Dear Euromaidan Minneapolis friends, We would like to share some excellent news with you. The $400 you donated during the celebration of Taras Shevchenko anniversary went to a very good cause: medical assistance for a soldier of Battalion Azov, Ruslan Berladin, who was heavily wounded during the fight to liberate the city of Mariupol, on June 13th. He received extensive shrapnel wounds to his stomach and shoulder from a remotely-detonated mine. He was rushed to the main hospital in Mariupol, where doctors nearly had to amputate his arm due to his wounds. He the was evacuated by specialized ambulance, first to Berdyansk, then to Melitopol. Ukraine owns exactly one military hospital transport plane (which is approximately 30 years old). It was sent to Melitopol, and after numerous complications and breakdowns was finally able to transport Ruslan to Kyiv for surgery. He has undergone several serious surgeries, including multiple skin grafts, as well as surgeries on his stomach and liver. He has received a prosthetic right shoulder. He now has limited ability to move and can feed himself. He’s awaiting additional surgery on his arm. The money we sent was given to his sister for the purchase of medications – she has provided us with the receipts. We’ve been in touch with her directly through Skype and email. Here is her message to us: “Thank you from our whole family for your support. Ruslan sends a big “hello” to you all – he personally values and appreciates your help. We are all hopeful that everything will turn out alright for Ruslan.” Ruslan continues to need our support - if you would like to contribute additional funds for his medical needs, please contact me directly.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 03:36:32 +0000