Ukraine: The War on Cancer, Fought in a War Zone
U.S. News & World Report By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, June 9, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Dr. Olena Postuypalenko was caring for patients at Kyiv City Clinical Oncology Center on Feb. 24, 2022, when her mother called to ask what seemed like an odd question: Has Russia invaded Ukraine?
My mom called me and said, There are explosions. Has the war begun? And honestly, at that time, I didnt believe it. I didnt understand what had happened, said Postuypalenko, who specializes in onco-gynecology.
Postuypalenkos chief soon verified that the attack was underway. The hospital began sending patients home if they were well enough or leading them into an underground bunker, where they could shelter and keep receiving cancer care.
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Postuypalenko wound up spending two weeks in the bunker, providing patients with chemotherapy and tending to them as the opening days of the war raged above them.
The hospital is located near the northwestern border of Kyiv, only about 4 to 6 miles from the fighting, she said.
