Soldier Volodymyr Tymosevych, call sign is TEMA

In 2022, I went to the military recruitment office on my own. At the time, I was not accepted. I had no military experience and had a Group 3 disability, but I could not simply sit at home and watch my country bleed every day. I knew: if not us, then who?

My desire to defend Ukraine proved stronger than fear, doubt, and limitations. On July 7, 2023, I voluntarily joined the ranks of the SBGS and took the oath of loyalty to Ukraine. I had the honor of serving in the 3rd Luhansk Border Detachment “Pomsta.”

On April 12, 2024, while carrying out a combat mission in the Serebryansky Forest in Luhansk Oblast, my life changed forever. I sustained a severe mine-blast injury. I remember that moment in fragments. I remember the pain. I remember my fellow soldiers who did not abandon me and pulled me out from under the shelling. A fragment passed through my right lung and damaged my spinal cord.

Then came the stabilization point, Sloviansk, Dnipro… And then long months of hospitals, surgeries, and rehabilitation. Kyiv. Rivne. Latvia.

I am learning to live again. What was once ordinary and simple now requires incredible effort. But I do not give up. Because there, at the front, I promised myself to fight to the end. Today I need to continue specialized rehabilitation at the “AGAPE” center. It is rehabilitation that gives me a chance at recovery, a chance to return to a full life to the greatest extent possible after such a wound.
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Within the framework of the project “Support for Families of Veterans with Disabilities. Recovery and Rehabilitation,” implemented by the Citizen CF with the support of the “Capable and Strong” program, carried out by the East Europe Foundation with the assistance of Switzerland, Volodymyr completed a recovery course at the “AGAPE UKRAINE” rehabilitation complex.

During the rehabilitation period, important results were achieved. Volodymyr has:

• been transitioned from a permanent catheter to intermittent clean catheterization, which became an important step toward greater independence in daily life;
• improved physical endurance and muscle strength through systematic work with a physical therapist, occupational therapist, and training in the rehabilitation gym;
• mastered the technique of ascending and descending stairs in a wheelchair with minimal outside assistance;
• learned to independently get back into a wheelchair after a fall, which significantly increased his level of safety and independence;
• increased his level of activity, mobility, and self-care skills;
• received recommendations regarding the further maintenance of health, nutrition, and body recovery.

The rehabilitation course has been completed. This result is an example of how important timely support for our defenders is after severe injuries. Together we help our warriors not only to survive the war, but to return to an active life.

COLLECTED AND TRANSFERRED: UAH 66,500