KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Since Dr. Jeff Colyer left the Kansas statehouse in 2019, the former governor has remained connected to his first trade: medicine.
The plastic surgeon is on call at three Kansas City-area hospitals for reconstruction surgery after fires, gunshots, car crashes and other emergencies.
He got a call this year that sent him to Ukraine.
Colyer returned Sunday to Kansas after one month in Dnipro, Ukraine, working at the Mechnikov Hospital on a mission with International Medical Corps.
The organization serves in conflict zones with medical and humanitarian needs. Colyer’s volunteered with International Medical Corps in more than 20 countries since first going to Afghanistan in 1985.
But he said what he saw in Ukraine was new, even for him.
“Those injuries [in Ukraine] are in a category far above to what we’re seeing in other conflicts,” Colyer explained.
During his month in Ukraine, Colyer worked alongside local doctors - 'heroes,' Colyer called them - and treated patients with a variety of wounds.
“We’re here to make a difference. That’s why I wanted to be a governor and that’s also why I wanted to be a doctor and that’s why I do this,” Colyer said. “What I like about IMC is we change the skills of the local staff so they can take care of people years from now.”
Colyer didn’t totally escape politics.
The United States passed an aid bill for Ukraine while he was in the country.
“They were extraordinarily thankful,” Colyer said.
He’ll meet with policymakers in Washington, D.C., to detail his experience.
International Medical Corps is a nonprofit which accepts donations and volunteer applications on its website.
