UCC nursing student braves war in Ukraine to operate on babies

Despite the 12-hour days, it was 'such a joy' to see babies reunited with their parents

21-year-old UCC nursing student Lena Guénebaut-Cudmore supported babies and their parents in Ukraine through her volunteer work with Chernobyl Children International-funded cardiac surgical missions. Picture: Chernobyl Children International

A young nursing student from Cork braved war and the threat of nuclear disaster to help save the lives of babies in Ukraine.

21-year-old Lena Guénebaut-Cudmore, a first-year nursing student at University College Cork (UCC), has just returned from Lviv where she volunteered to be part of the latest Chernobyl Children International- funded cardiac surgical mission, which performed life-saving cardiac surgery on babies born with congenital heart defects, such as the deadly Chernobyl Heart.