Our soldiers have already started their confident path to prosthetics at the Steward Health Care Malta (SHCM) clinic. Andriy and Vitaly are already mastering their prostheses and learning to walk again on two supports. We tell how their first week in Malta went in more detail in our digest.
22.01
Arrival in Malta. At the airport, the soldiers were warmly welcomed by the Ukrainian diaspora, whose representatives helped the men settle into a hotel and treated them to a delicious lunch.
In the evening, the military were visited by Michael Corcoran, founder of MCOP, Ian Fothergill, chief executive of MCOP, and Professor Robert Gailey. They talked and pre-examined the condition of the limbs of our heroes.
23.01
Andriy and Vitaly first came to the Steward Health Care Malta (SHCM) clinic to meet doctors and physiotherapists, take measurements and make casts for future prostheses. The men were given unique compression socks instead of the elastic bandages they used to wrap the stumps. According to them, these socks are much more convenient and comfortable.
While the soldiers were waiting for the prosthetics to be made, they also learned to transfer weight on two supports and took a test on physical abilities and muscle strength.
24.01
This day was the most anticipated for our defenders. In the morning, they came to the clinic and finally received their prostheses and went to physiotherapy in another building on the territory of the clinic. Just imagine their emotions when you take independent steps with two legs again!
25.01
Mike and Jerry adjusted the men's prosthetic cups. Later, the military attended a training session conducted by Professor Robert Gailey. The professor was a special adviser to the Department of Defense of the United States of America on the rehabilitation of people with amputees and now continues to work with the military and veterans within the framework of some programs.
During the training, Professor Gailey noted that Vitaly and Andrii made significant progress in just one day. And when the soldiers started playing soccer and kicking the ball, the doctors were delighted!
It is immediately noticeable what a huge motivation our heroes have to return to full-fledged life. After all, success in the prosthetics process depends not only on physical capabilities but also on emotional disposition. By the way, Andrii was able to walk on his own for the first time today without outside help or crutches!
26.01
The official presentation of our military rehabilitation and prosthetics program Project Renew was held. Under the program, the men gave an interview to the local mass media, in which they talked about their path to prosthetics and their first successes!
Then the prostheses were adjusted to make them as comfortable as possible. At the end of such an eventful day, they went to refresh themselves.
27.01
That day, during the next training session, Professor Gailey talked about various rehabilitation techniques, thanks to which you can even run with prostheses. Our men were extremely inspired by the story of Paralympian Antonio Flores. He shared his experience with the military and talked about how he managed to set a world record in the short distance of 200 meters.
After the training, Andriy and Vitaly visited the clinic to adjust the prostheses and fasteners.
28-29.01
On Saturday, the boys rested. And already on Sunday, they went on a tour of the island and visited the most beautiful beach of Malta — Malta Golden Bay and the city of Mdina.
On this trip, our men were accompanied by an Englishman, a former military man. Currently, he accompanies BBC journalists on trips to Ukraine.
We sincerely rejoice when we receive positive news from Malta from our military. To increase the number of such news as possible this year, we opened a collection for the case "Prosthetics of the Ukrainian military 2023", which will last the whole year.
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