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For Rob McTavish, it was small things 鈥� photographs on the wall of an abandoned house, a vegetable garden that was planted in the spring 鈥� that brought home the human impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Warning: The following story contains descriptions of bombings and warfare

鈥淚鈥檝e been in warzones before, having been a peacekeeper and a soldier around the world,鈥� says McTavish, who recently transported five suitcases containing almost half a million dollars鈥� worth of medical supplies for surgeons and front-line medics in Ukraine.

鈥淪eeing it again and so new 鈥� people were just here, living here. The little things were what really hit home. Where are those families now and how are they going to start over?鈥�

In August, McTavish, program director in SFU鈥檚 Centre for Educational Excellence, spent 10 days travelling from Vancouver to Ukraine, via Poland, carrying five suitcases stuffed with combat first aid supplies and orthopedic medical equipment 鈥� bone saws, bone drills, pins and rods and screws and plates 鈥� for hospitals in Ukraine.

Travelling alone, he arrived in Poland on Aug. 3^rd and caught a ride with a friend of a friend from Warsaw to Lutsk, crossing borders and navigating checkpoints and curfews with his five suitcases. The pair headed east toward Kiev and then southeast to Dnipro. From there, McTavish went into the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, meeting with soldiers on the front and delivering bottled water to troops in the trenches.

From Donetsk, he returned west to Zaporizhzhia and met with Max鈥檚 parents.

鈥淚t was very emotional to look the parents in the eye and say, 鈥榊our son is safe. He鈥檚 OK. He misses you, but he鈥檚 happy and he鈥檚 OK,鈥� says McTavish. 鈥淭hey had to send their only child away with less than 24-hour鈥檚 notice, not knowing if they鈥檒l ever see him again.鈥�

In Marhanets, located across the river from the massive Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, he toured an elementary school and hospital that were both ruined from shelling. The city was hit with another 80 rockets a day after his visit.

鈥淧eople are trying to go about their lives, but they鈥檙e being worn down. In Zaporizhzhia, every night there are air raid sirens. Every night there are rockets landing. Every night you can鈥檛 sleep well because it鈥檚 just so indiscriminate. These are buildings with 鈥榗hildren鈥� written on the roof. It is upsetting to see.鈥�

In Dnipro, he distributed the orthopedic equipment to hospitals and met with a nurse who could take two suitcases of combat first aid supplies north to Kharkiv. He filmed short videos of surgeons receiving the equipment, 鈥渓ike little kids opening Christmas presents,鈥� to bring back to show the donors. 

Since his return on Aug. 10th, McTavish has been collecting donations for a return trip in January. He has helped secured $1.8 million in supplies from a surgical hospital, including an X-ray machine, AED machines, wheelchairs, and operating room lights. He plans to transport the equipment via shipping container, filling excess space with surplus hospital beds from Fraser Health and hospital linens. He鈥檚 also fundraising for body armour and drone batteries, something that was requested by soldiers he met at the front.

鈥淚t was incredibly rewarding to feel like I was accomplishing something, as small as it was.鈥�