(NewsNation) — Three premature babies from a hospital in Ukraine have found safety in Poland with the help of a Tampa-based nonprofit that rescues Americans and allies in war zones.
As heavy bombing spread across Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, a team with Project DYNAMO helped evacuate the newborns from a hospital within earshot of the explosions.
“I have the two boys already in the ambulance, Sophie’s in the hospital, we are hearing boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, the ground is shaking, it was very real and the fear is palpable,” said co-founder Brian Stern.
Stern said two doctors, two neonatal specialists, a nurse and a Ukrainian ambulance crew assisted in the evacuation of the babies born at six months — twin American boys and a British baby girl.
“That one hour can be the difference between life and death depending on where you are,” Stern said.
He says keeping the babies safe during the nearly 20-hour trip to Poland was a challenge.
The babies, in incubators, were put into an ambulance and escorted to a hospital in Rzeszow, Poland, where their families and members of the British and U.S. Consular service were waiting.
“It’s freezing cold outside and the heat is the number one thing they need more than anything as preemies,” Stern said.
In order to get out of the country, Stern said he had to pass through more than three dozen checkpoints inside Ukraine.
He says Ukrainian soldiers on the ground, “don’t know if they are walking into a van full of Russian assassins, machine guns, hand grenades or a preemie baby rescue.”
Project DYNAMO is a joint effort by two operations, Digital Dunkirk and Dynamo II, to help Americans and allies abroad flee areas of conflict. In December, they rescued dozens of American citizens and lawful residents from Afghanistan.
The organization said it has received more than 14,000 requests for evacuation from people from around the globe. It’s rescued 150 people in 14 missions throughout Ukraine. The effort is funded entirely by private donations.
To donate to the organization, click here.