Lviv doctors operated on a young volunteer from Kharkiv, whose left leg was 5 cm shorter than the right. In order to equalize the length of the limbs, orthopedists of the St. Nicholas Hospital of the First Medical Association inserted plates into the boy’s leg, which are supposed to temporarily stop bone growth.
13-year-old Kyrylo Chudny – from Kharkiv. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, his family had to evacuate from his hometown to Lviv. Here, the boy, together with his older sister, started volunteering and helping other children who were also forced to leave their homes by the enemy. Every Friday, together with a team of young do-gooders, where Kyrylo is the youngest, he goes to a modular town for displaced people, helps the children there with their studies and organizes their leisure time.
“Thanks to our help, these children are not so sad, and their childhood is not so terrible. Despite the fact that they had to move to another city, they will be able to remember the fun moments. Every time we come, they are very happy,” says the young volunteer. And every Wednesday, Kyrylo also participates in preparing and distributing food to the needy.
For volunteering and the troubles of other people, the teenager did not pay attention to his own problems. In particular, the fact that he began to lag behind his peers physically and could not run fast. The boy’s mother recently noticed the developmental defect and immediately sought help from orthopedists at the St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital. At the time of application, Kirill’s left leg was already 5 cm shorter than the right.
“Our specialists found out that the growth of the limb slowed down due to tumors in the bones. These formations are benign and do not require removal. In order to equalize the length of the limbs, orthopedists decided to temporarily stop the growth of the right leg. For this, a minimally invasive surgical intervention was performed and special plates were inserted, which are supposed to stop bone growth,” the children’s hospital notes.
According to doctors’ forecasts, in about a year and a half, Kirill’s shorter left leg will catch up with his right. Then the plates can be removed. And then the boy should develop normally.
Orthopedists also emphasize that if Kirill’s mother had not paid attention to this developmental defect in time, then over time the difference between the length of the legs would have become even greater, and the boy would have started to limp. And the doctors would then have to apply a more radical treatment and lengthen the shorter leg with the help of a special apparatus. And this is a more complex and traumatic intervention with a long recovery.
Currently, Kyrylo is recovering quickly after the operation, constantly working with a physical therapist and developing his leg. His rehabilitation will continue for several more weeks. The teenager seeks to return to full life and volunteering as soon as possible. Most of all, the 13-year-old do-gooder dreams of victory and the day when all Ukrainian children who were forced to leave their hometowns because of the war will be able to return home.