BOCA RATON, Fla. — As the war in Ukraine continues, two South Florida women are providing relief to the war-torn region.
"It's really sad," said Svetlana Faktorovich, a neurologist with Boca Raton Regional Hospital. "It's really scary."
Faktorovich was born in Ukraine. After seeing the images of her home country, she knew she had to do something,
"I'm seeing the place where I was born, where my family lived for generations, get destroyed for absolutely no reason, and it's been pretty devastating," said Faktorovich.
She called her friend, Senada Adzem, who had experienced a similar atrocity.
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"I'm a survivor of the war in Bosnia," Adzem said. "We had no food, no electricity, very similar to what a lot of civilians are experiencing in Ukraine. We had to depend on humanitarian aid."
After doing research, both women realized what is especially needed in the country is anti-seizure drugs.
"Kids are seizing, and we don't have anything to help them with," said Olha Tychkivska, a neurologist in Ukraine. "As of today, we have 2,000 kids on the list that are in lack of anti-seizure medication."
She is filled with emotion, living in the unknown.
"That's the most desperate moment for you as a physician because you know how to help, but you don't have the resources," said Tychkivska. "We don't have the drugs."
Through Baptist Health and the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation, Faktorovich and Adzem put together boxes of medications that only doctors have access to.
"We have access to purchase prescription medications that are critical for people to survive this war," Faktorovich said.
"You're providing a bit of help," Tychkivska said. "Even if this is for a week, a new week will come, and you will organize a new package. That’s what keeps us going."
