Assemb. Phil Ramos with Ukrainian refugees to whom he helped...

Assemb. Phil Ramos with Ukrainian refugees to whom he helped provide medicine and gloves, in a military building on the Polish side of the Ukrainian border. Credit: Courtesy of Phil Ramos

We see the images of the war in Ukraine through a lens of anger, grief, and hopelessness. While we go about our daily routines, we cannot grasp the trauma of life in an active war zone.

Last month, I traveled to Poland and Ukraine to aid with relief efforts and to distribute medicine and essential supplies. While I saw only a glimpse of the horrors Ukrainians experience every day, it became clear that we must accelerate our efforts to help these innocent victims in their efforts to survive this brutal onslaught.

Throughout my trip, I worked with the Folkowisko Foundation, an organization with a mission to increase American understanding of Polish culture and history. Since the Russian invasion, the organization pivoted to aiding the people of Ukraine undertaking major recovery operations on the Polish-Ukrainian border and providing those fleeing the Russian incursion with clothing, food, medicine, and a warm place to sleep.

I spent part of my trip on the border, where the Folkowisko Foundation set up a refugee camp with heated tents for families in need of shelter and warmth, an overwhelming sight to see. Cars lined up for days waiting to cross the border, with some people even abandoning their vehicles and walking outside in bitter cold to reach shelter, food, and medical care. Those on foot faced 15-hour long wait lines in below-freezing temperatures. Adults and children suffered from frostbite, some cases so severe they turned deadly.

Hospitals exhausted their supplies to such an extent that they warmed up glucose IVs to treat frostbite patients. I worked with volunteers to bring gloves and other clothing to as many refugees as possible. Along with setting up tents for shelter, we provided families with food, water, medicine, and essential supplies they left behind in a mad rush to escape the carnage in their homeland.

Families face physical and emotional trauma at the border. Women cry and hug their husbands as they say goodbye, the men returning to Ukraine to fight in the war. Children are filled with confusion and sadness wondering whether they will see their fathers again.

Assemb. Phil Ramos in a bunker in Lviv, Ukraine.

Assemb. Phil Ramos in a bunker in Lviv, Ukraine. Credit: Courtesy of Phil Ramos

I also took part in “border runs” into Ukraine to deliver duffel bags filled with medicine to local hospitals, some of which even ran out of aspirin. We never lost sight of the fact that we stood in the midst of an active war zone.

Once, from a distance, we saw four missile attacks. Always on edge, we followed mandatory indoor curfews so we would not be perceived as a threat to the local citizens. These restrictions, while intended to keep civilians safe, forced some into heartbreaking situations. Families who lost a loved one would stay in the same room as their deceased relative for hours — or even days — until curfews were lifted. They would then sneak outside to bury their loved one and rush back to shelter. We held back our pent-up emotions as we watched Ukrainians process their grief and honor their fallen loved ones.

We must not allow this unspeakable tragedy to exit the news cycle. Instead, we must respond. Seeing this human tragedy firsthand taught me that time is not a luxury for the people of Ukraine and, therefore, it should not be for us. These families need immediate relief, and we must ramp up our support. I pledge to continue to do my part and call on my fellow state, federal, and global leaders to stand with the people of Ukraine in this, their hour of greatest need.

This guest essay was written by Assemb. Phil Ramos (D-Bay Shore).

This guest essay reflects the views of Assemb. Phil Ramos (D-Bay Shore).

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