Every morning, as soon as he gets out of bed, he goes to the simulator and takes dumbbells in his hands. Two years ago, he could not hope for that arm would be saved and he would recover from a damaged spinal cord. However, it is all due to this miracle of science – cell technology.
Ukrainian scout, Yuriy, a permanent member of military personnel, who spent almost 10 years defending his homeland. Recently, he served under contract in one of the Kirovograd military units, and from there was sent to the ATO zone.
“After the injury, it felt as if I did not have my arm, meanwhile…comrade after comrade fell. I looked again, and my bones were simply broken! I hugged it to myself to protect it,” the fighter said.
“It was horrific. The pain is just incredible. I did not even get dressing until I was under anesthesia.”
The arm of the hero was restored and amputation was avoided. The next step is to face treatment of the spinal cord. Now Yuriy is at home, preparing for the next big phase of treatment. Today we were able to talk to the guy via Skype. Look at how his condition has changed in that time:
Chervony Liman, Donetsk region. Summer 2014.
During a combat mission (exploration of the locations of roadblocks of the militants) Yuriy landed in a helicopter in the woods. It was immediately ambushed. There was a skirmish, which resulted in Yuriy receiving numerous injuries and lost a lot of blood. Yuriy was carried in serious condition from the forest and sent by helicopter to Kharkov, and later he was transferred to Kyiv military hospital – here only the soldier regained consciousness.
He had severe injuries – severe damage to his humerus could lead to loss of arm function and complications. And because of the fragmentation of his spine Yuriy for months could not walk.
For eight consecutive months in various Ukrainian hospitals. Everywhere he heard the same thing – amputation. The bullet had smashed part of the bone. This, doctors said “can not grow back together”. Coordinator of the People’s Project,
Maksim Ryabokon, recommended Yuriy to the project Bioengineering Rehabilitation for Wounded. He was one of the first to began treatment with cellular technology.
“My teacher said, you can always cut and shorten. But first you try to save,” – says orthopedic trauma surgeon at iLaya, Volodymyr Oksymets.
“Where the bone was missing, we grew new cells. The body is unable to restore such large loss of bone tissue, it lacks the base cells, and to heal it can not do anything. When we enter the required cells via transplant, the body gets a substrate and simply runs the physiological process of recovery,” the doctor said.
After the successful recovery of the fighter’s arm, Volodymyr Oksymets passed “the baton” to another doctor – Neurosurgeon Volodymyr Hrytsko, who undertook the restoration of nervous tissue after Yuriy’s spinal cord injury. This will help put the hero back on his feet, because, due to heavy spinal cord contusion he still can not walk without the support of crutches. Incidentally, after the first two paravertebral injections of cells, came the first success – in Yuriy’s legs he experienced increased sensitivity, he feels that his legs were significantly “more alive”. The results of the fighter’s treatment can be read here.
The clinic has a team of biotechnologists and surgeons. The cells are grown under sterile conditions and then transplanted into the body. The operations are very expensive, and the money to fund them is collected by the volunteers of The People’s Project as part of the initiuative Bioengineering Rehabilitation for Wounded. To date, the project has treated 76 patients with severe combat injuries of the extremities, the result is 42 patients in various stages of treatment and 34 wounded ATO soldiers completely cured
Earlier, The People’s Project reported the incredible restoration of the bone in a 19-year-old’s leg. Recently doctors formed new bone in a wounded soldier from the “Donbas” Battalion.
More wounded are awaiting funds to be collected. Since the state, through legislative and other restrictions, can not support biotechnology in the treatment of wounded soldiers only hope for help lies with ordinary people.
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