One of the most difficult patients enrolled in the Bioengineering Rehabilitation for Wounded project is preparing for his main stage of treatment. Recently, Oleksandr had to establish bone implants grown from his own cells. In the case of Oleksandr State medicine was completely powerless, doctors shrugged helplessly and mentally prepared their patient for amputation. Having lost hope of healing, people decided to use their last chance and joined the project to restore seriously wounded soldiers. Volunteers of The People’s Project gathered nearly half a million hryvnia and paid for the full course of treatment. It is thanks to people’s donations Oleksandr got a second chance at a full life.
Oleksandr is indeed one of the most difficult patients the Bioengineering Rehabilitation for Wounded project has faced. Oleksandr’s injuries were received in January 2015, at a checkpoint near Avdiivka when an enemy shell exploded very close and hard fragments tore through his leg and abdomen. Oleksandr endured a dozen operations in public hospitals, the state of his leg was stabilized, but further recovery did not occur. “Nothing for a year, then cut the leg off?” Oleksandr said speaking of what he was told by doctors. And only cellular technology offered by the clinic iLaya and funded by the Bioengineering Rehabilitation for Wounded project can give him a chance.
Now the leg is practically useless, only recently Oleksandr had the Ilizarov apparatus removed. Of course, bone lesions have formed and the bone requires extensive renovation. First, the tibia is lacking a 7 centimeter section. Secondly, even the surviving bone has significant defect on the surfaces – they are heavily damaged to a size of 12 centimeters, from which they cannot function. In addition, he has heavily maimed tissue and muscles.
Currently, preparatory work is complete. The required mature bone fragments have been cultivated in the lab and Oleksandr is preparing for operations to insert these biological implants. He is a man full of optimism and has a second chance one-and-a-half years after the actual injury! You can hear this firsthand (in Russian):
Unfortunately, not all seriously wounded Ukrainian soldiers have such a chance. Returning them to as normal life as possible can only be done your help, because the state is not yet able to provide them with the necessary treatment. It is your donations to the project Bioengineering Rehabilitation for Wounded that is helping put even the most severely wounded soldiers back on their feet. So Get involved.
