Serhii Sydorenko
My husband’s name is Serhii Sydorenko. He is a serviceman of military unit T0500 and has been defending Ukraine since June 2024. The summons was handed to Serhii on his very birthday. At that time he already had health problems — a duodenal ulcer and serious problems with his back. He had medical grounds on which he could have tried to avoid military service. But he did not do so. He went to serve.
For me, as his wife, this act says a great deal about Serhii. He could have looked for reasons to stay home, could have made use of his health problems, but decided that he had to be where he was needed. He went to defend Ukraine, understanding that the service would be difficult and that his own health was already far from ideal. I will never forget that decision of his. And perhaps that is why today it is especially painful for me to see what he is going through. A person who consciously went to defend others now needs our protection and help.
During his service Serhii carried out combat missions on multiple occasions in the Pokrovsk, Chernihiv, and Sumy directions. And on June 19, 2026, our lives changed in an instant. That night my husband was in the Sumy direction, carrying out a combat mission. At around two in the morning he got up to get some water. His fellow soldiers found him already paralyzed in the “kitchen” area. Serhii had suffered a hemorrhagic stroke.
After this, the fight for his life began. Serhii underwent craniotomy twice. There was a coma, mechanical ventilation, a feeding tube, and a tracheostomy. Due to his extremely severe condition he was transferred from one hospital to another many times: the Konotop Central District Hospital named after Academician M. Davydov, the Sumy Regional Clinical Hospital, the Kyiv Regional Clinical Hospital No. 1, the Scientific and Practical Center of Endovascular Neuroradiosurgery of the NAMS of Ukraine, and “Feofaniia.” Unfortunately, the surgery did not produce the expected result, and a lengthy and extremely difficult fight for life and recovery lay ahead for Serhii.
Today my husband is undergoing rehabilitation at “Feofaniia.” His path is very difficult, but we already have our first great victories. Not long ago at all, Serhii could not breathe, eat, or sit independently. And now he already breathes and eats on his own, sits, stands, and together with the rehabilitation specialist is taking his first steps. For a healthy person this may seem like something ordinary. For us every such step is an enormous victory, behind which lie months of fighting, pain, daily work, and Serhii’s incredible desire to return to life.
But one more extraordinarily important stage of treatment still lies ahead. Serhii needs cranioplasty — a surgery to install a plate/implant on the skull. After the craniotomies that were performed, a portion of the skull bone is absent, and so its integrity needs to be restored. And this is not at all a matter of appearance. Above all, this is necessary for the protection of the brain and for Serhii’s further full recovery. It is precisely to purchase this plate/implant that I am today compelled to ask for help and open a fundraiser.
After the surgery my husband will need further intensive rehabilitation. The doctors give us hope for recovery, but we understand that this path will be long and will require a great deal of strength, time, and funds. Every day I see how hard Serhii tries. He does not give up. And I cannot give up either.
Over these months I have come to understand one very simple thing: recovery is not made up of great miracles, but of small daily victories. Today he sits independently. Tomorrow he stands a little longer. Then he takes one more step. And we live by the faith that one day there will be enough of these steps for Serhii to be able to walk independently again.
Our greatest dream right now is very simple — for my husband to come home on his own feet. I want to see him again as he was before June 19: strong, active, smiling. I want him to return to our family, to ordinary life, to his plans and dreams.
I believe in my husband. And I very much believe that together we will be able to bring him home.
____________________________________________
The fundraiser for the plate/implant for Serhii has been successfully closed. The necessary implant has already been ordered. The surgery will take place soon.
Behind these brief words lies the great support of people who did not remain indifferent to the fate of a Ukrainian defender. And today we want to say a heartfelt thank you to Hugo and Barbara Schorer — citizens of the Netherlands, whose kindness traveled thousands of kilometers to help here, in Ukraine.
Hugo and Barbara were celebrating their anniversaries and suggested that their guests, instead of giving gifts, support seriously wounded Ukrainian defenders. All the funds raised they transferred to our foundation, and a portion of this assistance we directed toward the purchase of the plate/implant for Serhii.
Hugo and Barbara, we sincerely thank you for your financial support! Your help is not only an act of great generosity, but a true ray of hope for a Ukrainian warrior. It is proof that goodness has no borders, and that empathy and solidarity are capable of crossing thousands of kilometers, giving a chance for recovery, new steps, and a life without pain.
Together we have the power to change the world. And today we changed the world for the better for one more Ukrainian defender.
COLLECTED AND TRANSFERRED: UAH 104,000
