9 Chicago area doctors head for hospitals on front lines of war in Ukraine
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Nine Chicago-area doctors boarded a plane Wednesday night to travel 4,800 miles to the front lines the war in Ukraine.
As CBS 2's Marissa Perlman reported, the doctors took off from O'Hare International Airport shortly before 10 p.m.
By Thursday afternoon, the doctors will be in Poland and Ukraine. They all told us they are willing to risk their own lives to save others living through the crisis.
A total of 167 pieces of luggage were stocked full of more than half a million dollars in medical supplies the doctors are bringing with them.
The doctors will spend five days in three Ukrainian hospitals, and assessments in two cities in Poland – helping refugees who have now run for their lives.
"A lot of people sick, dehydrated, exhausted," said Dr. Hena Ibrahim, a pediatrician with MedGlobal, a nonprofit that responds to humanitarian crises and is leading this effort.
"My heart is overwhelmed," added Dr. Irina Lelik, a MedGlobal volunteer.
The mission is personal for Dr. Lelik. The team will be stopping in her hometown of Lviv, Urkaine, and treating her own community.
"I never thought that I would use my skills in my country," Lelik said.
Chicago area residents donated more than $500,000 in supplies to the effort through MedGlobal. Volunteers packed it all, along with some love notes to Ukraine, in just five days.
"They just got together and made this happen," Lelik said.
But the danger is real. Ibrahim was quick to admit she is scared.
"A hundred percent, a hundred percent" she said. "Always, there's always that fear."
It is a fear the doctors say they will have to overcome with Russian forces now targeting hospitals, most recently in Mariupol.
"I believe, frankly, that if you intend to help people, God will protect you," said MedGlobal cofounder Dr. Zaher Sahloul.
Sahloul is no stranger in responding to war. With his wife beside him, he knows he has a community back home rooting for the team.
"This time, she said, 'This is a huge crisis – you have to go,'" Sahloul said.
Perlman asked Sahloul's wife if she worries about him.
"Of course I do," she said. "But like he said, God will always protect those who are the helpers."
Most of the team will leave the area after five days. One doctor through MedGlobal will spend weeks touring hospitals in Ukraine.
We will be keeping in touch with the doctors to find out what they're seeing on the ground the entire time.
