Ukrainian children undergoing cancer treatment have been transferred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital with the help of the State Department.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement, “Our partnership with, and commitment to, the people of Ukraine is steadfast and enduring. To that end, the Department of State has coordinated with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to provide necessary life-saving and immediate care to four Ukrainian children whose ongoing cancer treatment was disrupted by President Putin’s war of choice.”
Price explained the department “supported airlift of these pediatric oncology patients and some of their immediate family members from Poland to Memphis International Airport, where they were met and transported to St. Jude.”
His statement continues, “There, the patients will be able to safely resume critical cancer therapy disrupted by the Kremlin’s aggression. They will receive the specialized care they desperately need, and their family members will be afforded sustenance, security, and support from St. Jude.”
Price recognized children transported “represent a small proportion of the thousands of patients whose cancer treatment has been interrupted and, who, even amid a pandemic and with compromised immune systems, were forced to flee their homes.”
Concluding his statement, Price added, “That is why, together with our allies and partners, we will continue to support our Ukrainian partners as we seek to save lives and bring this needless war to a close.”
Read his statement below:
NEW: Dept. of State coordinates airlift of four Ukrainian children "whose ongoing cancer treatment was disrupted by President Putin’s war of choice" to St. Jude's Children’s Research Hospital for care in the U.S. https://t.co/8CkRP3OPUy pic.twitter.com/pTiDHqgmwp
— ABC News (@ABC) March 22, 2022
CNN noted Russian forces have repeatedly hit medical facilities and workers since the beginning of their invasion of Ukraine. According to the World Health Organization, there have been 43 verified attacks.
Earlier this month, a children’s hospital in Mariupol, Ukraine, was destroyed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that at least three people, including a child, lost their lives. Seventeen people, including women, children, and medical workers, were also injured, as ABC News reported.