Denys Denysov Copied!

My name is Mariia. I am the mother of Senior Lieutenant Denys Denysov. Today I am addressing you as a mother who is going through a long and difficult path of recovery alongside him. I am asking for help for Denys to undergo specialized long-term rehabilitation at the "AGAPE" rehabilitation center. Because my son survived where he was given almost no chance. And now every day he is learning to live anew.

In 2020 Denys graduated from the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National University of the Air Forces. That same year he signed a contract and began his service as a senior aviation technician as part of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, known as the "Ghost of Kyiv." From the first days of the full-scale invasion, my son carried out combat missions that ensure the protection of the Ukrainian sky over Kyiv and other cities.

We talk a great deal about the pilots who lift combat aircraft into the sky. But few people think about how many people stand behind each such sortie. They say that pilots conquer the sky, but every successful return of an aircraft to the ground is also the achievement of people whose hands smell of grease and kerosene. Aviation technicians do everything possible every day so that our "birds" can take off, carry out their missions, and return home. My son was one of those people.

On July 10, 2025, the life of our family was divided into "before" and "after." On that day the enemy was conducting a massive combined missile attack on the airfield. While carrying out a combat mission, Denys together with a fellow soldier was in a shelter when an enemy "Shahed" struck it directly. They were covered by debris. The fellow soldiers could not reach them for a long time — they were dug out from under the rubble. Unfortunately, the serviceman who was with my son was killed. Denys survived. Although he was given almost no chance of life.

My son sustained extremely severe combined injuries: flame burns of degree IIA–IIB covering 12% of the body surface, burns to both thighs and hands, to the upper and lower respiratory tract, acubarotrauma, damage to both eyes and to the cornea of the left eye. Due to carbon monoxide poisoning, cerebral edema developed. Denys was first hospitalized at the Vasylkiv Multidisciplinary Intensive Treatment Hospital, and that same day was evacuated to a military hospital in Kyiv.

Then the fight for his life began. Denys was in a coma, connected to a mechanical ventilator. A tracheotomy was performed on him. Due to severe intoxication from combustion products, kidney problems began, followed by pneumonia and sinusitis. He received nutrition through intravenous drips, underwent surgeries, numerous surgical treatments, and autodermoplasty of the burn wounds.

My son spent two months in intensive care. And from the very first day I was by his side — every day. At first the greatest wish was just one: for Denys to survive. For his body to withstand everything that had happened to him. For the day to come when the fight would no longer be for life itself, but for the possibility of returning to it.

And my Denys survived.

After this, a different fight began — long, exhausting, and daily. We were sent for treatment to Chernivtsi, where we spent another two months. Then came seven months of rehabilitation in Vashkivtsi in Chernivtsi Oblast. These months were very difficult for us, as Denys effectively had to relearn how to do things that were once an ordinary part of his life.

Every day we practiced exercises for the arms and legs in order to restore strength and control. Denys learned to sit, to correctly transfer from the bed to the wheelchair, to wash in the shower, to eat independently, to speak, to write. For a healthy person these are simple things that they never even think about. And for my son each of them became a great achievement, behind which lie incredible efforts.

Today Denys is already speaking a little. He tries to form words and gives short answers. But he remembers almost nothing about what happened to him. The consequences of the wound remain very severe: persistent flexion contractures of the fingers and radiocarpal joints with impaired motor function of both hands, damage to the left ankle joint with gait impairment, consequences of toxic brain damage, impaired coordination and movement patterns. After the blast and thermal injury, multiple hypertrophic and keloid scars of the limbs remain. Denys has also been diagnosed with deforming arthrosis of both knee joints.

But despite everything he has been through, my son has the desire to move forward. What Denys wants most of all is to once again learn to live a full life: to become independent, to return to activity, to learn to work, to start a family, to be a support for his loved ones. For this he needs specialized long-term rehabilitation.

That is why today I, as a mother, am compelled to ask for help. My son needs specialized rehabilitation at the "AGAPE" rehabilitation center. Denys needs to continue working on the mobility of his arms and legs, the motor function of both hands, his gait, coordination, and the return of the skills necessary for an independent life.

Once my son did his work every day so that Ukrainian aircraft could rise into the sky and protect our cities. And today he himself needs help in order to rise after a terrible wound and step by step reclaim his life.

I very much want this story to remind each of us: the war is not somewhere far away. It is very close. While we work, meet with our loved ones, plan for the future, and go about ordinary matters, someone continues to pay a terrible price for Ukraine's ability to live. And then our defenders return with wounds after which they have to relearn how to walk, speak, write, and hold ordinary things in their hands.

I cannot change what happened to my son on July 10, 2025. I cannot take away his pain. I cannot bring back the fellow soldier who was killed beside him. But I can be by Denys's side and do everything possible so that he continues to recover. But I cannot manage on my own.

That is why I ask you: please help my son undergo the necessary rehabilitation at the "AGAPE" center.

My Denys was given almost no chance. But he survived. He went through a coma, two months of intensive care, surgeries, months of treatment, and difficult rehabilitation. He has already done an incredible amount to remain with us.

Now I am asking for help so that he does not simply survive. Help my son return to life.

With a mother's hope and gratitude,
Mariia, mother of Denys Denysov.

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Thanks to the project "Support for Families of Veterans with Disabilities. Recovery and Rehabilitation," implemented by the Citizen Charity Foundation within the "Capable and Strong" program, carried out by the East Europe Foundation with the assistance of Switzerland, Denys Denysov was able to complete a specialized rehabilitation course at the "AGAPE UKRAINE" rehabilitation complex.

From August 24 to September 13, 2026, Denys underwent rehabilitation at the "AGAPE UKRAINE" rehabilitation complex. At the start of the course, the consequences of the severe wound significantly limited his independence. Denys required assistance when getting up, had balance impairments, and significant difficulties with movement. Due to damage to the upper limbs, mobility of the fingers, strength, and fine motor function of both hands were limited. Impairments of speech, memory, and other cognitive functions also persisted.

Throughout the course, a multidisciplinary team worked with Denys in the areas of physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy. The rehabilitation goals set for this period were achieved: Denys mastered wheelchair navigation on flat surfaces and partial obstacle navigation, standing up with control and observation, and transferring into a vehicle. He began covering up to 50 meters on a flat surface with a walker under observation. Stability and balance while standing improved.

Noticeable progress is also visible in daily independence. Denys learned to transfer from a wheelchair to the toilet and into the bath onto a washing chair with minimal assistance, to use the toilet with moderate assistance, and to wash his face using both hands. The strength of the upper limb muscles increased, movement control and fine motor function improved. According to the Barthel Index, which is used to assess a person's independence in daily life, Denys's score increased from 30 to 45 points out of 100. The result of the FIST test also improved from 49/56 to 55/56.

There are also changes in hand function. In the "Box and Block" test, Denys at the beginning of the course moved 35 blocks per minute with the right hand and 35 with the left, and at the end — already 42 with each hand. In the "Nine-Hole Peg" test, the completion time decreased from 44.3 to 39.1 seconds with the right hand and from 36.4 to 30.8 seconds with the left. For a person who after a severe wound is regaining control over his own hands, behind these figures lies great daily work.

Positive dynamics are also noted in speech. At the time of discharge Denys began expressing himself in full sentences and selecting more synonyms. During rehabilitation he mastered strategies for improving speech. At the same time, initiative toward communication is still impaired, so continuing work with a speech and language therapist is recommended.

For us these results are extraordinarily important, as they show: rehabilitation is producing results for Denys!

 

COLLECTED AND TRANSFERRED: UAH 78,500