Soldier Dmytro Hrezin, call sign CHUZHOY

In August 2024, I was drafted into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At first, I served on the Pokrovske direction, carrying out combat missions together with my brothers‑in‑arms; later we were moved to the Zaporizhzhia direction. I did not seek war, but when it came to our home, I took up the defense of my country.

On the night of November 6, 2024, near the settlement of Novodaryivka in the Zaporizhzhia region, we were supposed to rotate out. The vehicle broke down, and we received an order to return to our positions. It was closer for me and a comrade to walk to the location than for the other two guys. An enemy drone spotted them, and they were wounded. We were immediately ordered to evacuate our comrades.

While we were carrying them, mortars and artillery were firing at us, and the shelling did not stop. At one point, an enemy drone made a drop, and the projectile fell very close to me.

My comrade gave me first aid — he applied the tourniquets. I was conscious and felt intense, burning pain from the fragments and fractures, but I did not panic and tried to stay composed. For about two hours, I waited while my comrades were able to carry me under fire to the vehicle. There was no pain medicine. I prayed to God that we would survive and be rescued. I was conscious until the first hospital, and I endured incredible pain the entire way.

In Zaporizhzhia, they performed the first surgery on me. The doctors had to amputate my legs, but my arms were saved. After that, there were four more surgeries in Dnipro and ten surgeries in Lithuania. In Lithuania, I underwent rehabilitation for two months. It was there that I first learned again, after the injury, how to sit, write, eat, and dress myself independently.

Today I live with the serious consequences of this injury. In my left arm, they transplanted a bone from my thigh, installed a plate, and fixed the fingers so that I could hold something with that hand. In my right arm, a plate and a pin were also installed, and due to a lack of soft tissue, skin was transplanted from my abdomen. I have serious problems with my arms, but I am not going to give up.

My goal is to learn to do as much as possible with my hands. I want to write better, do household chores, find a job, and be useful to people. I want to live fully after the war, not just survive. For this, I need specialized rehabilitation at the Western Rehabilitation and Sports Center of the NCSIU that is where they work with complex injuries like mine. But I cannot cover all the expenses on my own, so I am forced to ask for help.

I know that my path is still long and difficult. But I am alive. There are people beside me who have not turned away, and I believe that I will regain strength in my hands and confidence in the future. Rehabilitation is my chance to be independent again, to work, and to help others.

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The fundraiser for two rehabilitation courses for Dmytro has been successfully closed. The need has been fully paid. Another important stage of his recovery has already taken place. Rehabilitation for Dmytro is not just sessions, but a real path to greater independence and a full life after his injury.

We sincerely thank everyone who supported this fundraiser with donations, sharing, and kind words. Special gratitude to our partners from Canada — the Canada‑Ukraine Foundation and the National Congress of Ukrainian Canadians. Your support is not abstract help; it is concrete steps toward a person’s recovery.

We received a comment from the head physical therapist of the center.

The rehabilitation goals and objectives focused on improving strength, endurance, and active range of motion in the upper limbs, increasing tolerance to physical load, and enhancing socialization and everyday functioning through the development of active wheelchair skills have been achieved.

Test results:

• Wingate, 30 seconds (ski concept): was 15 WAT — now 56 WAT
• Maximum power (ski concept): was 20 WAT — now 83 WAT
• Active wheelchair handling (WST 5.3): was 15 points — now 35 points
• Hand dynamometry, right hand: was 4 kg — now 5.8 kg
• Hand dynamometry, left hand: was 1.9 kg — now 3 kg
• 9‑peg test, right hand: was 42.13 s — now 33.45 s
• 9‑peg test, left hand: was 13 min 6 s — now 2 min

Dmytro received recommendations to maintain daily physical activity at his place of residence for everyday and social adaptation, to continue rehabilitation, and to have ongoing consultations with a physical therapist and occupational therapist.

Thank you to everyone involved for being by his side. This journey continues, and we believe in Dmytro’s further recovery — step by step, with support and hope.

Dmytro’s rehabilitation course was funded under the “CYBORGS REHABILITATION 2.0” program with the support of the Canada‑Ukraine Foundation and the National Congress of Ukrainian Canadians (UCC).

 

COLLECTED AND TRANSFERRED: UAH 180,000