Gaza – What can we actually do?
We found young people determined to continue their medical education, despite their university having substantial damage from missile strikes. And we could help. Someday there must be a tomorrow. Hospitals will need to be rebuilt. Communities will need doctors. People will need healers. Supporting these medical students is our way of saying: We believe in you. And we believe [...]
Ukraine – Summary of the June 2026 Hands on Global (HOG) Trip to Ukraine
The main purpose of my 5 trips to Ukraine with Hands On Global was to take medical equipment to orthopedic trauma surgeons. At least on the surface, that has been the purpose. But I have come to the conclusion there is more than just this main purpose. My personal reasons: to see the friends I’ve made and let them know [...]
Ukraine – An Interview with an Orthopedic Surgeon
"When the war started, we didn’t have anything. We received a lot of good equipment from many international companies.Now I only get equipment/supplies from Sign Fracture Care delivered by Hands On Global. With war, everything is in shortage now.""Some foreign doctors come from other countries through the Ministery of Health. Most of the medical care is by Ukraine doctors. We [...]
Ukraine – Arrived!
Greetings from Merita, Sid and Cathy, the 2026 team from Hands On Global (HOG). We arrived in Ukraine on June 2nd and will fly back to the USA on June 30th. Our driver, and friend, Sasha picked us up, and all 12 bags with medical equipment, and stuffed us in a van. First stop was Lviv. An annual tradition [...]
Ukraine – Leaving Ukraine
Crossing the border into Poland, I turned off my air raid app. A small gesture, yet it brought relief after weeks in Ukraine, where tension lives in the air. I am glad to not hear air raids or warning pings on my phone. This trip, I found myself saying mantras, in cars, beside memorials to fallen defenders. Their photos, their [...]
Ukraine – Protez Foundation Kyiv
Catching up again.Another glaring impact of war is the number of amputees. You see people with artificial limbs everywhere.We had an amazing visit with the PROTEZ FOUNDATION in Kyiv, This organization provides prosthetics for lost limbs. We visited the first clinic in Mukachavo two years ago. It is run by two brothers, one in Ukraine and the other, Yakov, in [...]