Sometimes you learn about a problem that is so disturbing you simply cannot walk away from it.

This was one of those times.

 

Tanja and I learned about a life-threatening situation facing children undergoing treatment for cancer in Lviv, Ukraine.

The Children's Clinical Center is one of Ukraine's principal hospitals treating children with solid tumors. Children come from all over the country, and with the continuing russian bombing and destruction, the number of families seeking treatment and safety has been increasing.

 

Many of these families arrive with little more than the clothes they are wearing. Their financial resources are limited, and they must somehow find a place to live while their children undergo treatment.

Unfortunately, accommodations near the hospital are often beyond their means. They must find less expensive places to stay, sometimes considerable distances away.

And that is where an already difficult situation becomes dangerous.

 

Children receiving chemotherapy frequently have severely weakened immune systems. Even an ordinary infection can become life-threatening. Yet these children were traveling back and forth to the hospital on public transportation, surrounded by strangers, exposed to illnesses that their bodies might no longer be able to fight.

We were told that children had lost their lives because of these circumstances.

 

Think about that for a moment.

A child survives the bombing, makes the journey to Lviv, receives treatment for cancer, and then faces the possibility of dying from an infection contracted while riding a public bus.

It made no sense to us.

Tanja and I decided that something had to be done.

 

The solution seemed fairly straightforward. We needed a vehicle that could safely transport these children from their temporary homes to the hospital each morning and return them in the evening.

We also needed someone to drive it.

Fortunately, we found a driver who understood what we were trying to accomplish and was willing to work for a reduced salary to help make the program possible.

 

Now we needed a van.

Our search eventually led us to Essen, Germany, where we found a vehicle that appeared to meet our requirements.

Tanja and I flew to Düsseldorf, took the train to Essen, and went to inspect it.

It was in almost new condition.

After negotiating a final price with the seller, we purchased the vehicle, and I drove it to Poland, where our mechanics would give it a thorough inspection before its journey to Ukraine.

 

While the van was in Poland, we began thinking about something else.

We had purchased a vehicle to transport children with cancer. But did it have to look like an ordinary hospital transport van?

These children were already dealing with enough hospitals, doctors, needles, medications, and frightening experiences.

Maybe we could give them something a little different.

Something cheerful.

Something that might bring a smile to a child's face before another difficult day of treatment.

 

And so the idea of the **Flower Power Van** was born.

Instead of an ordinary vehicle, we decided to decorate the exterior with bright colors and flowers.

We wanted something that children would recognize when it arrived to pick them up. Something that might make them smile. 

Something that would bring a little color into their lives and perhaps even into the streets of Lviv.

It was a small thing, perhaps.

But sometimes small things matter a great deal.

 

Of course, buying and decorating a van was only part of the job.

We needed to make certain that the service would continue, that the vehicle would be properly maintained, and that the children could depend upon it.

 

With the assistance of the hospital, we were introduced to a Ukrainian nonprofit organization willing to operate the transportation program.

We investigated the organization, discussed the responsibilities involved, and eventually agreed to transfer ownership of the vehicle to them.

In return, they committed to operating the program and caring for the van.

That was important to us.

We weren't interested in simply donating a vehicle, taking a photograph, and walking away.

We wanted to help create something that would continue serving these children long after we had returned home.

 

And that is how an ordinary van, found in Essen, Germany, became the Flower Power Van in Lviv, Ukraine.

It won't cure cancer.

It won't stop the bombing.

And it certainly won't solve all the problems facing these children and their families.

But perhaps it can make one small part of their lives a little safer, a little easier, and maybe even a little happier.

 

And if a child looks out the window one morning, sees a brightly colored van covered with flowers, and smiles before another difficult day at the hospital, then I think we've accomplished something worthwhile.