Superhumans of Ukraine

They call them superhumans. Their strength is in what they have lost.

Superhumans is a state-of-the-art rehabilitation center in Lviv, Ukraine, giving adults and children severely wounded in the war a chance for a decent life.

We spent Thanksgiving Sunday at Lacombe Pentecostal Church with our friends Vadim Ignatenko and Olha Dubyniuk from eastern Ukraine. They told the congregation how close to 1 million Ukrainians have been killed or wounded on the battlefield, on city streets, in shopping malls, day cares and schools.

When I was in Lviv in April 2024, I visited a rehabilitation hospital. The president and teachers from our PAOC seminary visit, pray, and volunteer there.

I sat with a civilian in the rehab centre and listened to his horrific story of loss, shared with a sense of humour to take the edge off.

Herman is one of the receptionists. He had his left hand cut off by shrapnel from a tank shell on the Kreminna front and had to have his arm amputated. The first contact therapist with the patients, Denys, was mowed down by an anti-tank rocket on the Bakhmut front, losing both legs and his left arm. Ruslana, the recreational activities therapist, had her left leg amputated after being hit by an artillery shell on the Kherson front.

All three were patients and stayed to offer care.

The stories of adults and children are incredible and illustrate the heart of Ukrainians.

Resilience

Oleksiy Gushchyn is 38-years old. He lost his right leg in battle but has now returned home to Mykolaiv. His little son motivated the defender to regain his strength. Now, for the first time since his injury, his father took a walk with him by the hand through his hometown.

Oleksiy says, “Today, after almost eight months since the injury, I am finally at home. I want to thank the soldiers who carried me off the battlefield. Unfortunately, I don’t know their names. To all the doctors, rehabilitators, prosthetists who put me back on my feet.”

Oleksandra Paskal is 8-years old. One of our granddaughters is 8. Oleksandra lost her leg as a result of a Russian missile attack on Zatoka, Odesa region, in May 2022. She learned to walk again and now continues to practice rhythmic gymnastics and ballroom dancing.How many 8-year-olds do you know who would be so vulnerable?

She is a warrior.

Right before the finish line of a charity marathon, Dmytro stood up from his wheelchair and, under loud applause from the crowd, crossed the finish line on prosthetics. He lost both legs and his right arm on the frontlines.

Prosthetics

A veteran on prosthetics is pushing a veteran with a double amputation in a wheelchair. The image says everything about the unbreakable spirit of the Ukrainian soldier.

I heard stories in the rehab centre of soldiers who wanted to learn how to use their prosthetic so they could get back to the frontlines with their brothers.

His name is Vladyslav. He is a former soldier who lost his arm in the first minutes of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. He has a prosthetic arm. His goal is to help wounded soldiers with fees for complex surgical interventions, rehabilitation and prosthetics with the most modern prostheses.