We’re often moved by messages from readers of War Doctor – David’s written account of over 25 years of volunteering surgical skills on the frontline. But sometimes, a story comes along that reminds us exactly why we do what we do, and resonates so deeply that it feels important to share.
Anastasiia, our inspiring Ukrainian supporter, shares how War Doctor changed her perspective on conflict, deepened her empathy for others, and helped her find purpose in uncertainty.
"This book… I don’t know, it’s something special, something that came into my hands at the right time and in the right place. I’ve read many books in my life, and I’ve never been interested in surgery or war stories. But when war came to my home, and I had to leave everything I was used to and everything I held dear, I finally decided to read this book – one that had come to me long ago and quite by accident. I just bought it in a supermarket in Ukraine when my mom and I were planning to attend a first aid course at the very beginning of the war. I had no idea what this book was really about.
At first, it was hard to read because I’m quite a sensitive person, and reading about injuries or surgeries was difficult – I’d start to physically feel pain. A neighbour even joked that sometimes my face looked like it had “subtitles” for the book – “Caution: I’m in shock.” It probably took a month before I could really get into it – I just couldn’t read it sometimes, even though I was curious.
Then one day, I got stuck at an airport for 12 hours after my last visit to my family, and knowing I had no way out, I opened the book I had brought with me – and it suddenly became so engaging and easy to read that I read almost half of it that night.
That’s how my journey with David Nott’s story began. Everything – from his bravery, dedication, and honesty, to the incredible resilience of his wife – deeply moved me.
When I got temporary shelter in Austria, I found myself surrounded by many other refugees, including Syrians. We’re learning the language together now, and before this, I knew nothing about their history or the horrors they had lived through. When we were all sharing our stories, some of them said they walked here on foot – and I was shocked. After reading this book, I began learning about many other armed conflicts I had only ever vaguely heard of, reduced to the phrase “there’s a war going on somewhere over there” – and that was it. I couldn’t empathize, and I couldn’t help.
When I finished the book, I sat in silence for a while, just thinking that I also want to be useful to people who’ve gone through things like this. I have to admit, I’ve faced many challenges in Austria. One of the hardest is that people don’t understand and don’t even want to try to understand that I’m here not because this was the dream of my life, but because circumstances forced me. I wasn’t prepared for this, and that’s why I don’t speak German. A lack of knowledge and an unwillingness to know what others have been through makes us cruel – and that’s what happened to many people here. Even though I’ve been living here for over a year, I still sometimes cry out of frustration, because my home and the future I wanted – a peaceful youth, my dreams – were stolen from me.
But before this, looking at my Syrian classmates, I too was cruel in my own ignorance. I didn’t want to know their stories, and I wasn’t interested – even though I myself had lived through war, and should have had more compassion for others who had suffered the same.
In the end, I just want to say this book gave me hope – both in my personal situation and, together with everything I’ve been through.
"War Doctor made me realise that no matter what happens, even one person, if they have good intentions and a strong will, can change the world."
Stories of people like Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi always felt distant – in far-off places with different rules and ways of life. But this story felt like it was here, close to my heart in every way.
This is how this book turned my world and my detached way of living into a desire to be part of those who live to help others. I’m still looking for the field where I can do that – but I know for sure that I don’t want to stand aside anymore."
"The book opened my eyes, heart and became a direction – helped me make a choice in life. It shaped what I want to do and how to relate to the horrors around me.”
David’s Book War Doctor is available below.
Surgeons and anaesthetic surgeons from regions all over Ukraine gathered in Lviv, in late March and early April, for two HEST® courses delivered by our foundation.
Against the backdrop of continued trauma for the country, as Russian attacks intensify, our focus was to deliver our bespoke Hostile Environment Surgical Training courses: HEST A™ and HEST®, and to identify and train potential instructors - localising the teaching and the skills for the long-term future.
Faculty lead for anaesthesia, Ian Nesbitt, who trained in our HEST A™ course, said: “Every time we come and deliver training, we identify people who we think have potential to be instructors and to be Ukrainian faculty members. They're incredibly impressive people. They have enthusiastically come back again and again, and we have trained them in some teaching techniques, and we've taught them with the exact skills that they use on this course, and they are now basically starting to run the courses themselves.”
Our foundation has been training surgeons in Ukraine since the war began over 3 years ago. In late March, 33 participants and 14 Instructor Potential candidates gather for the 5 day course. Uliana Kaschii a doctor and anaesthetist, originally from Mariupol is one of the Instructor Potential candidates. She was working in the frontline when she first heard about our HEST courses in 2014 and is now leading many of the trainings herself.
I came to do this course as an IP, and the last couple of months I felt a little burn out from the medicine, because I was really tired, I’ve been coping with a lot of stress, and I didn’t feel a lot of motivation from my environment, and the first day I came here I got this motivation for medicine again – yesterday I agreed to go to the front line again.
“From participating as an Instructor Potential, I like to see how the knowledge is spread, how we improve the anaesthetics field in Ukraine. In general I see the people who want to improve medicine and develop anaesthesia, and improve the care of the patient, and I love to see that in this course and see that we are moving somewhere in medicine.”
Our second course, HEST® for surgeons in early April, trained 39 participants and 5 Instructor Potential candidates.
Yaroslav Kulachek, a Ukrainian frontline surgeon and IP told us one of the most difficult things is working under fire, under missile strikes. “You have to perform the triage and you have choose who will live and who will die, because we don’t have the capacity. One of the most difficult is when you deal with children, and a lot of casualties who come to you and you see they’re not ill but it’s a war - when one human being tries to hurt or kill another human being. It’s most striking for a person to understand how horrible a war can be and what scars and consequences will be left after this.
I want for this course to share my knowledge with surgeons, and to help them improve their skills for the battlefield area and for those who need the surgical help, and any other kind of help for soldiers, civilians, children, no matter where they will work and with whom they will deal."
Ian Nesbitt reflects:
We come, we teach, we go, we leave echoes behind us. And those echoes, I think, will grow and grow. They're like a stone being thrown into a pond. The ripples will keep going. And that, I think, is one of the very exciting things that ultimately, these ripples will keep going by themselves without us being here.
A milestone mission in Ukraine
In October, we partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO), UOSSM, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Health to deliver our frontline surgical courses in Ukraine. Thanks to the support of our partners, we were able to train 71 medical professionals from across the country, including the frontlines, who travelled to Kyiv to gain essential trauma care skills. These newly acquired skills will be crucial as they return to their hospitals and provide care in some of the most difficult conditions imaginable.
Since the onset of the war, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to support Ukraine’s medical community. Our mission has been clear: to empower medical professionals who face the realities of war injuries every day. To date, we have trained a total of 666 healthcare workers across Ukraine and built a dedicated team of Ukrainian instructors who, this October, successfully led the Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) course. This October mission was a milestone, as it included an adaptation of the courses tailored to Ukraine’s needs, extending our usual three-day Hostile Environment Surgical Training-Anaesthesia (HEST-A) course to five days, allowing us to deliver even more course content.
Empowering Frontline Nurses and Strengthening Local Healthcare
This mission to Ukraine marked many milestones for us, one being the pilot of our Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) course specifically designed for nurses. In this pilot course, we trained 15 nurses, equipping them with vital trauma care skills. Just as importantly, this course offered us an opportunity to learn from the participants themselves. As they shared their insights, experiences, and specific challenges they face on the ground, we were able to gain a deeper understanding of how we can adapt and enhance our training to best meet their needs in conflict settings.
Nurses are at the heart of frontline healthcare, providing continuous care in some of the most intense and difficult environments. Their bravery and commitment are essential not only in treating patients but also in strengthening healthcare systems in conflict zones. We firmly believe that building resilient healthcare systems requires empowering and supporting nurses.
In addition to training, we are committed to localisation in Ukraine. We do this in a number of ways, including the local employment of key programmatic team members, building relationships with local suppliers and ensuring our strategy is fully in line with that of the Ministry of Health and affiliated bodies. This approach ensures that our training sessions are adapted to locally available resources, we support the local economy, and we deliver a sustainable product for the future of Ukraine.
Our team’s dedication has been unwavering. They travelled long hours, often overnight, and took shelter alongside Ukrainians as they navigated the challenges of delivering these courses amidst ongoing conflict. This commitment was evident in every moment of training.
“As my first deployment with the Foundation, seeing the dedication and resilience of the Ukrainian surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses, who both delivered and attended the courses, palpably highlighted the importance of DNF’s role in providing not only training, but also solidarity.” – Hetty Cane, DNF Programmes Officer
The Power of Partnerships
Our work would not be possible without the strength and commitment of our partners. With critical funding from the WHO, logistical support from UOSSM, and guidance from the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, we have been able to deliver life-saving training in Ukraine. These partnerships are central to our mission, enabling us to empower frontline medical professionals and make a lasting impact on healthcare in conflict zones. Together, we are building a future where medical teams are equipped, resilient, and ready to save lives when it matters most.
“This mission was a huge step towards our goal of localising our HEST courses in Ukraine. It was a mission of firsts. It was a privilege to collaborate with UOSSM, headed up by Ahmed Aldbis and Muhammad Zaydiye, who, with their team, worked with us to enable these courses. We're indebted to the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, WHO-Ukraine and Bogomolets National Medical University for partnering with us.” - Nick Cartwright, DNF Head of Operations
Find out more about our work in Ukraine
Teaching 86 war doctors in Vinnytsia, Ukraine
86 more Ukrainian doctors are now armed with trauma surgery skills that will help them improve the care they give to victims injured on the frontline. In partnership with UOSSM International, our trainers upskilled both surgeons and anaesthetists in the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia.
Despite over two years of conflict, many doctors in Ukraine are still facing horrifying injuries - and many they were not trained to treat during standard medical training. War inflicts incomprehensible injuries on those it meets. Shrapnel can tear through multiple parts of the body and it’s a medical team’s job to identify which injury needs treating first. This is done by carrying out damage control to find and reduce sources of bleeding before repairs can take place. Under pressure, this isn’t an easy feat but are vital skills that we teach – alongside guidance on how to stay calm and focused - on our course.
The long road
It’s not just immediate care that doctors need to be trained in. War wounds often require months, sometimes years, of rehabilitation and additional surgeries. Our team visited the Superhuman Center in Vynnyky, Lviv, an outstanding facility supporting adults and children who have lost limbs in the war. It is facilities like these, and training like ours, that help doctors carry out amputations in such a way that the victims will recover well or receive prosthetics when the time comes.
Nick Cartwright, our Programmes Manager who led this course and visited facilities at both Superhuman and Unbroken, said:
“There’s a lot of a hardship in Ukraine today, but a lot of hope. There’s a strong desire for our training – Ukrainian doctors want to know they are doing absolutely everything they can for those injured in their communities. Having now upskilled nearly 600 doctors in Ukraine, the country’s healthcare systems are getting stronger, despite the ongoing pressures of war.”
Frontline stories
We interviewed a number of doctors who took our surgical and anaesthesia courses in Vinnytsia. It’s their experiences that drive us to keep going back to new cities, spreading trauma surgery knowledge further across the country.
“People were burning”
“When the war started we had a lot of humanitarian aid it was so helpful. But we still need it – the war hasn’t finished. This course is so helpful and interesting – there’s a lot of information and practical skills. Many things were new for me. It’s great that I now have new skills and knowledge.
I have some experience of war wounds since the war. We’ve had attacks here in Vinnytsia, a lot people were injured. People were burning, some had head injuries, they came to our emergency hospital. I also volunteered in places like Donbass.
The biggest attack here was on the 14th of July. A lot of people were killed, children. It was hard because we didn’t prepare for this. On this course, we saw a video of how colleagues work in an emergency situation. We have some things we need to change on how we will work in an emergency.
I want to tell the world that war in Ukraine is still going on. A lot of civilian people are dying. We need help to win this war – and I hope it will be soon.” - Daria, General Surgery Resident, Vinnytsia
“I’m going to use these skills in my operations”
“I’m a civilian anaesthesiologist in a country that is under war. I’m going to use these skills in planned operations in critical care in my emergency hospital.
Since we always have a lot of patients, with many civilians, internally displaced people, and military, who have trauma wounds, we are always lacking the materials, medication and equipment. Anything we receive (including training) we always use it.” – Igor, Anaesthetist, Vinnytsia
“I hope people are kind”
"I’m a Resident of General Surgery, trying to do all I can in my specialty. I hope I will not use this knowledge (from the David Nott Foundation training) on the battlefield, but Russia is still attacking.
I have some experience of treating war injuries. We’ve had a lot of injured people and deaths. I want to bring attention to Ukrainian refugees too who are now in other countries. I hope whoever hosts them is kind to them.” – Anastasiia, General Surgery Resident, Vinnytsia
As Ukraine continues to be ravaged by war, we have made a commitment to train every Ukrainian doctor in the country. Help us achieve our goal.
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Two years of war and two years of attacks on healthcare
Two years have passed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the scars continue to run deep. As published in the Foreign Policy Centre, our CEO, Elly Nott, shares the realities faced by Ukrainian doctors and the relentless attacks on their healthcare system that continue to persist even after 24 months of war.
Ongoing struggles, relentless weaponisation and devastating attacks on healthcare continue to be perpetrated by Russia. The numbers are staggering with over 1,000 verified attacks on healthcare in Ukraine as confirmed by the World Health Organisation.
"These figures are not just statistics. They represent lives shattered, dreams destroyed, and communities torn apart."
Beyond the numbers, healthcare plays a critical role in upholding societal cohesion and fostering trust between citizens and their government. Despite relentless onslaught, the Ukrainian people have displayed remarkable resilience, refusing to let their national spirit be broken by the brutality of war. But amidst the devastation, there is a glaring absence of justice.
Our work at the David Nott Foundation stands as testament to our commitment to supporting those affected by conflict. As the conflict unfolded in 2022, our Co-Founder, David Nott, conducted a series of intensive training sessions, upskilling 573 Ukrainian doctors over Zoom. In the subsequent years of 2022 and 2023, we expanded our efforts, providing specialised training to 442 surgeons and anaesthetists through 11 comprehensive surgical training courses.
We have forged crucial partnerships with Ukraine's Ministry of Health, the World Health Organisation, and UOSSM. As part of our broader Ukraine program, we've also funded scholarships to further empower healthcare professionals. Specifically, we funded a Ukrainian surgeon and anaesthetist to undergo paediatric trauma surgical training.
As the war wages on, we will continue to support Ukraine's healthcare heroes, ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to save lives and alleviate the suffering caused by the ongoing conflict.
Elly Nott,
Co-Founder
Two Years On: Russia Continues to weaponise and attack healthcare in Ukraine
Funding paediatric trauma training for two Ukrainian surgeons
In the wake of ongoing conflict, we have taken a significant step in supporting Ukrainian doctors. To further strengthen Ukraine’s medical workforce, we sponsored two doctors, paediatric surgeon Dr Dim Ershov and anaesthetist Dr Olga Panasiuk, to attend the Paediatric Advanced Cadaveric Trauma Surgery (PACTS) course for surgeons.
After the war erupted, Dr Ershov, and Dr Panasiuk were recruited as surgeons for the Ukrainian army. The two doctors previously met our Co-Founder, Professor David Nott, during one of our surgical training courses in the country. Since March 2022, we have trained over 400 surgeons during 12 surgical training courses in cities such as Odesa, Kyiv, Dnipro, Poltava, Lviv and Zhytomyr.
Deepening our impact
In a bid to strengthen our support for medical professionals in war and catastrophe, we’ve expanded our offering beyond our flagship Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) course. We worked with leading anaesthetists to develop an anaesthesia course and will be developing a nursing course next year, with the goal of saving even more lives inside and outside the operating theatre.
We also provide scholarships for frontline doctors in need of additional training. Dr Ershov and Dr Panasiuk were funded by us to attend the PACTS course in Newcastle.
The course, led by Dr Suren Arul, a paediatric surgeon who previously served in the military, is a two-day intensive program that blends surgical procedures with anaesthetics and nursing. The course incorporates realistic scenarios, including intensive role-playing at six different tables with various surgical cases, simulating the pressured experienced in war zones.
"They kept us on our toes"
After their two days of training, we met up with Dr Ershov and Dr Panasiuk to ask about their experiences. “Teamwork in the training program put us in a more realistic situation.” shared Dr Panasiuk. “The models were very interesting, very realistic. They kept us on our toes - as we would be during real surgery.”
"We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the David Nott Foundation for their unwavering support. As Ukrainians, we wish to express our deepest thanks to David and the entire foundation for their tireless efforts. Through multiple courses, they have saved lives and limbs, standing as champions for Ukraine and democratic freedom. PACTS will equip us with the skills to be more effective. Without their support, we would undoubtedly be prone to making several mistakes."- Drs Ershov and Panasiuk
Protecting Ukraine's children
“Undoubtedly, Dim and Olga can now return to Ukraine equipped with the skills and knowledge to perform life-saving procedures and surgeries, said Dr Suren. "Their participation in the PACTS course, sponsored by the Foundation, has undoubtedly elevated their capabilities, allowing them to make a significant impact in their homeland."
As conflict in Ukraine persists, we will continue to provide training and support to doctors in need. Thanks to a new wealth of knowledge, Dr Dim Ershov and Dr Olga Panasiuk will give more of Ukraine's children hope for the future.
80 surgeons and anaesthetists upskilled in Kyiv, Ukraine
Our new Chief Operating Officer, Tim Law, recently returned from his first mission. Tim supported our trainers to deliver two surgical training courses in Kyiv. With logistical support from our partner World Health Organisation (WHO), 80 surgeons and anaesthetists from frontline cities learned how to treat mass trauma injuries using world-leading surgical teaching models.
To continue upskilling Ukraine’s frontline doctors, our team embarked on the challenging journey to Kyiv, first flying into Poland and travelling by bus to our final training location two days later. Despite a temporary bus breakdown in scorching heat and consequent concerns about entering Lviv before curfew, our trainers arrived safely in Kyiv and began preparing teaching materials, tools and models for the arrival of more than 80 Ukrainian doctors.
Over six days, our faculty of trainers delivered two condensed hostile environment surgical training (HEST) courses, rich in trauma surgery teachings and practical sessions.
This year, we expanded our course to include anaesthetics – a vital component of trauma surgery care. During this mission, two new faculty trainers, Dr Ian Tyrrell-Marsh and Dr Tom Dolphin, led our anaesthetics module and upskilled 22 anaesthetists from across Ukraine.
Doctors united in learning
Although united by a shared desire to manage catastrophic injuries, attendees came to our training from different Ukrainian cities.
Tim Law, our COO at the Foundation, shared: “Participation in the course was designed such that about two thirds of doctors came from front-facing oblasts or provinces. They came from Zaporizhizhia, Dnipro, Kyiv and beyond. Most of them were based in civilian hospitals.
A lot of their cities are subjected to bombardment on a reasonably regular basis. As we’re still seeing in the news, attacks lead to casualties of war, some of which are military, but many are everyday people.
Often civilian hospitals treat both civilian and military casualties, as many frontline fighters are transferred from military hospitals to make space for the next round of injured.”
Unrivalled education
Witnessing my first surgical training course in action – there is no doubt it is world-leading education.
"It was fascinating to be able to see the real value that the David Nott Foundation can add to the skills of medical professionals forced by circumstance to react to the challenges presented by armed conflict. It’s world-class education delivered by seasoned practitioners, and based on years of accumulation of course materials and conflict-specific skills.
The combination of experience within the training faculty, course material quality and the practical sessions with Heston, our human body war wound simulator, enables demonstrations that otherwise aren’t possible in Ukraine,” continued Tim.
Cadavers cannot be used for teaching in Ukraine, and our war wound model has been described by surgeons as even more effective than cadaver training.
Some shared that they’ve never had access to such state-of-the-art materials and were excited to be able to take our hand-made silicone hearts back to their hospitals to continue their practice of cardiac suture repair.
Remnants of war
Although the likelihood of active conflict in Kyiv has lessened, remnants of war can be seen in and around the city. Air raids are a common backdrop, often ignored by locals as they try to continue with their everyday lives.
On the road from Lviv into Kyiv, you can see signs of Ukrainian defence. Minefield markings, skull and cross bone signs and string between trees signpost dangerous land.
On the anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, approximately 40 Russian military vehicles had been lined up along the main street. A sign that although life goes on in Kyiv, national pride and the community’s acknowledgement of their country’s continued battle remains.
“We aim to continue to develop this world-class training, such that we can continue to deliver training in the world’s most challenging environments, enabling medical professionals to enhance their skills whilst remaining close to where they are most needed", shared Tim.
"We will develop our offering to include new modules on hospital management and surgical nursing and are in the process of building a second synthetic full-body simulator and of increasing the scale of our teaching faculty. Taken together, this should enable us to increase the scale, scope and quality of our future interventions. Thank you to our supporters for helping to make these dreams a reality.”
As attacks intensify in Ukraine, our commitment remains
Russia has intensified attacks in northeast Ukraine, prompting the Ukrainian Government to evacuate 37 settlements with the aim of preserving civilian life. A missile strike hit Chernihiv, reportedly killing seven people and injuring hundreds. As conflict and its effects continue to impact the country, a critical need for our Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) remains.
Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, we’ve trained over 250 frontline doctors from multiple cities including Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Zhytomyr and Zaporizhzhia. We’ve also recently expanded our course to include anaesthetics – a vital component in every operating theatre.
Piecing communities back together
As offensive strikes intensify, traumatic injuries continue to increase, overwhelming hospitals’ emergency and surgical departments.
Despite teaching a significant number of Ukrainian doctors to treat patients in need of trauma surgery, hundreds still require training in skills that will help them better manage chaotic emergency rooms, surgically treat multi-organ damage and ultimately, patient by patient, piece their communities back together.
“Dozens of wounded are arriving, daily”
Our Co-Founder David Nott’s phone continues to burn with patient cases and messages from Ukrainian doctors he’s trained this past 18 months. Igor, a junior doctor from Ukraine who joined one of our courses in 2022, puts his training into practice every day. He wrote to David to share what he sees on the frontline and how his surgical knowledge is impacting lives.
Hello David,
I decided to write to you, my dear friend.
We are on the offensive. Dozens of wounded are arriving daily – both civilian and military.
There are many interesting cases - vascular injuries, abdominal trauma, many amputations. Someday, I'll put my experiences together in a film.
The doppler (a tool for monitoring blood flow) and ultrasound equipment you sent me have helped a lot.
I examine almost all injuries of the limbs with a doppler now. And of course, I use the Nott knot too (to stitch injuries).
With gratitude and respect,
Igor
Our CEO and Co-Founder, Elly Nott, said:
"Whilst the fog of war prevents us from having a precise picture of how successful Ukraine’s counter-offensive is proving, one thing we have a clear view of at the David Nott Foundation is the fortitude and dedication of Ukraine’s war doctors.
As Igor’s letter states, Russian attacks do not spare civilians - in fact they target civilian infrastructure - and dozens of wounded are arriving daily in hospitals like his. Health facilities are not immune from Russian targeting, with Physicians for Human Rights reporting that 1014 attacks have been perpetrated against Ukraine’s hospitals, health workers, and other medical infrastructure since February 2022.
The fight for Ukraine’s freedom continues and we will keep sharing knowledge and providing support as long as we are needed.”
Help us train more of Ukraine's doctors
Hospice Ukraine raises over £50,000 to better serve the terminally ill
Photo credit: Hospice Ukraine and the Royal Society of Medicine, London
As part of a special Hospice Ukraine event raising funds for palliative care in Ukraine, our Co-Founder David Nott was invited to share his reflections of upskilling over 200 Ukrainian doctors during eight missions, and the importance of fighting for continued holistic healthcare - from the beginning of life to the end - during war.
Since Russia’s violent attacks against Ukraine began last February, the Ukrainian people’s access to healthcare has suffered immensely. We know conflict leads to reduced medical equipment, medicines, specialist care and hospital staff numbers. Despite our mission focussing on saving lives with skilled surgery, palliative care for the terminally ill remains of equal and vital importance.
Hospice Ukraine is a charity that believes everyone deserves access to high-quality palliative care, no matter where they live. But the upheaval of war has overwhelmed the ability of Ukrainian healthcare professionals to support those nearing the end of life.
To better provide comfort, dignity and care for the terminally ill, Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel came together at the Royal Society of Medicine in London to host a special fundraiser organised by palliative care doctor, writer and Co-Founder of Hospice Ukraine, Dr Rachel Clarke.
When asked how David copes working in war zones like Ukraine, he shared: "Humans become incredibly resilient under pressure. It's what we train (during our courses too). We're not going to waver, we'll be here for our friends in Ukraine until this war is over."
David was joined by fellow speakers such as writer and comedian, Adam Kay, and world-renowned former neurosurgeon, Dr Henry Marsh, who holds deep connections with doctors and academics in Ukraine. Guests also heard a selection of beautiful songs from a Ukrainian refugee choir now based in the UK.
Speaking of the remarkable ability for the terminally ill to exude love and concern for others as they near death, Adam Kay shared, "The thing I realize (during a 2-hour conversation with a patient) is that none of her many concerns are about herself; it's all about the kids, her husband, her sister, her friends. Maybe that's the definition of a good person."
A live auction, which included a piece of work donated by Grayson Perry, led to a final fundraising figure of £50,000. We will continue to advocate for healthcare excellence and the people of Ukraine, for as long as this war wages on.