Soldier Dmytro Bazyliuk, call sign AMSTERDAM

From 01.05.2022, I was not a civilian anymore, but was called up to serve in the army by the Boryspil Regional Military Recruitment and Conscription Centre.

And only fools say that it is not scary to go to war!!! Of course, it is scary, you don't know what awaits you there, you have not been preparing for it all your life...
But running away or hiding was not something I even thought about. I didn't tell my family at first so they wouldn't panic.

That's how I became a senior radio operator of the 72nd Brigade of the Black Zaporizhian Cossacks with the call sign AMSTERDAM.

08.08.22 - this day became my second birthday...

During a combat mission near the village of Ivankivske, Donetsk region, as a result of an artillery shelling, I received a mine-blast wound that resulted in the amputation of my right leg.

It was at night, two o'clock, when we were already resting. The explosion and shock wave tore apart my first aid kit and the tourniquet that was on my right leg, leaving me with one that was on my shoulder. I used it to save my life, although I didn't tighten it properly, but it helped me not to bleed out. I was lucky that I didn't black out and was able to do it, because I REALLY wanted to live.

I was calling for help, even though the guys who had survived already left the area.
I remembered that I had a mobile phone in my trousers, in the pocket of my left leg, maybe it was still functional...

And so it was there, I was able to dial the commander and call for help. Only when I found myself in the car that could save me did I pass out.
Next, "Central City Clinical Hospital in Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast, blood transfusion, bleeding control followed. 
Mechnikov Dnipro City Clinical Hospital (where I underwent re-operation). Further evacuation by train and treatment in Kyiv, Kyiv City Clinical Emergency Hospital, where all other operations took place, 11 in total. In addition to the amputation, I had shrapnel wounds to my arm, where they tried to do plastic surgery, but the skin did not heal because I was very energetic, moved a lot on crutches, which prevented the wound from healing, but it was better than lying in bed. Then Hepatitis B manifested itself, which I had contracted somewhere, which slowed down my recovery and prosthetics, but I did not lose heart! 

I was the most cheerful guy in the intensive care unit and in the surgery ward, where I was later transferred, often joking and listening to inspiring music. I was glad that only my leg was amputated, that I could have children, and dreamed of a son.

I very quickly came to terms with the fact that I now had only one leg, but the most important fact was that I was ALIVE, I managed to do it! I immediately made plans for the future, how I would recover, how and where I would get prosthetics, what I would do. The main thing was not to stay idle.

Once I had a conversation with a psychologist, when I told him about the advantages of having an amputation, which I had identified for myself, he did not come to see me again.
I had a lot of visitors every day (relatives, friends, acquaintances, classmates). A lot of strangers wrote words of support on social media. It gave me strength! 

But I could not even imagine that it was in the hospital room that I would meet my future wife. She was looking after her brother, who was also wounded in the war. She took care of all of us in the ward, constantly treating us to sweets and encouraging us. There were volunteers who helped her with this. The charity organisation "With Warmth in the Heart". They covered some of the needs of the hospital itself, found us a girl who did our hair right in the ward, and later Natalia Komarenko found a wheelchair for me overnight, which was very necessary because I was being urgently transferred to another hospital. 

During my treatment, I was introduced to the Citizen Charitable Foundation, which supported me morally and helped me with various issues. For example, with legal issues, and they also gave me the opportunity to learn English for free. They are also extremely nice people. I remember our warm meeting when they visited me in the hospital. And thanks to their support, I received a lot of treats from Amsterdam and a MacBook, which still helps me with my studies. 

My sweetheart was with me in all the hospitals, helping me to overcome all the hardships.

Treatment at the Central Hospital in the infectious diseases department, where I overcame Hepatitis B, then recovery at the Lisova Poliana medical complex for veterans in Pushcha Vodytsia, rehabilitation at the Irpin hospital and active training on the prosthesis at the Kyiv Rehabilitation Institute, where I even learned to run on the prosthesis.
The prosthetics were performed by Oleksandr Pavlovych Stetsenko. It was not easy, the amputation was high, and I had a lot of needs, I wanted to start running right away. Everything depended on my desire to walk and exercise. Hard work paid off!

After discharge and prosthetics, my fiancée (now wife), to whom I proposed, and I moved to my house in Iahotyn, Kyiv region. Here we officially became the Bazyliuk family.

We have a lot of plans for home refurbishment, which means a lot of work! I am constantly walking, working at home, doing all the physical work that is necessary. That's why my stump has shrunk a lot and the prosthesis started to come off my leg. 

The liner that helps to hold the prosthesis is already too big, and I have already used three liners per 1 year, which are provided by the state free of charge. They were all of different sizes, because the stump was constantly shrinking. 

Recently, I went to work, and I got more duties, but I can move properly only with a smaller liner, which also requires a smaller sleeve to operate the prosthesis. That is, I need maintenance, which now costs a lot of money. That's why I turned to the Citizen Charitable Foundation for help, to pay for the liner.

I have an important mission, I am preparing to become a father of a son, my dream and my wife's dream are on the way to fulfilment!

I need to be as mobile and active as possible.

WE ARE GRATEFUL TO A JAPANESE BENEFACTOR FOR THE DONATION MADE THROUGH THE EMBASSY OF UKRAINE IN JAPAN!
 

TRANSFERRED: UAH 24,415.66