I’ve just finished a difficult call with sources close to Nathan Greenfield, a Calgary humanitarian worker who was seriously injured in Ukraine during a Russian missile strike that occurred, ironically, on Canada Day.
The 29-year-old Calgarian was working at a hospital in Kyiv when the facility was hit during Russia’s massive aerial assault that targeted civilian infrastructure across Ukraine on July 1st. According to his family, Greenfield suffered significant injuries including trauma to his head and torso.
“Nathan has always put others before himself,” his mother, Karen Greenfield, told me when we spoke yesterday from Poland, where she rushed after learning of the attack. “Even as a child, he was the one giving away his lunch to kids who didn’t have one.”
Greenfield, a paramedic by training, had been volunteering with a Canadian aid organization in Ukraine since March. Friends describe him as someone who couldn’t sit idle watching the humanitarian crisis unfold from afar.
The July 1st barrage was one of Russia’s largest aerial assaults in recent months. Ukrainian officials reported that over 40 missiles and 20 attack drones targeted multiple cities. The hospital where Greenfield worked was providing care for both civilians and military personnel.
Dr. Olena Kovtun, who worked alongside Greenfield in Kyiv, described the chaotic scene via a secure messaging app. “We heard the air raid sirens and were moving patients to the basement when the building shook. Nathan was helping an elderly patient when part of the ceiling collapsed.”
Calgary’s Ukrainian community has rallied quickly to support Greenfield and his family. Oksana Mushka, president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Calgary Branch, has organized a fundraiser to help with medical expenses and eventual transportation home.
“This hits close to home for our community,” Mushka explained. “Nathan represents the best of Calgary’s spirit – someone who crosses oceans to help others in their darkest hour.”
Mayor Jyoti Gondek issued a statement yesterday expressing the city’s concern. “Our thoughts are with Nathan and his family during this difficult time. His courage exemplifies the compassion Calgarians have shown toward Ukraine throughout this conflict.”
The attack has renewed calls from Canadian officials for increased sanctions against Russia. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly condemned the strikes, specifically mentioning Greenfield’s injury as evidence of Russia’s “blatant disregard for civilian life.”
This isn’t the first time Calgarians have been caught in international conflicts while providing humanitarian aid. In 2019, three Calgary-based aid workers were temporarily detained in South Sudan during civil unrest there.
What makes Greenfield’s case particularly poignant is the timing – injured while helping others on the day Canadians celebrate their own freedom and democracy.
His colleague Dr. Kovtun noted the bitter irony. “He came here to help preserve life on the same principles Canada was founded upon – then was injured on the day celebrating those very principles.”
Greenfield is currently stable but requires significant medical care. His family is working with Global Affairs Canada to determine when and how he might be transported back to Alberta for further treatment.
For Calgary’s tight-knit emergency services community, this news has hit especially hard. Greenfield worked with several EMS teams across the city before taking leave to volunteer overseas.
His former supervisor at Calgary EMS, who requested anonymity due to not being authorized to speak publicly, told me Greenfield was “the kind of paramedic who remembered patients’ names months later, who followed up with vulnerable people to make sure they were okay.”
As this story continues to develop, the question for many Calgarians becomes how to support those like Greenfield who put themselves at risk to help others. The Ukrainian Canadian Congress fundraiser has already collected over $45,000 in just 24 hours.
While politicians debate sanctions and military strategies, the human cost of this war continues to mount – now with a face familiar to many in our city.
In my two decades covering Calgary stories, I’ve witnessed our city’s remarkable capacity to support its own in crisis. As Greenfield begins what will likely be a long recovery, that community spirit is already mobilizing around him and his family.
Anyone wishing to contribute to Greenfield’s medical expenses can contact the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Calgary Branch through their website or social media channels.
