Soldier Oleksandr Sevriuhin, call sign KHIMIK

Before the full-scale war, I worked as a long-haul truck driver. February 24 found me in Cherkasy — that’s where I had just unloaded. The road home to Lviv took a day and a half: there was no fuel, traffic jams everywhere, tension in the air. But I was in a hurry, because I understood I had to return and take my place in the ranks.

I am a former serviceman; I left the military back in 2004. So as soon as I got home, I immediately went to the enlistment office. There were huge lines. I went to the Territorial Defense — the same situation. So I didn’t wait: I got in touch with volunteers and began delivering humanitarian aid to Kyiv.

In April 2022, I was already in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I served in the 16th Separate Army Aviation Brigade as a driver in the Donetsk region.

On July 17, 2022, we came under enemy artillery fire with cluster munitions. That was the day that changed everything. We were lucky that a week earlier we had received a jeep — it was in that vehicle that our brothers-in-arms were able to evacuate us.

I sustained severe injuries — traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. In the first days, the doctors gave no prognosis: whether I would survive, whether I would be able to walk. The first surgeries were performed in Dnipro, at Mechnikov Hospital. Then there were more operations in Lviv. For three months, I could not move my legs at all. But I made a decision for myself — not to give up.

After four months of treatment, I was discharged from service due to my serious condition. I thought that a full state rehabilitation program would follow. But its capabilities are not enough for injuries like mine.

I had to find my own way.

Thanks to a fellow soldier, I first got to the “Western Rehabilitation and Sports Center” of NCSIU. It was there that they began helping me get back on my feet. I have already completed more than one course and I see the results. Now I move with crutches. This is already a big victory for me. But I want more I want to walk confidently, regain control over my body, and live a full life.

To keep moving forward, I need another course of specialized rehabilitation at this center. But its cost is beyond what my family can afford. That is why I am forced to ask for help again.

Despite everything, I try to stay strong and not fall out of life. I continue doing what I love — working with cars. Now, due to my health condition, I have had to change the format: I provide consultations online. But I have not lost hope of returning to in-person work — to the life that felt real to me.

And for that, I need to recover.

From the very first days, my wife has been by my side — she came to Dnipro and has been with me all this time. My son and my brothers-in-arms support me. Thanks to them, I did not give up then, and I am not giving up now.

Thank you to everyone for your support.

 

COLLECTING: UAH 90,000