La Cañada doctor goes to Romania to help Ukrainian orphans

Familiar with international medical missions, Dr. John Rodarte has never been in a warzone, nonetheless, he embarked to Romania with the mission to rescue Ukrainian orphans fleeing the Russian invasion.

"That's an ongoing project," he said. "They're still looking to be found. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to extract the orphans yet because most of them are in areas like Kyiv and Odesa that we just can't get into."

But with many of the orphans trapped inside besieged cities like Kyiv and Odesa, and after seeing the desperation in the eyes of Ukrainian mothers who endured the frigid Eastern European winter to cross into Romania, the pediatrician from La Cañada shifted to humanitarian work to help out wherever he can.

"These people are walking across the border in 15-degree temperature, carrying all they own in the world right now," he said. "A toddler in one arm and the family dog in the other and one bag or suitcase."

Rodarte started with the children, hoping to help them forget the death, destruction and violence they've witnessed.

"Let them be kids for 10-15 minutes," he said. "Let them forget about the stress and trauma of getting there. Give them that moment for their own normal childhood."

After a week-long mission, the pediatrician returned home Sunday but not before donating much-needed medical supplies.

"We were able to donate a lot of our medical supplies right there," he said. "They could do a corridor to the front line, to get badly needed medications and medical supplies to the front lines for people as well."

Rodarte is unsure if he will return to the Romanian and Ukrainian border but ensures that his team continues their efforts to rescue those orphans trapped in a warzone.