Tanner Larsen is headed to Ukraine to help train medics.
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (FOX 9) - While many people in Minnesota are watching the situation unfold in Ukraine and wondering how to help, a man from St. Cloud actually has the training and expertise to do so. Next week, he’s going to follow his calling and help save lives.
Tanner Larsen spent five years serving in the Army as a combat medic, but these days, he can be found working in the emergency room at CentraCare St. Cloud Hospital as a patient care extender.
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St. Cloud medic to head to Ukraine to administer medical training, help save civilian lives
While many people in Minnesota are watching the situation unfold in Ukraine and wondering how to help, a man from St. Cloud actually has the training and expertise to do so. Next week, he’s going to follow his calling and help save lives.
"Seeing these patients every day - I try to go into every single room with a good attitude," he said.
He now hopes to bring that positive attitude overseas.
"I loved being a medic in the Army, and ever since I got out, I've always felt like I could do something more," he said.
On April 14, he’s leaving Minnesota to head to Ukraine with a humanitarian organization called Austere Medical Relief Group. He said he’s been disgusted by the images he’s seen in Ukraine.
"They're suffering, and why shouldn't we go over there," he asked. "Personally, I feel like more humanitarian groups should be entering there and doing what we can to help the civilian population."
He’ll be part of a team of 20 that will train 1,500 Ukrainian medics on modern best practices. The goal? To save civilian lives.
Using the hospital's simulation lab, Larsen showed FOX 9 some of the basics. The first one is to stop the bleeding.
"Extremity bleeds: Back in Vietnam, these were the No. 1 cause of death," Larsen explained.
He'll spend two months in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. The most difficult part will be leaving his two kids and fiancée behind in St. Cloud.
"It's taking a lot - not necessarily a lot of convincing because it's what I want to do, and it's one of the reasons that she loves me is what she told me," Larsen said of his fiancée.
He's donating some of his supplies and putting his own safety at risk in hopes of increasing the chance of survival for many innocent lives.
"When you feel this passionate about something, you just gotta go out and do it because ultimately what comes at the end of your lifespan you realize ‘hey, this is something that I should have done.’ And I don't want to have that regret," Larsen said.
He will be back in Minnesota in June. The hospital is holding his position for him because they know he's doing important work.
Larsen is raising money to help support his family and pay for food and supplies in Ukraine. You can donate here.