Victoria man heading to Ukraine, plans to offer medical assistance
Another Vancouver Island man is putting his life on hold so he can join the foreign volunteer effort in Ukraine, as Russian attacks continue.
Mark Preston-Horin, of Victoria, is booking his flight to Warsaw, Poland, for Saturday.
Both his grandparents are from Ukraine, and he has friends there who he has been trying to help.
Now he’s preparing to head to the war-torn country to offer first aid and medical assistance.
He says he's hoping to avoid active combat, and he adds it's not a decision he's made lightly.
"I picked up a whole pile of cards and started filling them out and kind of started writing goodbye cards in the event that I don’t return," he said Thursday.
"So I kind of had to give my head a shake and opened up the envelopes and said, 'See you when I get back.' You know, sort of change my perspective?" said Preston-Horin. "I’m going to trust my gut and be smart about where I go and how I move around."
Canada's deputy prime minister said Thursday that many Canadians are answering the call to assist Ukraine. But, she's encouraging people to instead enlist with the Canadian Armed Forces as it faces a shortage of service members.
The federal government is also warning Canadians about the potentially severe consequences if they choose to travel to Ukraine right now.
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