‘They just want to know they matter:’ Local dentist reflects on Ukraine trip

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — Today marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine with hopes of seizing the country. Since then, locals have made trips to Ukraine to help in any way possible.

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A Fernandina Beach dentist just got back from Ukraine about a month ago. He has been to Ukraine twice since the war started a year ago today.

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He made his first trip last March, then his most recent trip in December to spread some holiday cheer.

“I asked one little girl what do you want Santa to bring you, and she said, I want my daddy back,” Dr. John Pfefferle said.

In that moment Dr. Pfefferle knew his role as Santa in Ukraine was not going to be all holly jolly.

“I got asked that two or three times,” Dr. Pfefferle said.

As a children’s dentist for more than 20 years, he said as kids would sit on his lap, he could just look into their eyes and know what they were feeling.

“Some of them were joy and happy and some of them were just intense, sadness, some of them had still had their burning light of hope and some of them the lights have gone out. They were just there,” Dr. Pfefferle explained to Action News Jax.

Related Story: How much aid has the US provided to Ukraine? Here’s a breakdown

His goal was to spread some holiday cheer to children in orphanage homes and elders in hospice care.

“It touched my heart,” Dr. Pfefferle said.

On this day last year, February 24th, Russia invaded Ukraine on multiple fronts. According to U.S. government officials, hundreds of thousands have been killed or injured and millions of Ukrainians have had to flee their homes -- or were forcibly deported to Russia.

Related Story: Ukrainian mom expresses gratitude, one year since Russia invaded Ukraine

Since then, John has made two trips to Ukraine, one last march and then again in December.

When Action News Jax asked him what winter in Ukraine looks like, this is what he said:

“You had to go out and hope you didn’t get shot or snipped,” Dr. Pfefferle said. “Or you’d stand in a food line for hours because there are twelve hundred other people there.”

He said though the biggest difference between his two trips is the people want to know they aren’t forgotten.

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“It really breaks my heart,” Dr. Pfefferle said. “They just want to know they matter. They want to know that they are important enough that somebody besides their family cares enough about what happens to them.”