other like-minded Albertans she found through a Facebook-founded group called Ukrainian Volunteers of Edmonton.
Boddez, who has relatives on her mother’s side in Ukraine, began her humanitarian efforts in March after posting an appeal on her personal Facebook page. “I made a Facebook post for donations on a Wednesday and by Sunday I had 116kg of stuff. I broke down in tears,” Boddez said, adding that about 40 hospital workers responded. The next day, she shipped the items – including non-perishable groceries, diapers and warm clothes – to Ukraine.
“It’s snowed like crazy since then,” Boddez said as she arranged five more deliveries over the next few months. Their pace changed in late summer when the blood clotting factor products and hemostatic agents became available from the Canadian Hemophilia Society and deliveries became personal.
Boddez has teamed up with several UVE volunteers to facilitate the fall outings. One of the key players was Dave Bryenton, who made nine trips to Ukraine to deliver a variety of supplies including protective gear, while the other was Daniel Laskavenko, a Ukrainian-speaking peace officer who has sold military patches to raise funds for Ukraine.
In September, a total of 47 bags filled with donations were delivered by the Boddez and Bryenton team, while an identical number was collected for the December trip – including Laskavenko.
The team came to Ukraine with 47 sacks – all weighing at least 32 kg – for delivery.
