March 18 2014, was the day I was mobilized. By June I had served in the Desna military commissariat, then joined the ‘Kievan Rus’. From the battle for the famed Mount Karachun, to the checkpoint “Cross” in Faschivka – I had been many places until I was injured.
It’s the second night, quietly and calmly, were having a changing of the guard. I’m planning to go to relax, then I feel “burning earth” – we are covered in”Grad” fire.
I’m trying to run to the trench, but I understand I just do not have time. All that remains to do is dive to the ground and cover my head with my hands.
Later I learned shrapnel had hit my foot and broken three bones, but at that point I just felt strong heat and knew that somewhere my leg had been badly hit while running to the trench.
As for fear I can say this – it is like no fear you’ve ever experienced before. When people say its not terrible – they’re fools. There is no man who fears nothing, I do not believe it.
I waited until a short pause in the shelling, hobbled to the trench and there the guys were waiting to look at my leg. the pain hit hard. Shining a flashlight they say, “you are like The Terminator, you can see all the bones in your foot.” They took off my boots and I saw this “beauty” for myself – I could see every bone, the rest of my foot was red, but it is as if I was seeing it from the outside. I could not feel it at all!
And while the separatists continued their offensive, our guys fought back. This meant I had to sit with another injured guy in a trench. On the spot my comrades treated the wound and bandaged it. Although we had no specific medic on hand, my comrades did everything necessary.
Then everything happened very quickly. Volunteers had earlier given our scouts ATVs. On this quad another wounded scout with the call sign ‘Bush’ and were carried to our camp, where a doctor gave me a more specialist assistance. For a few hours I was in hospital in Artemivsk, and by only 9pm I was lying on the operating table in a hospital in Kharkiv. At the time I was injured it was immediately before the “Ilovaisk Cauldron” so Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk hospitals were simply overwhelmed. Because, of this the Ministry of Defense bought tickets for a train to Kyiv for me and others met and transported me to a hospital in Irpin. There I had the surgery. Unfortunately, the bone fragments are fixed with plates and not taken root, they are infected as osteomyelitis has set in.
(X-rays illustrate the plates in Oleh’s foot)
In the Irpin hospital I met a fighter, Olexandr and he told me about the project “Bioengineering Rehabilitation for Wounded” in the Ilaya Medical Center and that they could help me with my problem. The idea in generally – you grow from stem cells the missing parts of your bone. The whole process, interestingly, is quite fast.
Although it sounded like something incredible, I checked out the project and Volodymyr (Volodymyr Oksymets – a highly qualified orthopedic traumatologist – editorial note.) Decided to take up my case.
Very soon its my first operation (September 17 – editorial note.) And, unfortunately, not the last. I want to have normal foot function, return to my family, to my son. He has just entered 10th grade. I can say honestly, earlier my son thought negatively of the army, but after all these events, after I left, especially after the injury, he has dramatically changed his mind. Now my son says “every man must serve” and plans to do so when it’s his time.
Now I want to get well and return to work. I’ve spent all my adult life as a printer and can not imagine myself in another profession. But, today my capabilities are limited. I will continue to support the troops – but to run around with an automatic, of course, I can’t. However, if I can “give ammo” to the guys’ cause – I will under any circumstances.
– The People’s Project
Help Oleh on his journey to recovery here.
(In Ukraine) PrivatBank to transfer hryvnia
Mykolaiv regional charitable foundation “BLAGOCHESTYA regional fund”
PC CB PrivatBank
SREOU: 36143302
MFO: 326610
Account: 26004053210825
Purpose of payment: Donation. Bioengineering Rehabilitation of Wounded
SWIFT- transfer in $US
BENEFICIARY: Charitable Foundation BLAGOCHESTA
Account: UA803266100000026009053209659
Bank of beneficiary: Privatbank,Ukraine
Swift code: PBANUA2X
Intermediary bank: JP Morgan Chase Bank, New York
Swift code: CHASUS33
Correspondent account: 001-1-000080
Description: Donation for “Bioengineering Rehabilitation for Wounded” project
SWIFT- transfer in Euro/GBP
BENEFICIARY: Charitable Foundation BLAGOCHESTA
Account: UA413266100000026009053206287
Bank of beneficiary: Privatbank,Ukraine Swift code: PBANUA2X
Intermediary bank: Commerzbank AG,Germany
Swift code: COBADEFF
Correspondent account: 400 8867 00401
Description: Donation for “Bioengineering Rehabilitation for Wounded” project
