Soldier Oleksandr Tymoshenko, callsign SNIPER

My name is Olena. I am the mother of Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Tymoshenko, callsign SNIPER.

Today I am turning to you with a request that is the most difficult for a mother. I am asking for help for my son — a person who gave his health defending each of us. Right now he needs specialized rehabilitation at the “Western Rehabilitation and Sports Center” of the NCSPI, and without the support of caring people we cannot manage.

Oleksandr was from childhood a brave, honest, and just person. He was respected by his friends, loved by his family, and looked up to by his classmates. He always lived by his conscience, never shied away from responsibility, and was ready to protect those around him. In his time he served as a marine in Feodosiia. After completing his service he returned to civilian life, worked, and made plans for the future.

But February 24, 2022 changed everything.

On the first day of the full-scale invasion he came to me and said: “Mama, tomorrow I am going to war.” I knew my son’s character well. He never retreated from his convictions. So I understood: convincing him to stay home was impossible. All I could do was pray for him.

From that moment my life turned into a constant wait for a phone call. Every message was a breath of air. Oleksandr fought in the most difficult directions — Huliaipolie, Donetsk Oblast, Luhansk Oblast, the Sievierodonetsk area. To all my anxious questions he answered with only two words: “Everything is fine.” Like thousands of other mothers, I understood that these words were spoken only so as not to cause us even more pain.

During the battles near Bilohorivka, an event occurred that once again showed who my son is. After an enemy shelling, his fellow soldier was severely wounded. Without thinking of his own life, Oleksandr rushed under withering fire to save his friend. He carried him on his back to his bunker, called for help, and essentially saved his life. And just a moment later, an enemy shell landed on my Sasha’s position.

After this, all contact with my son disappeared. One day… A second… A mother’s heart already sensed disaster. Then a call came that changed our lives forever: “Your son is seriously wounded.”

First came the hospital in Kramatorsk, then in Dnipro, then evacuation to Vinnytsia. I will never forget the day I first entered the intensive care unit. The doctor said only a few words: “Very serious condition. Head wound. Operated on. Coma.” It seemed as though the world had stopped. But mothers have no right to lose faith.

For a whole month Oleksandr remained in a coma. I came to him, held his hand, talked to him, stroked his hair, prayed, and believed that he could hear me. For eight months the hospital became our second home.

He survived. Because he has incredible willpower. 
Because he very much wants to live.

According to the official certificate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, on February 3, 2024, while carrying out a combat mission near Bilohorivka in Luhansk Oblast, Oleksandr sustained a penetrating gunshot wound to the head, as well as other injuries as a result of shelling during direct participation in combat operations in defense of Ukraine.

There were surgeries, treatment, and lengthy rehabilitation in Poltava and Kyiv. But the fight is not yet over. Today Oleksandr continues every day to fight for every new step. He is already walking a little, but for now this comes with great difficulty. Unfortunately, after the severe head wound, he speaks almost not at all — only individual words. But I see his eyes. I see his willpower. I know how strongly he wants to return to a full life.

Right now it is extraordinarily important for him to undergo two courses of specialized rehabilitation at the “Western Rehabilitation and Sports Center” of the NCSPI. The main goal of this rehabilitation is to stimulate independent walking with a quad cane both indoors and outdoors, as well as the further restoration of lost functions after the severe head wound.

Every day of sessions is one more step toward greater independence, the ability to move confidently again, to communicate, and to live a full life.

As a mother, every day I rejoice in his every small success. Every independent step, every spoken word is for me a true miracle. But a long road still lies ahead, which without professional help is almost impossible to travel.

That is why I am turning to every caring person. Please help my son walk this path.

 

COLLECTING: UAH 210,000