It's been a week since our soldiers, Serhiy Budyak and Yevgeny Udovenko, have been undergoing prosthetics and rehabilitation in Malta at the SHCM clinic under the close supervision of a prosthetist and rehabilitators from the leading prosthetics clinic MCOP, Washington.
Local doctors are surprised and impressed by the progress that men have already reached in this seemingly small period! Meanwhile, our entire team is waiting for the photo and video reports with bated breath every time: what will our heroes impress us with today? We also share the pleasant moments that happened with Serhiy and Yevheny during the first week in Malta in our regular digest.
18.03
A charity event was held, organized by the Ukrainian diaspora of Malta, with the support of Inna Volchkova.
The event participants painted pictures in the style of traditional Samchykipainting. And they also enjoyed the violin playing of Yaryna Pavlyuk and the singing of the People's Artist of Ukraine Kateryna Buzhynska.
In total, we managed to collect €2,710. These funds were transferred to support our "Prosthetics of the Ukrainian military 2023" case.
19.03
The arrival of our soldiers in Malta and the warm welcome of the Ukrainian diaspora at the airport.
20.03
Acquaintance with a prosthetist, rehabilitators, and physiotherapists. The men were immediately measured and cast their legs, and tested for their physical abilities to draw up individual rehabilitation programs.
After that, the first class was held with physiotherapists, one of whom constantly encouraged our soldiers. Specialists show men how to do self-massage, which is an important component for a good prosthetic result. They also learned to keep balance and walk on two supports thanks to a special device. Serhiy underwent electrical stimulation of the amputated limb.
Such a sensitive and individual approach pleasantly impressed our heroes!
21.03
In the morning, there was training again, the practice of walking on two supports and electrical stimulation.
But then what the men had been waiting for so long and with impatience happened — the fitting of prostheses and the first independent steps on them! Moreover, the men were in a hurry to take as many steps as possible that they even tried to dance the waltz with our project curator Karina!
22.03
Serhiy and Yevheny learned to walk properly with a prosthesis and distribute weight. Electrical stimulation and physiotherapy were also carried out, but the training was already with prostheses.
After that, the men made their first descent down the stairs without crutches and with prostheses!
And at the same time, when the soldiers were undergoing physical therapy, a Ukrainian woman, currently undergoing language practice in Malta, called the clinic. She learned from the teacher that our men are here for rehabilitation and offered her help. With her sincere desire to help, she moved our soldiers very much!
23.03
The day is full of classes with physiotherapists and despite the monotony of the program, the doctors do not let our men get bored and offer different exercises for training every time!
Also, on this day, the prosthetist adjusted the prostheses of the soldiers.
24.03
Before the weekend, the men were “chased” by physiotherapists during training sessions. This week they focused on strength training, and next week they will focus more on balance control and weight transfer.
In the evening, the soldiers were invited to dinner with a taste of the local Maltese drink — Kinnie.
25-26.03
On weekends, the men walked a lot around the city and studied Manoel Island. And they also rested and sunbathed under the warm Maltese sun.
We sincerely thank everyone who contributes to this noble initiative of prosthetics for the Ukrainian military! These are our partners and patrons of the project: MCOP Clinic, Michael Corcoran, Ian Fothergill, and Vadym Stolar.
You can support the case “Prosthetics of the Ukrainian military 2023” so that as many of our defenders as possible get a chance for a full-fledged life by following the link!
