Marian Helper • Summer 2023 • Marian.org 17 I will make you a light to the nations — Is 49:6. Nurse Marie Romagnano wears many hats. She’s the founder of Healthcare Professionals for Divine Mercy. She’s also been crucial in fundraising for the medical and humanitarian aid that the Marian Family is providing to the victims of the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine. Among that aid — including specialized medical equipment for bone fractures, head trauma, and much, much more — one particular contribution seems especially fitting, coming from the Marian Fathers and Marian Helpers: light. Let there be light! “You’ve got to have light to help to find people, to do surgery, to do whatever you have to do,” said Nurse Marie. “I became aware of the problem when the grid was attacked and all the power went out in Ukraine. Doctors were doing open heart surgery on babies with flashlights. And the more information that I received, it was perfectly clear to me we had to do something about it, and do it fast.” So Nurse Marie contacted LuminAID, founded by two grad students, Anna Stork and Andrea Sreshta. “We designed an inflatable solar lantern that could pack flat to be cost-effectively distributed after disasters,” they explain on their website. “The simple, rechargeable lantern is lightweight, easy to use, and serves as a safer alternative to hazardous candles or toxic kerosene for people without stable access to electricity.” For the past decade, LuminAID has worked with humanitarian partners across the world. That now includes the people served by the Marian Family’s aid efforts. “It was unbelievable,” Nurse Marie said. One of the founders, Andrea, called her back. “I told her what we needed, and I told her the budget, and she said fine. I explained our situation and how we’re focusing on the medical aid to those that are injured.” In the end, Nurse Marie was able to purchase 1,900 of the LuminAID lanterns. With help from Project C.U.R.E. (a humanitarian organization with long-standing ties to Dr. Bryan Thatcher and the works of mercy done by the Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy), Nurse Marie was able to find a way to get those lights to the right hands in Eastern Europe. But that wasn’t all. “From the funds from the Marian Helpers Center, I was able to purchase not only the lights, but also other specialized medical supplies,” explained Nurse Marie, including turnout kits, compression bandages, and anything that the paramedics might need on the scene. The difference you make The assistance from the Marian Helpers has made a real impact on the ground. “One time in particular, one of the Marians contacted me and said, ‘Marie, the paramedics in Kharkiv are out of medical supplies,’” Nurse Marie recalled. “This is especially distressing because the Marian Fathers have a parish in Kharkiv, and that was actively being attacked. “It just so happened that our shipment arrived the next day with specialized equipment,” she said. “And it’s all thanks to Marian Helpers and the support that Project C.U.R.E. and the Marian Fathers are able to work to get this distributed. The need continues.” Please visit Marian.org/Ukraine to make a donation for Ukraine relief. One-hundred percent of funds received are sent directly to those in need through our Marian priests in Ukraine and Poland. Shining merciful light in Ukraine By Chris Sparks
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