Oleksandr Kyrychenko, call sign KARATEL Copied!

My name is Kyrychenko Oleksandr Serhiiovych, call sign KARATEL, I am 28 years old. Since 2018 I have been serving under contract as part of the Defense Forces of Ukraine and have the status of a combat veteran. My military path began in the Rapid Response Brigade No. 3018 of the National Guard of Ukraine in Hostomel. There I served under contract, and after its completion signed a new three-year contract already as part of the 59th Brigade.

Long before the full-scale invasion I had to carry out combat missions. Since 2018 I was in the area of combat operations in Donetsk Oblast, specifically on the Svitlodarsk Salient, where we were containing the Russian aggressor. On February 24, 2022, we met the full-scale war in Kherson Oblast, in the area of the Oleshky Sands. Later the units moved, and we carried out missions on the territory of Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts.

It was while carrying out a combat mission in Mykolaiv Oblast, in the settlement of Zelenyi Hai, that my life changed. The enemy delivered an airstrike on the school where we were located. After the strike practically nothing remained. I sustained a severe contusion of the cervical spine. Due to repeated shellings there was no opportunity to properly provide me with medical assistance, nor was there proper fixation of the sustained injury.

After the strike we were forced to disperse throughout the village, as the shellings continued. Subsequently most of the servicemen departed, and we remained to carry out the mission. The next day we departed independently — in two crews on BRDM-2 vehicles. After that I began to constantly feel pain in my neck and back, and later other health problems also began to appear.

I sought medical assistance, underwent inpatient treatment, and received the necessary procedures and medications. But dealing with this problem properly under wartime conditions was practically impossible. Later I transferred to the 21st Separate Mechanized Brigade. We carried out combat missions in the Donetsk direction — Lyman, Sloviansk, Terny, and other areas. The problems with my back and neck did not go away; I regularly endured pain but continued to serve.

During my service I also sustained a blind gunshot wound to the right leg. I carried out combat missions at positions, serving as a machine gunner and squad commander. Later I transferred to the logistics battalion, where I served in the position of medical instructor at the medical point.

This position was particularly close to my heart. I personally provided pre-medical assistance to servicemen — to the wounded, the sick, those who needed it. I did everything that depended on me and conscientiously fulfilled my duties. At the same time, my own health problems continued to accumulate. I again consulted doctors, underwent inpatient treatment, and received the necessary therapy, but the pain did not go away.

After this I transferred to the medical company of the same brigade, where I served in the position of supply platoon commander. During the course of service, the 21st Brigade changed its areas of mission execution on numerous occasions. After the Donetsk direction, our unit moved to the Sumy direction, where we are currently located. Here, in Sumy Oblast, we continue to carry out combat missions and contain the enemy. Our servicemen carry out daily duty at forward positions, fulfilling the assigned missions and defending Ukrainian land.

Over time the pain began to grow increasingly stronger. My left arm, shoulder, neck, and back began to trouble me particularly. I decided to undergo an MRI — and it was then that yet another difficult stage began. Based on the examination results, a suspicion of an oncological disease first arose. For me and my loved ones this was a very difficult moment. I underwent the necessary examinations and a consultation with an oncologist. Fortunately, the oncological disease was not confirmed.

But the examinations revealed another serious problem — pulmonary sarcoidosis, as well as extrapulmonary sarcoidosis with spinal involvement. According to the medical conclusions, the disease is in an active stage and is progressing. In parallel, the problem with the cervical spine remained, which had been troubling me since the injury sustained during the combat mission.

Due to my service and constant presence in areas of combat mission execution, I did not have the opportunity to simply go to a specialist who could fully assess my condition. So I passed my medical documents, discs, and examination results through a servicewoman who was on leave at that time. She approached a neurosurgeon with my documents. After reviewing the examination results, the doctor recommended surgical treatment for me.

I need to have two hernias in the cervical spine removed and have special implants and the Atlantis cervical spine stabilization system, Medtronic USA, installed. This surgery can no longer be delayed for me, as it threatens complete paralysis.

I served for many years, carried out combat missions, sustained wounds, and helped other servicemen when they needed it. For most of my military life I was the one who had to help others. And now I am the one who needs help.

I am not accustomed to asking for help, and it is not easy for me to make such a request today. But I cannot pay for the necessary treatment on my own. The cost of the necessary implants, surgery, and subsequent recovery is beyond my means. That is why today I am compelled to turn to caring people and ask for support in this fight.

I want to undergo the surgery, recover, and complete full rehabilitation. I want to regain my strength and health and, if my condition allows it, continue to carry out my duties and serve people and my country. I do not simply want to be free of pain. I want to once again have the opportunity to live normally, work, move, help others, and be useful.

Over the years of war I was on numerous occasions on the side where I was the one providing help. I saw wounded servicemen, provided them with pre-medical assistance, and did everything I could. Now I find myself on the other side — and I need help.

I need the Atlantis cervical spine stabilization system, Medtronic USA, without which the necessary surgical treatment cannot be performed. For me this is not simply a medical device. It is the opportunity to undergo surgery, prevent further deterioration of my condition, and receive a chance to return to a life without constant pain.

If you have the opportunity to support me — I will be sincerely grateful for any help. Every hryvnia, every repost, and every kind word right now holds great significance for me.

I withstood the war. Now I want to withstand the fight for my own health.

Thank you to everyone who will not remain indifferent and will help me walk this path.

 

COLLECTING: UAH 178,800