Soldier Arkadiy Lesyk, call sign is BORODA

I am an ordinary Ukrainian who was mobilized in June 2024 and became a mechanic‑driver in the 41st Brigade. I consciously went to serve, understanding that war is not just news or distant sounds, but a daily risk, responsibility, and a struggle for life.

Since August 2024, I have been serving in a unit directly carrying out combat missions on the territory of the Kursk region, in the very epicenter of the war — where there was no rear, no silence, no safe places, where enemy artillery worked every day and the ground trembled from explosions. It was there, near the village of Zhuravky, on September 19, 2024, during a heavy artillery bombardment that I sustained a severe penetrating gunshot wound affecting my spinal cord and internal organs.

At that moment I stopped feeling my legs; the pain was indescribable, and every second stretched into eternity. My comrades, risking their own lives, managed to apply bandages to me right under fire, but evacuation was impossible — if they had stayed with me, we would all have died. They were forced to withdraw, and I was left wounded in the combat zone, basically unable to move.

Because of the severity of the injury, I was captured while already in critical condition. The operation and initial surgical care were provided to me in a military hospital in Kursk, and I remember those events in fragments: pain, darkness, snippets of voices… shock and overall confusion blurred reality and memories, but left a mark on both body and soul.

On October 19, 2024, I was released from captivity, after which I returned to Ukraine and began treatment. There were long months of hospitals and rehabilitation in Chernihiv, Kyiv, Lviv, Uzhhorod, Klevan, and Kyiv region. The cities changed, but the struggle for every movement continued daily.

Today my fight has clear goals. During rehabilitation, specialists have already identified the main directions of work. The occupational therapy goal at this stage is to learn how to perform intermittent self‑catheterization independently, as this is fundamental to independence in everyday life.

Physical therapy sessions are aimed at restoring functionality, increasing endurance, and strengthening muscles. I need to learn how to overcome curbs up to 5 centimeters high in my wheelchair while maintaining balance without losing stability, as well as improve transfer skills without using a board onto various surfaces — high and low, soft and hard. It sounds simple, but behind each such movement are hours of exhausting effort and pain.

To achieve these goals, I need specialized rehabilitation at the “AGAPE” center, where there are appropriate specialists, equipment, and systematic work with severe spinal injuries. Such rehabilitation is expensive, and my family cannot manage this on our own, so I am forced to ask for help.

Rehabilitation at “AGAPE” is my chance to be independent, self‑sufficient, and to have an active life without pain.

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Based on the request from the specialists at the Agape Rehabilitation Center, the foundation team has decided to extend the rehabilitation course and increase the fundraising goal.

According to the assessment by Agape Center specialists, Arkadii is showing positive dynamics in his functional condition — specifically, progress in physical and occupational therapy sessions, as well as improvements in his psycho-emotional state. His rehabilitation potential remains, and continuing therapy is clinically justified.

At the same time, the rehabilitation process is complicated by the presence of a pressure sore. The patient was examined in the surgical department of the Lutsk hospital, where the wound was revised and conservative treatment prescribed. However, at this stage, its effectiveness remains limited. Hospitalization is expected to become necessary for further surgical treatment.

It is now crucial to ensure continuity of rehabilitation, proper care, and preparation for surgery. After the wound stabilizes, the patient will still require rehabilitation, as the presence of the pressure sore significantly limits the recovery process.

We ask for your support in continuing Arkadii’s rehabilitation. Donations and shares are a real opportunity to preserve the progress already achieved and give Arkadii a chance to move forward.

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The fundraiser for rehabilitation for Arkadii Lesyk has been closed.

We thank everyone who contributed. Thanks to your donations, shares, and words of support, the need was covered.

The actual payment amount turned out to be lower (UAH 120,400.00) than the amount stated in the fundraiser (UAH 137,200.00), because Arkadii had to interrupt his rehabilitation earlier and was referred to the hospital’s surgical department for operative treatment of a pressure sore.

During the rehabilitation period, Arkadii achieved important results. He learned to transfer from the bed to the wheelchair and back without a transfer board, overcome curbs up to 5 cm high in a wheelchair without losing balance, and independently perform intermittent catheterization. His level of independence also improved significantly — his functional status score increased from 46 to 61 points on the SCIM scale.

We sincerely thank the team of specialists at the “Agape” rehabilitation center for their daily work, support, and the results that have already been achieved.

And a special thank you to each of you for your donations, shares, kind words, and care. It is thanks to you that Arkadii was able to get through this stage.

He still has treatment and further recovery ahead. But together with you, the most important thing has appeared — hope and faith in the path toward a more independent and fulfilling life.

 

COLLECTED AND TRANSFERRED: UAH 120,400