Oleksandr, who was in a very critical condition with little chance of survival, did not give up, thanks to the support of his wife. They fought, they persevered, no matter how hard it was. With the support of doctors, volunteers and Foundations, they were able to make Oleksandr get back on his feet. This path is difficult and the crucial support of every Ukrainian is important. We will always be with this family and we want them to know, that we are by their side.
One of the stories from the work of the Foundation with veterans, which will touch everyone's heart. This is a story about how the love can heal. The Fund's case managers see many difficult stories and cases, but this one is special. Even the chief doctor of the Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro, Serhiy Ryzhenko, wrote about the fact that love heals.
The story of a long struggle from Alyona, Oleksandr's wife:
«My husband Oleksandr went to defend Ukraine on March 2nd. He went alone, he was mobilized according to the presidential decree on full general mobilization. At the end of March, he joined the 110th brigade (artillery). They were located near Avdiivka.
On June 17th, Oleksandr wrote in the morning that everything was fine. I started worrying because usually he also wrote in the afternoon, but this time he didn't. At around 5:00 pm, the comrades called Oleksander's father and informed him that he was wounded in the head. They said that they took him to the hospital, he was still alive, and they didn't know what happened to him. They hoped that he survived, because the message from the commander did not come, and since they do not call - he is alive. It was Friday, on Saturday we found out that he was in Dnipro at Mechnikov Hospital. A relative went there, saw Oleksandr - he was in the intensive care unit after a head operation. On Monday, me (wife) and mother were in Dnipro.
It`s impossible to say what we felt when saw Oleksandr - we just had tears.
He received a combat shrapnel penetrating diametrical ricochet cranio-cerebral injury to the head. Brain contusion. He was operated on, but the fragment of shrapnel was not removed. He was in Dnipro for 2 weeks. Then he was transferred to Kyiv, he was in the intensive care unit for another 2 weeks. He was transferred from the intensive care unit to the ward, as if everything had settled down, but he did not speak. As I turned out, the reason for this was - 2 hematomas. They were removed and Oleksandr began to speak one word at a time, and gradually in sentences. Rehabilitation specialists worked with him, he began walking with 4 canes and speak. On September 4th, we arrived home, where our son was waiting for us.
We were at home for a week, then we went for rehabilitation to Lutsk. We didn't stay there for long, only 2 weeks, because the volunteers took us to Spain for rehabilitation. We lived all together – Oleksandr, me and our son. Oleksandr was taken to rehabilitation, and we waited for him. In Spain, he still had an epileptic seizure due to the trauma.
After six months in Barcelona, we returned home. But after staying at home for only 2 weeks, we went to rehabilitation in Modrychy. We really liked it there, because the rehabilitation helped, and Oleksandr was getting better. That's when I found your Foundation. But we decided to go home to rest, and accidentally going to the doctor, Oleksandr was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. An operation was performed for the aneurysm, and Oleksandr's condition worsened slightly.
The «Pislya Sluzhby» (After Service) Foundation did not refuse to help us and paid for 18 days of rehabilitation. Therefore, we went to Modrychy again, for which we sincerely thank you! It helped Oleksandr to recover. It's very important for us.»
We thank everyone, who helped this family. Thanks to those who care, we can be proud of this unbroken family!