From Megan Deeter
December 22, 2024
Cancer is caused by cells that grow and divide uncontrollably, rapidly invading the nearest parts of the body and if left unchecked, spreading further until there is little hope of a cure. For many, cancer is a war inside the patient’s body, taking over piece by piece until it has left nothing else in its wake.
Thanks to the doctors at OHC and advanced medical care, we can treat cancer and stop it in its tracks. Our doctors are generals, fighting cancer alongside their patients, providing everything needed to beat this disease. But what if, while fighting cancer, there is an external fight. A physical war between a country wanting to live its own life and a bigger country seeking more land and resources. This fight is won by fighting tyranny, not chemotherapy. In this fight, everyone is at risk. This is what the cancer patients and doctors of Ukraine are experiencing.
Through OHC’s connection with the US Oncology Network and the Peace and Development Foundation, OHC was offered the opportunity to host four Ukrainian doctors for two weeks. During their visit, the guest physicians would shadow OHC physicians each day, interacting with patients, and learning how OHC physicians manage their patients’ cancer treatments, provide care, and research new advancements. D. Randolph Drosick, MD, OHC’s practice president and medical oncologist and hematologist, spearheaded this exciting and unprecedented visit.
The doctors of OHC provided monetary donations for travel costs and housing accommodations. Dr. Drosick explains, “OHC’s job is not just to treat patients, it’s a humanitarian mission. We are no different than any other service industry and this was the right thing to do.”
Shortly after Thanksgiving, Drs. Kostyantyn Kotlyachuk, Tetiana Lymanets, Anna Prokhach, and Bohdan Skulskyi arrived at the Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky International Airport for their two-week visit. The Ukranian physicians’ trip to Cincinnati was difficult and complicated, requiring various modes of transportation including cars, buses, trains, and finally planes. The visit to Cincinnati is made especially poignant as Cincinnati has designated itself as Kharkiv’s sister city. Upon arrival, the physicians were met by Dr. Drosick and David M. Waterhouse, OHC medical oncologist and hematologist, who hosted their two-week visit.
By hosting this extraordinary visit, OHC demonstrates our support for Ukraine, while also providing crucial education for the visiting physicians. “They can learn how we do things and after they go back, they can share cases with us to let us help them treat patients with the resources they have available to them,” adds Dr. Drosick.
The Cancer Doctors of Ukraine
The Ukrainian physicians were quick to share why this trip was important to them. Dr. Skulskyi, a hematologist who works almost exclusively with blood and marrow transplant (BMT) patients, stated, “With medicine you always have to be up to date with the most current treatments, and that’s not always possible for us in Ukraine. It’s important to get practical experience with these advanced treatments and acquire as much experience as possible.” Dr. Kotlyachuk, also a hematologist working with BMT patients, adds that communication and making new contacts is a big reason as well, stating, “after this visit we can still communicate and ask questions and get help with complicated cases. Patients are the ones who benefit from this kind of collaboration.”
Since different hospitals have different processes, and hospitals from country to country adds an entirely new spin on these variations. “I rarely see outpatient patients in the BMT unit because we typically keep them in-hospital for the slightest issue in blood work but here, they get to go home and be comfortable because of the resources, like your call center, that you have,” explains Dr. Lymanets, a BMT physician. “In Ukraine, this wouldn’t work because we don’t have call centers.”
Dr. Prokhach adds that even though there are differences, “the opportunity to be here in the US who so strongly backs Ukraine these days is crucial.” Dr. Lymanets adds, “We feel the United States’ support every day. Without that support, I don’t know where we’d be as a country.”
A War Zone
Drs. Prokhach and Lymanets practices are closest to the frontlines where Russian forces have invaded Ukraine’s eastern border, and their cities are under constant attack. Dr. Prokhach explains, “My city Dnipro is only 100 km from the border. We have constant missile attacks and drones in our once quiet town. We woke up at 5 am one morning because of the intercontinental missile attack and our children hear these sounds and we all know the sounds of these attacks.” She adds, “We leave the country to create a better world in the future for our children, and it’s scary right now because something could happen at home, and we are here and wouldn’t know or be able to help.”
This fear is shared by all the visiting physicians. Dr. Skulskyi comments, “we go to bed every night thinking of them over there and hope that when we wake up everything is still ok.” Dr. Skulskyi lives in Cherkasy, which is a bit further from the frontlines than Dr. Prokhach, but still in danger from any possible attack. While speaking with Drs. Prokhach and Lymanets, Dr. Prokhach’s phone goes off, and another missile attack alert is based on her location in Dnipro. She silences her phone after showing me the alert for her territory. She and Dr. Lymanets have the app to get updates and are monitoring it here in the States to keep a close watch on their loved ones in Ukraine.
Dr. Lymanet’s husband, a former Ukrainian police officer, is on the front lines of the fighting. She details when he told her he was going to the Kherson region [a city once occupied by Russia early in the war]. She says she was afraid of him going to such a dangerous location, but he said “I have no other choice. This is my country. This is my home. I know what I am doing. I don’t want to go anywhere else. I will fight against them until the last free region of Ukraine will be.”
The War’s Impact on Cancer Care
Because of the war, cancer care in Ukraine has changed dramatically for physicians. “We’ve had a lot of hospitals destroyed from the war. In the past, we’d only see patients from our area, but since the war began, we now treat patients from all over Ukraine. When the war first broke out, we had patients who stopped in Cherkasy for treatments or a visit, then went to other European countries,” explains Dr. Skulskyi. “They are looking for a safer place than where they live, which is closer to the frontlines.”
Dr. Skulskyi goes on to share a story about a specific patient who impressed him. “I had a patient who was in occupied Ukraine who traveled for days to get to Ukrainian hospitals. When I first met him, I was so impressed that he had traveled so far, and through borderlines of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, to get to us for treatment. You feel something special because everything that is happening is not just for territory, it’s for people and even though they might be under occupation, they are still Ukrainian and want Ukrainian care. It makes you feel useful.”
Dr. Kotlyachuk is the furthest from the fighting, but still very much feels the impact. “There are many other physicians like us who are working closer to the frontlines, but they are still treating patients and still working. I admire those doctors and patients alike who are much closer to the frontlines and are still fighting cancer. They are amazing people.” He tells the story of a patient who traveled from Kherson, where Dr. Lymanets husband is currently fighting. “She came and told stories about how she survived. They couldn’t test their blood counts, not even the simplest medical service. They came all the way to my hospital just for a visit.”
Dr. Skulskyi adds that he had a patient with acute leukemia who “was kept in a basement for 4-5 days by Russian soldiers because they wanted to check everything about him before they let him pass. When he arrived, he was neutropenic and anemic, but he spent days in a basement just to get his treatment. I saw him a week before coming to the US and he’s such a powerful guy.”
As Americans, when we think of war, we might forget to consider how everyday life of those fighting for their land may be impacted by this huge disruption. But at the end of the day, Ukrainian patients are still being diagnosed and treated for cancer. “Everyday life didn’t stop in Ukraine,” just because a war broke out, adds Dr. Skulskyi.
Dr. Lymanets adds her own approach to treating cancer patients in a warzone, stating “I cannot do much myself to fight this war, but this, treating patients with cancer, I can do this and still make a difference.”
Future Collaboration
The Ukrainian and OHC physicians all agree that this visit is just the beginning of an incredible relationship. The assistance OHC physicians can provide to Ukrainian doctors cannot be overstated. Apart from their learning experiences here in our offices, the visiting physicians will be able to offer their patients additional support and ideas when treating even the rarest of cancers. Drs. Kotlyachuk, Lymanets, Prokhach, and Skulskyi all agree that the doctors here at OHC have made them feel incredibly warm and welcome during their visit. They are especially grateful to Drs. Drosick and Waterhouse, who not only managed their visit but also opened their doors to the doctors and welcomed them into their homes. Dr. Kotlyachuk adds, “These are great families and they’ve all made us feel very welcomed, including [Dr. Drosick’s] dogs.”
Drs. Kotlyachuk, Lymanets, Prokhach, and Skulskyi were able to visit in part due to the assistance and mission of the Peace and Development Foundation, whose mission is to promote peace and sustainable development by strengthening healthcare and other society pillars, in Ukraine and globally. If you would like to make a donation to this incredible organization who is doing vital work to keep Ukrainian civilians maintain their daily lives in the midst of war, please visit https://peacedevelopment.fund/.
