WROCLAW, Poland (NBC 26) — We are now in the 9th day of Russia's war on Ukraine as thousands continue to flee the violence in Ukraine.
NBC 26 spoke with a doctor in Poland delivering free medical aid to refugees crossing the border.
"This is very terrifying, Putin wants to take everyone down with him," says Marta Patyjewicz.
Patyjewicz is a doctor in western Poland. She is one of the thousands of medical staff working at a checkpoint for Ukrainian refugees. They are providing first aid, medication, clothing, and help with housing in Wroclaw Poland.
"They've been trying to cross the border for days, there's plenty of children, mothers with children. They come to Poland already sick. They have no insurance, no money, they have nothing," Patyjewicz tells NBC 26.
Marta says many of the refugees are suffering from conditions that can be easily treated with the medication they were unable to bring with them.
Other cases aren't so simple.
"The majority are kids, sick kids. We also have kids with cancer. They just come in and ask us 'What they can we do?"
Patyjewicz says there are 2,000 doctors, nurses and EMT's organized through a Facebook group who are delivering medical aid for free.
A concept that's difficult to grasp for the traumatized refugees.
"The Ukrainians are like embarrassed that they are taking help for free and Polish people are not bad but they can't understand why they cannot take this help for free," says Marta.
She tells NBC 26 the outpouring of support she is seeing from the people of Poland has renewed her faith in her home country.
"It's kind of a surprise, like how so many good people there are in Poland," Marta says.
"There are plenty of my friends who say they started believing in Polish people again. We found faith."
