Simcoe County doctor and soldier at Ukraine border aiding fleeing families
A family doctor from Orillia and a soldier from Bradford joined thousands of volunteers trying to save lives at the Ukrainian/Poland border.
Both men felt compelled to help the refugees desperate to flee their homes amid the Russian invasion.
Brodie Fountain describes seeing young families, women and children targeted by human traffickers posing as rescuers at the border.
"They can walk out with a sign and say, 'Yeah, I'll take you to Germany. I'll take you to Spain, or wherever, and people pile up in the cars because they're fleeing for their lives, and they're gone," the Bradford soldier says, adding the victims are preyed upon after they finally make their way to what should be safety.
"It's terrible. It's disgusting. It's horrible."
Fountain is part of a group of volunteers made up of mostly military veterans.
He has been in Ukraine and Poland for two weeks delivering supplies to people forced to leave their homes and run for safety. He says some are stranded at the humanitarian aid centre.
"They're dealing with the issues of the red tape to get them through."
Meanwhile, Dr. Jeff Pitcher has been treating mainly women and children steps from the border crossing, most suffering hypothermia, stomach flu and infections from gunshot wounds.
Pitcher, a family and emergency physician in Orillia and Muskoka, is no stranger to providing aid in disaster zones, having volunteered with the Salvation Army after Canadian floods, Hurricane Katrina and New York City after 9/11.
Pitcher says once they reach the border, most people break down in tears at the thought of finally being safe.
"Today, there was a lady who came from Mariupol. Her family died from one of the shellings. She escaped," he says.
The local doctor says he went to help simply because he could.
"I know I have the skills that can help, and I was hoping I could help these people that have been struggling through this escape that they've done."
Both Pitcher and Fountain will return to Simcoe Muskoka this weekend, but Fountain says he plans to head back to Ukraine and calls on the Canadian government to do more for those with nowhere to go.
He organized a GoFundMe campaign hoping others would help him help Ukraine.
"These great people didn't ask for this, and they need our help to get through it," he states.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.