On December 12, Ukrainian military personnel Dmytro Sklyarenko, Oleksandr Drobatyuk, and Serhiy Dudik arrived in Washington. Here, the process of prosthetics and rehabilitation awaits them at our partners — the Medical Center for Orthopedics and Prosthetics (MCOP). The boys have already received and are mastering their prostheses, and the team of the Future for Ukraine foundation provides them with all the necessary legal, organizational, and moral support.
Dmytro Sklyarenko and Oleksandr Drobatyuk took the long-awaited first steps and are gradually mastering walking with prostheses. Serhiy Dudik received a prosthetic arm and is relearning how to perform normal movements with the help of special exercises. The smiles that returned to the faces of Ukrainian heroes are the best reward for the daily work of our team. Now the boys' lives are changing rapidly, and they get a lot of impressions from these events. Please, read about the first week of our military's stay in Washington in the digest.
12.12
The military arrived in Washington. They were warmly welcomed by the Ukrainians staying here.
13.12
The boys had measurements, after which the clinic immediately produced plaster models of the prostheses.
This day was quite intense because the journalists of the NBC New York channel interviewed our heroes.
Afterward, the military with the foundation team visited the D Light Cafe & Bakery. During the stay of military personnel in Washington, the restaurant will provide them with delicious food.
14.12
Serhiy Dudik wore his new bionic arm for the first time! His emotions at this moment cannot be described in words.
Thanks to a benefactor — tax attorney and MCOP patient Chris Allen — Dmytro Sklyarenko received, in addition to his prosthesis, a bionic knee of the latest generation Power knee manufactured by Össur. So Dmytro's prosthesis will be even more perfect! The benefactor also has a leg amputee and is a direct tester of such modern prostheses.
17.12
The boys walked near the Abraham Lincoln Memorial and visited Great Falls Park with its wonderful nature. And in the evening, we watched the humorous theater play "Odesa-Mama Train". They liked the adventure story with elements of poetry, music, and dancing!
18.12
Our soldiers attended a service at the Saint Andrews Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of Metropolitan Washington DC. They needed new phones to connect the prostheses to the app that controls their work. And in just a few hours, thanks to the caring visitors, the church collected $3,600 for phones for the boys! This is a miracle of mutual help and unity.
19.12
Dmytro and Oleksandr took their first steps with prostheses!
The clinic admires our men because their progress is surprisingly fast.
There was a meeting of the military with US Senator from Illinois Tammy Duckworth. Ms. Ambassador of Ukraine to the USA Oksana Markarova and military attache Borys Kremenetskyi also supported the boys and expressed gratitude to the team of the Future for Ukraine foundation for its work in the field of prosthetics for the military.
Our heroes gave an interview to the authoritative online publication "Voice of America". Other military personnel who received prosthetics at MCOP thanks to funding from the clinic's owner, Michael Corcoran, were also present during the conversation with journalists. Currently, Washington is thinking about how to ensure the continuation of the Operation renew prosthetics program for our military. In particular, according to Senator Tammy Duckworth, the Ukrainian military should receive the same high-quality prostheses as American soldiers, so she will continue to support the program.
The Medical Center of Orthopedics and Prosthetics (MCOP) is ready to cover all medical expenses for prostheses and the rehabilitation process of patients. The Future for Ukraine foundation covers the costs of insurance, transfers and flights, accommodation, and meals. These needs were met with the funds collected through an open collection on the foundation's website.
We are not going to rest on our laurels and already in January, we will provide support for the prosthetics of two more soldiers abroad.
That is why we have launched a fundraiser of € 15,000 for prosthetics for our fighters at the Steward Health Care Malta (SHCM) clinic with the MCOP in Malta. Go to the link and contribute to the Prosthetics for the military case in Malta to help the heroes return to their normal lives!
