.Serhii Kovalskyi and Ivan Bolohov chose to defend homeland without hesitation. Before the full-scale invasion began, Serhii had been working in construction in Kyiv and wanted to mobilize the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Because of his foot injury, he was relieved of service, but later, mobilized under the agenda.
Since 2020, Ivan Bolohov has been in conscription in Kharkiv, which was supposed to end two weeks before the war started. However, with the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ivan's service continued.
Here you can read about our defenders’ journey from injury to prosthetics and recovery at the MCOP clinic (USA).
ABOUT INJURIES AND EVACUATION
Serhii Kovalskyi was wounded by enemy fire in May 2024. He managed to apply a tourniquet to his leg by himself, and when the bleeding did not stop, he applied another one. Due to the heavy shelling, an evacuation was impossible: "Only after 7 hours did the men manage to get me to the evacuation point right under the drone attack. A car arrived, they picked us up and took us to the emergency room in Orikhove. Then we were sent to Zaporizhzhya, where the doctors examined me and said that I had tourniquet syndrome and the amputation was inevitable”.
Ivan lost his left leg on February 2, 2024, near Robotyne, while helping a fellow soldier who needed reinforcement: "An explosive device exploded near my right foot. The shrapnel went through my shoes and embedded itself in my foot and left thigh. There was a lot of blood, my comrades applied a tourniquet but forgot to remove it in time. The tourniquet stayed on Ivan's foot for 13 hours: "In the hospital, doctors told me that I have no choice, your leg or your life. Of course, I chose life.", Ivan recalls.
PROSTHETICS AND REHABILITATION IN THE USA
Living with an amputated limb is a challenge. The Future for Ukraine Foundation with MCOP specialists (USA) works on the most difficult cases of amputations as part of The Prosthetics of Ukrainians program. The FFU Foundation with American partners, does everything possible to help our soldiers return to active and full-fledged lives.
Serhii and Ivan learned about FFU’s The Prosthetics of Ukrainians program from their doctors at the Halychyna Rehabilitation Center. The defenders immediately agreed to participate.
"The doctors suggested it to me. They say we can get high-quality prostheses abroad. I'm a young man, I still want to live a full-fledged life!", Ivan says.
Serhii admits that he could not believe that he had been accepted into the program until the very last moment, but he had strong motivation and wanted to return to his wife and children, to live an active life.
The defenders spent almost a month and a half in the United States. They received functional prostheses, relearned how to walk, balance, and even fall, and trained on individual programs under the supervision of the MCOP clinic’s specialists. Their steps were getting more confident every day!
In addition, they had a busy cultural program. They discovered Washington, attended concerts and business events, had meetings with ambassadors — and everywhere they spoke aloud about the importance of supporting Ukraine!
Today, Ivan and Serhii are back home and can finally realize the plans and dreams they shared with the FFU team before they received their prosthetics.
ABOUT PLANS AND DREAMS AFTER PROSTHETICS
"The welfare of my family is my priority. I want to get a job that I can do. Otherwise, my dreams are simple, like everyone else's — plant a tree, build a house, and raise a son," Ivan said.
Ivan dreamed of starting a family — and that dream came true! After being wounded, the soldier proposed to his beloved and they got married before he left for Washington.
Serhii dreams of returning to his family, they raise a son and a daughter with his wife. The soldier wants to give them a happy life and keep his promise to go to the sea with his family.
We welcome home the defenders and are grateful to everyone who supports the Prosthetics for Ukrainian program. We thank the specialists of the MCOP clinic and the Pfizer Foundation, who ensure the quality of our soldiers’ recovery!
