Anna, 82, survived the brutal occupation of her village in the Novopetrivka region of Ukraine during the early days of the war. The trauma left her in fragile health, with haunting memories and no access to medical care.

One day, while working in her garden, Anna spotted what looked like a metal stick. As she bent down to pick it up, it exploded. The “stick” was a military shell. Miraculously, Anna wasn’t killed, but the blast left her with a severe elbow injury, one that couldn’t be properly treated in her remote village.

Anna had already endured unimaginable loss: her only son was sent to the frontlines in the first week of the invasion and never returned. Alone and in pain, she had no one to rely on. When the Global Care Force Mobile Medical Team arrived in her village, Anna, with tears in her eyes, quietly confided “I don’t have the aim to live further.”

At her first clinic visit, volunteer doctors and trauma counselors gave Anna a comprehensive physical and mental health assessment. They treated her elbow injury and diagnosed her with several life-threatening conditions, including heart disease. She also began receiving trauma counseling to help her cope with depression and the emotional scars of war.

“Anna’s story is a prime example of the lifeline Global Care Force provides to the people of Ukraine through our monthly medical clinics,” said Dr. Eugene Onofriichuk, Global Care Force Ukraine staff. “Her medical conditions are under control thanks to her regular checkups and free medications, but more importantly, she knows people care about her.”

Today, Anna continues to visit the Mobile Medical Team for regular checkups. She receives free steroid injections to ease the pain in her knees – pain caused by the hard labor of farming; the only way she can try to move forward and keep food on the table.

Anna is just one of the many lives transformed through the support of the Lifeline Collective, Global Care Force’s monthly giving community. Your monthly gift ensures that patients like Anna receive the care, compassion, and dignity they deserve. Learn more about the Lifeline Collective and oin today and be the reason someone finds hope.