The war took all of us by surprise and have made everyone equal regardless of status and place of work. Especially vulnerable in this situation are people who needed medical care, waited for a planned operation or medical treatment. We have decided to share with you the stories of the people which our team helped in these terrible times. Noone of Ukrainians is alone today - we are all together.
Vira
Thanks to the cooperation of Dobrobut with international funds Direct Relief International, Children of War Foundation and University of Miami Global Institute Vira, like many other Ukrainians, has got a chance to conduct necessary medical operation on time and free of charge. Now Vira is already at home, close to her relatives and friends.
"This is the second operation which was provided in Dobrobut. And now I've been rescued again. Dobrobut team is the best! From management and doctors to nurses who will always help, advise and support. I am very grateful to everyone, especially to doctors Olena Samokhvalova and anesthesiologist Svetlana Fesenko."
Oleksandr Vasylovych
On April 1, late in the evening, Oleksandr Vasylovych felt severe chest pain and called for emergency care, which confirmed acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction.
In a critical situation, every minute is important, so, without any delay, the family decided to go to Dobrobut hospital.
Oleksandr Vasylovych underwent emergency surgery to stent the coronary vessels. The situation was difficult due to the severity of the heart attack, multivascular lesions and the age of the patient, but the operation was successful. It is important that all the necessary consumables for the operation are selected individually by doctors for each patient, they are disposable and available in Dobrobut, despite the difficult wartime.
Thanks to the cooperation of Dobrobut with international funds Direct Relief International, Children of War Foundation and University of Miami Global Institute necessary medical operation was free of charge. Now Oleksandr Vasylovych is already at home, trying to go for a short walks in spring Kyiv, because moderate-intensity cardio load is important for a healthy heart.
"Dobrobut has changed my attitude to Ukrainian medicine. Even when you are sick, you feel weak and vulnerable, you are treated like a human. Thank you to the team of doctors who rescued me, Andriy Basatskyi and Olena Shapovalova, as well as nurses and medical brothers who were nearby these days".
Vladyslav
But a russian cluster bomb and missiles fired by russia to the full of women, children and the elderly Kramatorsk railway station has changed his life. When Vladyslav got out from under the body of a man who was thrown directly at him by an explosion, he saw a complete horror around him - dead people, severed limbs, blood. Blood was flowing from both of the man’s legs. His mother, who found her injured son in complete chaos, found a belt, from which they made harnesses to stop the bleeding.
Already in the ambulance, which took Vladyslav to the hospital in Pavlograd, it turned out that in the back, pelvis and legs of the man stuck fragments of a russian bomb. The situation was very serious, but there were not enough necessary medicines due to the extraordinary number of victims. So, the fragment that broke Vladyslav's tias was pulled out without anesthesia.
Surgical team of the medical center Dobrobut recovered about 8 pieces of debris from Vladyslav's body - all of them were stuck next to vital organs and miraculously did not damage the lungs and liver. With the remaining 20 pieces of debris, the man will have to live a lifetime - it is too dangerous to remove them. In Dobrobut, the man undergoes long-term physical rehabilitation free of charge and receives all the necessary medical care. He dreams to get back on his feet, to join the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and to defend his country with weapons in his hands.
The mother of the injured man learned from volunteers that in Kyiv in Dobrobut hospital due to the support of American charitable foundation Direct Relief International medical care to victims of war is provided free of charge. Soon they were taken to Kyiv to Dobrobut hospital.
Mykola Petrovych
About a year ago Mykola Petrovych had a heart attack. The man was treated medically, but this did not help to minimize the negative consequences of the disease. The war caused even more stress and significantly affected the health of Mykola Petrovych. Even with minimal physical exertion, the man felt chest pain every time.
After meeting with Andriy Basatskyi, a vascular surgeon at Dobrobut, it was decided to perform surgery to stent the coronary vessels.
Surgery was difficult due to severe vascular lesions (chronic occlusion) and overweight of the patient. People weighing more than 110 kilograms will often be denied surgery. But the team of surgeons of Dobrobut decided not to retreat and successfully performed the operation.
The very next day Mykola Petrovychh felt much better, the pain disappeared and the man was discharged from hospital treatment to his home.
Mykola Petrovych's operation at Dobrobut was performed free of charge, as well as for the hundreds of other patients, thanks to cooperation with the Direct Relief International Foundation.
Natalia and Bogdan
In early February, Bogdan had a relapse - he became much worse, began seizures of epilepsy, hallucinations. A few weeks later, russia began shelling the entire territory of Ukraine and Brovary, where the family lived, found themselves in one of the epicenters of the war.
Near the house of Natalia and Bogdan, a missile fell, their house was damaged by an explosive wave. With the sound of shelling and past the columns of smoke, the family went to Kyiv.
Due to the constant bombardment for weeks, it was not possible to record Bogdan for examination. When the man finally managed to get an MRI, he was found to have metastases all over his spinal cord.
Bogdan needed constant care of specialists, painkillers and medicines. Neither Natalia nor her elderly mother knew where to turn or what to do.
After difficult weeks at home, they learned about free of charge palliative care program for patients in Dobrobut. The head of the palliative department Zoya Maksimova immediately agreed to accept Bogdan in our hospice.
Now the best medical specialists care about Bogdan. Unfortunately, he is in a very serious condition, so he needs continuous care and medical treatment. In addition to medical staff, one of the relatives is constantly near the man. The whole team of the department and the family support Bohdan and do everything possible.
Such stories help not to forget that in parallel with the war with russia, many Ukrainians are waging their own small, but no less terrible wars with other enemies - diseases.
We thank the charitable foundation Tabletochki for supporting palliative department of Dobrobut for Bohdan and other people suffering from serious and incurable diseases. Together we help such people to live with dignity the remaining time, surrounded by a loving family and the care of professional medical staff.
Olga
Olga is 66 years old, a few years ago she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. But this winter in the life of a woman there were two more tragedies - the death of her mother and the war.
Olga lives in Kyiv and at the time of the russian attack she was at home alone. Relatives went to the village, but to go with them for Olga would mean to stay away from medical institutions and pharmacies with the necessary medicines.
All the time Olga was in touch with Zoe Maksymova - the head of Dobrobut palliative department. Zoe helped the woman to find medication, advised what to do to feel better.
In May Olga could no longer fully move and serve herself. Painkillers didn't help. When a place in Dobrobut palliative department was vacated, Zoe invited Olga to join it, according to a free of charge program funded by Tabletochki Foundation.
Previously, Olga negatively perceived the medical sphere, because she often faced rudeness and unprofessionalism. But now she has changed her mind because she is convinced that there are many more good people than bad people.
Dmytro
The soldier was injured in the area of Kherson region when his unit was attacked by a sabotage and reconnaissance group. Enemy bullets and grenades, which attacked our defenders, seriously injured Dmytro's back and head.
The friends took the soldier to a medical institution in Mykolaiv, then he was hospitalized to Odesa. And a few days later, the volunteer helped the defender to get to Dobrobut hospital in Kyiv for free of charge treatment.
Neurosurgeon and head of the neurosurgical department of Dobrobut hospital Oleg Mamenko performed Dmitry surgery on the lower back, from where he pulled out a fragment. Unfortunately, the operation on the wound of the head, which the man had done earlier, was unsuccessful, so Dr. Mamenko re-operated the head of the fighter.
The treatment was successful. Dmytro spent three weeks in Dobrobut hospital, where he practiced with a speech therapist in order to quickly restore speech after an injury and received the necessary medicines.
Now the fighter is already at home, adapting to life after injury. The defender is not returned to the Armed Forces, but he insisted on working as an instructor. Soon Dmytro plans to train fighters from the Kyiv Territorial Defense Forces.
We thank Dmytro and all defenders of Ukraine! We do everything in our power to be a reliable rear for you.
Dobrobut hospital continues to provide free of charge treatment to Ukrainians with the support of the charitable foundation Direct Relief International.
Volodymyr, Yuliya and Igor
Unfortunately, everyone in that car died. The hospitallers, who were traveling in the second car, were lucky to escape. With numerous injuries, the doctors were evacuated to the field hospital, then to the nearest hospital, where they were promptly provided with medical care.
Yana Zinkevich, the founder of the Hospitallers, appealed to Dobrobut with a request to complete the treatment of wounded doctors. Thanks to the support of the Direct Relief Charitable Foundation, Dobrobut is able to provide free of charge medical care to seriously wounded Ukrainians.
On June 13, Volodymyr, Yulia and Igor were hospitalized to Dobrobut hospital in Kyiv. Volodymyr was most seriously injured - the man's eyes and forearms were struck by debris and he also had a concussion. After examinations, Dobrobut doctors also diagnosed a cyst of the frontal sinus.
Igor also had numerous shrapnel wounds and concussion. Julia has a cranial injury, a small fracture and torn ligaments on both legs. All hospitallers received the necessary medicines and treatment. Volodymyr also underwent a planned operation to remove the cyst. Volodymyr and Igor have already left Dobrobut hospital. Now the men are recovering and preparing to return to work in the battalion.
Julia is still in the clinic - waiting for Brostrom's surgery. This is a medical procedure to restore ligaments on the ankle joint. After the operation, you will still need at least 4 weeks of rehabilitation period.
However, all doctors are determined to immediately return to work in the battalion. "If I can do this job, I have to do it. Because who if not me," says Julia.
We do not cease to admire the courage of Ukrainian defenders. We are happy to help our heroes.
Andriy
While performing a task in one of the key directions, Andriy received a dreadful head injury. The bullet hit the fighter's helmet and cracked his skull. Soldiers helped Andriy get to a military hospital, where he was given first aid. Unfortunately, on the defender's head, a strong swelling appeared after the operation. Doctors had to remove part of the skull.
After 3 weeks, Andriy was hospitalized in Dobrobut. He was in a serious condition - he could not walk, speak, or even sit up in bed was very difficult for him. The man had strong amnesia. He could not remember the names of simple words, did not remember how many children he had and what gender they are, he did not even know the meaning of the word "mother". And we have begun a long and intensive rehabilitation process.
Andriy was prescribed a course of medication and daily classes with a rehabilitation specialist. He had to literally relearn how to walk, talk, and perform all routine household chores in order to once again be independent in everyday life. To restore his memory, Andriy constantly solved special exercises, relearned words and their meanings. Andriy, together with specialists, did a titanic job to get out of bed, return home and hug his family. His wife, Christina, says that he can even park the car now.
Andriy's rehabilitation at Dobrobut continues, but already in an outpatient way. And he is waiting for plastic surgery to restore the integrity of his skull. Specialists will recreate the fighter's skull on a 3D printer and print a special plate that should replace the lost part. The timing of operation depends on Andriy's health condition. The head swelling should decrease before that.
Now Andriy and his family are dreaming of recovery, victory of Ukraine and a family vacation in Rome. Andriy still wants to be a military, as his wife says — this is his whole life. He wants to live in his country and do everything for peace, tranquility and a dignified life.
We are so much grateful to Andriy for the fact that he, together with the Ukrainian defenders, protects our independence. We are grateful to the charity foundation Direct Relief, that we have the opportunity to help free of charge.
Veronica
Veronika's family moved from Kyiv to hide from Russian missiles. But faced another enemy - disease.
A week after the evacuation to the Kyiv region, Veronika became seriously ill. Her temperature rose to 42 degrees because of acetonemic syndrome (a condition in which the body's metabolism is disturbed and the amount of acetone increases, which leads to severe vomiting and stomach ache).
After a consultation with a local doctor, the family knew the diagnosis — the daughter had acute pyelonephritis of both kidneys. The child urgently needed hospitalization, but there was no hospital nearby. Therefore, Veronica was prescribed antibiotic therapy at home. This slightly improved the child's condition, but soon a relapse occurred.
It was too risky to wait, so after three weeks of treatment at home, the family came back to Kyiv. Most hospitals were not working at that time. But Dobrobut hospital on Idzykovskikh Street was receiving patients and hospitalized the girl.
The girl was treated by Dobrobut pediatric urologist Maksym Ponomarenko. The doctor performed a micturition cystography examination. It revealed two-sided vesicoureteral reflux in Veronika (a pathological condition when a certain amount of urine enters the upper urinary tract in the direction of the kidney).
Dr. Ponomarenko recommended performing the operation as soon as possible, because of the high risk of kidney failure if pyelonephritis recurs. The family couldn't pay for the treatment, but with the support of charity fund Direct Relief, we treated the girl free of charge.
The waiting period for the operation was emotionally difficult for the family - they were worried that a relapse would happen again. Fortunately, everything went well and Veronica successfully got laparoscopic correction of vesicoureteral reflux. The girl has already twice undergone a post-operative examination. Recovery is going according to plan, her medical tests are normal and Veronica is doing well.
We thank Maksym Ponomarenko and the entire medical team which treated Veronika! It is impossible to imagine what the parents went through, but the worst is over. We wish Veronica a speedy recovery and a healthy, peaceful life!
Dmytro and Kateryna
Dima and Katya, volunteers of the Hospitallers Medical Battalion, say that they are determined to return to the frontline. But very recently, they got into a terrible car crash. In fact, they are still recovering from what they experienced.
Dmytro has a broken shoulder, Kateryna has leg injuries, a closed pelvic fracture, and a closed abdominal injury (kidney and chest).
Together with their team, they left at night to evacuate wounded defenders in one of the hellish regions of Ukraine. There were many injured, so the Hospitallers were asked to arrive at the place as soon as possible.
They traveled on the modern resuscitation bus Kraken, which has everything necessary to provide emergency care and even conduct surgery. Part of the crew was sleeping when the bus suddenly collided with the military truck. There was a terrible accident.
The Kraken crashed to pieces. One medic died at the scene of the accident, and the rest of the crew suffered injuries of varying severity. Dmytro provided first aid to crew members, particularly Katya, who was suffering from unbearable pain. By the way, this was her first rotation.
Currently, all victims of that accident are receiving medical care in hospitals of Ukraine. We are glad that we have the opportunity to treat Dmytro and Kateryna for free at the Dobrobut hospital in Kyiv, on Idzykovskyh Street. It became possible with the support of the charity fund Direct Relief.
Dmytro will soon be discharged, the defender plans to work as an instructor, but only while the wounds heal. Then he wants to immediately come back to the front line, to the soldiers.
Kateryna needs more time for rehabilitation, but she also wants to "run" to the headquarters. At least on crutches until he is fully recovered.
Dmytro and Kateryna told us that after the victory of Ukraine, they would like to continue treating people - they are anesthesiologists by profession. They dream of working at Dobrobut and this is an incredible compliment for our entire team.
Meanwhile, the Hospitallers are collecting money for a new bus. A name has already been invented for him - Austrian, in honor of the deceased volunteer.
Oleg
There is a common opinion that varicose veins are exclusively a women's problem which is a cosmetic defect and does not cause any troubles in the life and health of people. This is a myth.
Men also suffer from varicose veins. In Oleg's case, disease prevents him from performing important official duties, because it limits movement, causes pain and, without treatment, causes the development of life-threatening complications.
Fortunately, Oleg was well aware of the dangerous complications of varicose veins — the formation of blood clots inside the veins, bleeding from varicose veins, trophic ulcers — and after his condition worsened, he came to Dobrobut hospital for help.
Vascular surgeon Yuliya Nagalyuk conducted surgery: endovenous laser obliteration with miniphlebectomy on the right lower limb. This is a quick and painless procedure for the patient.
How it works:
- The patient is awake, the intervention is performed under local anesthesia;
- Without applying surgical sutures;
- The doctor monitors the course of the procedure with an ultrasound machine;
- Operative intervention is performed without hospitalization;
- Fast rehabilitation period;
- The patient gets healthy veins and, as a bonus, an excellent aesthetic appearance of the legs.
A few hours after the operation, Oleg returned home. And a few days later he was at work.
Thanks to the support of the Direct Relief charity fund, we were able to help Oleg free of charge.
Anton Gutnyk
Dobrobut Physiotherapist
Anton is 23 years old, he joined the Dobrobut team a year ago to help restore health to patients who have survived injuries, complex operations and serious illnesses. When we asked Anton why his call sign is Dobrobut, the man told us that he really likes his job.
When the full-scale war began, Anton joined the volunteer medical battalion of the Hospitaliers, later he was mobilized as a combat medic to a special military unit. He previously trained to provide medical care on the battlefield in tactical medicine courses.
Our team is the best! We are proud of Anton and look forward to his return!
Vitaliy
A soldier of the Azov Battalion
During the mission, Vitaliy was caught in the blast wave from an airstrike. His spine was broken, but the fighter understood it much later.
After the injury, the defender could barely walk, he was tormented by back pain, he began to slouch and could not perform combat tasks. When the Ukrainian defenders left Azovstal, Vitaliy was captured. His back hurt more, he felt that he was literally being pulled down.
Fortunately, Vitaliy was released from captivity. The fighter was hospitalized at the Dobrobut hospital in Kyiv. Our team of neurosurgeons examined the soldier and found a fracture of the 8th thoracic vertebra.
The patient required surgery to stabilize the thoracic spine. The neurosurgery team performed a posterior spinal fusion at levels 6-7 and 9-10 of the thoracic vertebrae — the doctors inserted screws that stabilized the spine and allowed it to grow. During the day, the patient was activated by a team of rehabilitation specialists. Two days after the operation, Vitaliy stood on his feet and could walk with a straight back. Within a week, his pain was gone.
We are grateful to the team of neurosurgeons of the Dobrobut hospital and the charity fund Direct Relief, thanks to which Vitaliy received the necessary help at the highest level.
Kateryna
Volunteer of the "Hospitallers" battalion
Katya is a pediatric anesthesiologist and medic of the Hospitallers Paramedics Battalion.
She and her team got into a car accident when they went to evacuate the wounded soldiers at night. Katya was hospitalized at the Dobrobut hospital in Kyiv. She got severe leg injuries, a closed pelvic fracture, kidney and chest injuries.
She's already had to endure difficult treatment, in particular there was a complex pelvic surgery.Traumatologists used a Metal osteosynthesis (MOS of fractures) in order to fix the integrity of her bones.
"I have an iron ass now :)", - Katya jokes. Seems she never loses heart. However, she is going through the most difficult period in her life.
In a short while after the operation Katya has begun the rehabilitation with her physiotherapists Yuliy Yarosh, Marta Stankevich and Zakhar Tkachuk. At first, lying down, they performed various exercises on a hospital bed. It is difficult, but it is important to start rehabilitation as soon as possible, no matter how difficult it is to move.
During the first three weeks of rehabilitation, Katya was already able to sit up on her own. Then the girl slowly started to get up, moved with the walker, walked the corridors of the clinic. In a couple of weeks, Katya stood on crutches for the first time.
Nowadays, Kateryna lives at home, trains by herself and comes twice a week to the Dobrobut rehabilitation hall for exercises.
She said: "I cried when I got up with a walker for the first time. Because I have already come to terms with the fact that I will ride in a wheelchair. Walking seemed like a ghostly dream. When you lie in bed for 3 weeks and need the help of several people to turn over... I joked that everything above the navel is mine, and everything below belongs to Dobrobut hospital. Now I am much more sure of success. My body completely belongs to me".
Kateryna's physiotherapist Yuliy Yarosh says early rehabilitation saved the girl from several months in bed and physiological problems, such as bedsores, muscle weakness, pressure problems, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
The girl is waiting for another operation. It is skin plastic surgery on the thigh, where skin necrosis has formed due to the injury. But it should be the last operation.
In just a week, Katya will learn to walk without crutches together with rehabilitation specialists. Experts predict that in six months to a year, the girl's body will fully recover, and she will be able to freely walk, run, jump — do everything she did before the accident.
She wants back to work as an anesthesiologist and Hospitaliers member, where everyone is waiting for her.
We wish Katya a fast recovery and the realization of all plans! Well, maybe, except the parachute idea.
