Page 26 - Southern Oregon Magazine Fall 2022

buzz | tidbits

BEYOND OUR REGION

LIFE IN WAR TORN UKRAINE
PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER BRISCOE

t was only a few issues back that we featured Christopher Briscoe’s reservation, telling a friend, "How can I leave with so many heartbreaking
Iphotography, which documented Rogue Valley resident Dr. Oliva’s and inspiring stories yet to be told?!" Despite reports of $10,000 boun-
life changing work in Ethiopia for Cure Blindness and the Himalayan ties for kidnapped Americans, Briscoe crossed the border into Ukraine.
Cataract Project. In this issue, we share Briscoe’s latest humanitarian For nearly three months, he pushed through the battle-scarred country,
assignment in war torn Ukraine. constantly reminded of the threat from Russian missiles by a never-ending
wail of air raid sirens. Using the country's rail system and hitching rides
Three weeks after the February 24, 2022 Russian invasion, Briscoe with supply delivery vans, he made it all the way to the eastern battle front.
joined an international group of volunteer doctors, document- Briscoe only returned stateside
ing their work at a border station in Poland. Since the invasion, an when his visa ran out. He plans to
estimated 15 million Ukrainians have been on the move, the larg- return as soon as possible.
est displacement of people the continent had seen since WWII. 90% are
women and children. To follow his journey and witness
history being made, go to https://
At the end of March the team of doctors disbanded, returning home express.adobe.com/page/
to their families and practices. Briscoe abruptly canceled his plane fHe0pMX3Vp7xk/

24 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | fall 2022