Brian True: “I Want the US to Know More about Ukraine”

Brian True, director of the Eye Care for Ukraine organization, has become a promoter of Ukraine in the United States of America in recent years. His charitable mission on our territory began back in 2019, and with the beginning of the war, Mr. B. True became a regular guest and loyal volunteer. I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University has repeatedly received from Brian True.

The man lives in the state of Michigan (USA) and in 2019 started the charitable organization “Eye Care for Ukraine” (https://www.facebook.com/EyeCareForUkraine/) to help Ukrainians. The organization focuses its activities in the field of ophthalmology. However, the war dramatically changed the plans and now the main task of “Eye Care for Ukraine” and Brian True is to help our country to withstand and win the military aggression of Russia against our country.

Brian first came to Ukraine in September 2019, and in March 2020, the pandemic began.

“The problem is that we planned to open a clinic that would provide assistance to people with eye diseases. It was supposed to start its work in 2023. At first, the pandemic prevented us, and now, during the war, completely different needs come first. We have a small charitable foundation, which was focused on helping Ukrainians get quality ophthalmology services. I want to say that with the beginning of the war the situation has worsened, because many citizens of Ukraine today do not have full access to medical care,” Brian True said.

The philanthropist from the state of Michigan is an experienced specialist in integration and works with powerful donors who can effectively help Ukraine and Ukrainians. Brian studies the needs of the medical industry of Ukraine and sees opportunities for the implementation of a number of projects. For example, he already has ideas for the implementation of a pharmacological project, a reproduction program for the military, a project to improve the blood bank and increase the capacity of blood transfusion centers and others. After studying the needs of the medical industry of Ukraine, Brian formalizes all ideas into projects, calculates the budget and submits them for consideration by donors. The most important thing in his work is that he shows the real situation in Ukraine, popularizes Ukraine and changes the attitude towards the war in those people who do not really see it and are far away.

In total, Brian True has made more than ten visits to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion. Every time he brings substantial humanitarian aid. The man is trying to help as much as possible Ukrainians who lost access to medical care as a result of the war, in particular those patients who have eye glaucoma. Brian True is working hard to ensure that there is a constant purchase of the necessary medicines, their supply to Ukraine and effective distribution on an ongoing basis.

One of the reasons for the assistance is positive impressions from cooperation with Ukrainians in the USA. “I had a lot of conversations with Ukrainians in Michigan and other countries. I saw how hard they work, how they connect with each other, how they help each other, and how they love their country. Michigan has one of the largest diasporas of Ukrainians. This community balances in terms of number and activity between Toronto and Chicago, where there are very large Ukrainian diasporas. A lot of aid comes precisely from Ukrainians in the USA, because they eagerly cooperate, collect funds, and buy what they need. At the same time, there are many Americans who do not understand the real situation and what is really happening. My children are already adults and do not need my constant care, so I have time and opportunities to be useful to humanity. After every return from Ukraine, I tell everyone I know in the US about the events in Ukraine so that they better understand the situation and needs of Ukrainians during the war.

I was lucky enough to visit Kharkiv, Odessa, Chernihiv, Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Kyiv, Uzhgorod before the war. And I was in Chernihiv already after its liberation from the Russians and could see the destruction that the war brought to this city. When I returned to the US, people asked me if the destruction was really that big. No one really imagines the scale of destruction. I answer that almost everything is damaged and people really need help. I show pictures of these destroyed cities so that you can see the reality. I was also in Bucha, Borodianka, and I was saddened by the fact that nothing remained of these cities. In the center of Borodianka, I saw a bullet-pierced monument of the famous Ukrainian poet T. Shevchenko. He was the witness of how Russians shot patriotic Ukrainians. But at the same time, I see the resilience of Ukrainians and your will to fight, to freedom. I also saw that as soon as the city was liberated, the Ukrainians immediately went out to clean and rebuild. I saw a large number of volunteers in Lviv who accepted humanitarian aid, sorted it and sent it to different cities. And when you see everything with your own eyes, it becomes clear why Ukraine and Ukrainians survived this war – because Ukrainians are united and everyone helps in whatever way they can,” Brian True shared his impressions.

TNMU Press Secretary, Yanina Chaikivska.

Photographs by Mykola Vasylechko.