The kids and their family members have safely arrived at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
Living in an active war zone is terrifying as it is, and to be a vulnerable child in need of life-saving medical attention, it's even more so. As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, the U.S. State Department announced that four children with cancer were being airlifted from Poland to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. Here, they will be able to continue their treatment safely.
The four Ukrainian children are among several hundred pediatric cancer patients to have been evacuated with the help of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. https://t.co/BR3qyTsHmR
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) March 24, 2022
According to PEOPLE, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the department of State had coordinated with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital "to provide necessary life-saving and immediate care to four Ukrainian children whose ongoing cancer treatment was disrupted by President Putin's war of choice. The Department supported airlift of these pediatric oncology patients and some of their immediate family members from Poland to Memphis International Airport, where they were met and transported to St. Jude."
Four Child Cancer Patients from Ukraine Have Been Evacuated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital https://t.co/dkxfRZrBnF
— People (@people) March 22, 2022
He continued, "There, the patients will be able to safely resume critical cancer therapy disrupted by the Kremlin's aggression. They will receive the specialized care they desperately need, and their family members will be afforded sustenance, security, and support from St. Jude." Price added that children and the pediatric oncology patients, in particular, "need urgent and highly specialized medical care" which has " been made impossible by Putin's war." The four children airlifted to St. Jude "represent a small proportion of the thousands of patients whose cancer treatment has been interrupted and, who, even amid a pandemic and with compromised immune systems, were forced to flee their homes. That is why, together with our allies and partners, we will continue to support our Ukrainian partners as we seek to save lives and bring this needless war to a close," Price said.
The children and their families have since safely arrived at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Coming from a war-torn nation, doctors noted that they will require even more complex care. The patients, who are nine months to nine years old, will receive their complex medical care at St. Jude, according to a release from the hospital, as per FOX13Memphis.com. "In addition to cancer treatment, patients will receive trauma-informed psychosocial therapy to address psychological, social, emotional and cultural needs," the press release read. "St. Jude educators are also developing school curriculum for these patients and their siblings." “The work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Ukraine reflects the hospital’s ongoing commitment to ensure children with cancer have access to lifesaving care, no matter where they live,” said St. Jude President and CEO James R. Downing, M.D. “Our promise to children with catastrophic diseases extends around the globe, and we are honored to play a part in helping these families move to safety to continue their children’s treatment.”
References:
https://people.com/politics/ukraine-child-cancer-patients-transported-st-jude/
Cover Image Source: Instagram | stjude
