In Lviv, surgeons of the NEZLAMNI National Rehabilitation Center restored the defender’s face using titanium prostheses. The complex reconstructive operation was the 69th for the soldier after the injury. In the battle, he lost a leg and half of his face.
44-year-old Roman Yermolenko served in the 92nd separate mechanized brigade. In October, near Stelmakhivka, in the Luhansk region, he and his brothers came under artillery fire. The enemy aimed directly at their armored vehicle. Only three of the 12 Ukrainian defenders survived. One of them is Roman.
The defender was transported to Kharkiv in critical condition. First there, and later in Kyiv, intensive care doctors fought for Roman’s life for two months. The leg had to be amputated. Doctors performed numerous operations on the limbs and face, performed surgical treatment of wounds and hardware treatment of abscesses. In total – 68 interventions and 60 blood transfusions.
“The worst thing is when you realize your condition and your helplessness. I didn’t want to, I didn’t imagine my life like that,” Roman shares his experiences at the time. Doctors still managed to stabilize the condition of the seriously injured. After that, he was taken to Mukachevo for further treatment.
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Roman has already arrived in Lviv, at the NEZLAMNI center, for leg prosthetics and facial reconstruction. The right half of the face was practically missing. In its place is a dent, because the bone base is missing. Because of this, Roman could not eat or talk normally.
To help the defender, maxillofacial surgeons performed a complex reconstructive operation and installed an individual multi-component titanium prosthesis of the upper and lower jaw, temporomandibular joint and orbital floor.
“Technically, this is a very complex operation. Then there was a waiting period: whether the skin on the prosthesis would take root or not. If not, the prosthesis would have to be removed. Then the damaged part of Roman’s face would remain deformed,” says maxillofacial surgeon Oleg Kovtunyak.
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The skin on the prosthesis healed successfully and the postoperative period passed without complications. The patient is currently recovering. He is eating, it is easier for him to talk.
Roman also received his first artificial limb at the NEZLAMNI center. And now he is learning to walk again.
“I still have to put my children on my feet. I have to live in such a way as to help them, not so that they take care of me,” says the defender. Roman has two children: a 19-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son. The warrior makes a lot of efforts to restore his household skills and return home to his children as soon as possible.
Hundreds of people suffer every day due to Russian aggression, so in order to make their treatment and rehabilitation comfortable and accessible in Ukraine, in Lviv, at the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center, a multidisciplinary team works with every Ukrainian, providing surgical, physical, psychological and psychosocial professional assistance . Thanks to the support of donors, a prosthetics workshop was opened and bionic prostheses are installed, as well as a new modern rehabilitation building: it is 7 floors with the most modern rehabilitation equipment. Every year, 10,000 Ukrainians will be able to receive help here.
Project website: https://unbroken.org.ua/.
Details for donations: https://unbroken.org.ua/donate.html.