Ukrainian refugee finds hope and healing at free medical clinic

General surgeon Jason Goliath, MD, was volunteering as a patient navigator at UChicago Medicine AdventHealth’s recent free medical clinic when a primary-care physician referred to him a Ukrainian man complaining of groin pain.

The 45-year-old man and his family had arrived in the U.S. about six months earlier after fleeing their war-torn homeland. They were among a group of non-English-speaking Ukrainians brought by their Ukrainian pastor to the June 8 clinic in Glendale Heights.

Mark Bondarenko, executive director of Mission Integration for UChicago Medicine AdventHealth, who is familiar with the Ukrainian language because of his Russian heritage, had been serving as an interpreter for the group at the clinic and helped the man communicate with Goliath.

“He complained of consistent pain in his right groin that bothered him particularly when he was walking,” said Dr. Goliath, who immediately suspected the man was suffering from an inguinal hernia. An examination in a private area at the clinic confirmed his suspicion. Goliath knew the man would need surgery to avoid serious complications, and although he was willing to waive his fee for performing the surgery, it also would involve other costs, and the man was uninsured.

"All we have to do is do the right thing, do good for people and share what we have, and God ultimately will bless it. That’s the philosophy I live by." - Dr. Jason Goliath

While Dr. Goliath was talking with Bondarenko about options for making the surgery happen, Vladimir Radivojevic, president and CEO for UChicago Medicine AdventHealth GlenOaks, overheard their conversation and interceded, saying the hospital would cover the costs of the surgery as charity care.

“Vlad understood the situation because he is from an immigrant family,” Dr. Goliath said. “It was a godsend moment. When we told the man, he was very elated, and his Ukrainian friends and priest were very appreciative.”

The man and his wife later visited Dr. Goliath in his office, where they discussed the surgery with the help of a translation service. Dr. Goliath also performed a formal examination and set the outpatient surgery for June 28 at GlenOaks.

In a stroke of good fortune for the man, GlenOaks earlier this year added the da Vinci Xi Surgical System, a state-of-the-art platform often used for robotic inguinal hernia surgeries. In addition, Dr. Goliath is a specialist in advanced robotic surgery at UChicago Medicine AdventHealth La Grange and Hinsdale and has performed more than 1,000 robotic surgeries.

After successfully repairing the man’s hernia with the robotic system at GlenOaks, Dr. Goliath reported his patient was well on his way to a complete recovery. “It’s such a blessing for him that everything came together, because he is a laborer, and having the hernia made it hard for him to find work,” Dr. Goliath said.

The man’s case shows that “God sometimes leads in different ways that we don’t understand,” said Dr. Goliath, a strong proponent of volunteerism who volunteers regularly with his wife and their two children at the Hinsdale Fil-Am Seventh-day Adventist Church. “I came to the clinic to volunteer – not as a surgeon, but just as a regular guy being part of the process. That led to me meeting this man. I didn’t see it coming. And then Vlad happened to be there. All the pieces just fell into place.”

Dr. Goliath, whose 22-year-old son also volunteered at the clinic, said the clinic underscored the importance of “being open to letting God lead you to opportunities where you can help people.” He added, “That’s really what it’s all about. All we have to do is do the right thing, do good for people and share what we have, and God ultimately will bless it. That’s the philosophy I live by.”