By Firtka News Agency, and Ukraine War Amps founder Gene Berezovski
04.07.2015
Translated by Vadym Moroz, Cyborg from Cherkasy, who is a beneficiary of the Adopt a Soldier program and main translator for Ukraine War Amps (UWA) and an interpreter for their Visit a Soldier project. Edited by Voices of Ukraine.

Oleh Morozevich and sons.

Oleh Morozevich is a 29-year-old native from the village of Tulova, Ivano-Frankivsk region, Snyatynskyi district. In August 2014, he departed for the war as part of the 24th Separate Mechanized [Tank] Brigade, in the name of Prince Danylo Halytsky. After two months of intensive military exercise training in Yavoriv (Lviv region) as a driver-mechanic, he was sent to the ATO [Anti-Terrorism Operation] zone, to one of the most difficult sections of the front – the town of Lysychansk, Checkpoint #29 in Luhansk region.

This checkpoint was of great strategic importance, so the battle for it was extremely fierce. Russian artillery fired uninterrupted from all types of weapons. Direct battles with the enemy were constant. The Ukrainian Army military unit holding this direction carried irreparable loss of personnel. Many comrades of Oleh’s died, including his best friend, or were injured in the fighting, including another close friend of his. Despite the severity of losses, the Ukrainian soldier’s fighting spirit was not broken.

In the summer of 2015, Oleh Morozevych was seriously wounded in the head. His first medical operation was done in Severodonetsk. The second medical operation was done in the evacuation hospital in Dnipropetrovsk. For three weeks Oleh was in a coma; his wife, mother and brother did not leave his side the whole time. After he came out of the coma, Oleh was taken to The Main Military Clinical Hospital in Kyiv. By a happy coincidence, doctors from Germany were there taking wounded soldiers for treatment to Germany, Oleh was amongst them. There, he underwent surgery, during which a plate was installed in his skull. He returned home on December 19, 2015.

The German doctors warned the family that there would be disruptions [in his ability to function] and not to focus on these as much – Oleh had some brain damage and now the plate in his head. For the brain cells to renew themselves it takes two years. His young wife kept everything together while Oleh was fighting, was by his side during recovery and does not step away now. She said that when he received his summons for military duty he did not hesitate to go, his family tried to dissuade him but he would not listen to anyone. “He said that he was going for our sake, for the sake of our sons, so that they could live in a peaceful country,” his wife Lesya said. During his military leave in October, she said he was a changed man, somehow more distanced from the family, worried about his comrades who remained at the front, but she understood that he would not be the same as before the war. Before the war, Oleh was a cheerful young man who never shied away from work.

Lesya says that Oleh walks around the house a little bit, he supports himself on a crutch because his right leg and arm feel very badly. He went to rehabilitation in Lithuania and was promised more rehabilitation in Rivne. In the meantime, Lesya is carrying out home rehabilitation, having learned how to massage the leg and arm and do exercises with him 3-4 times per day. When his arm starts to hurt they stop and she massages it. Oleh helps out with his healthy arm. There are days when he doesn’t want anything. Lesya says on those days she asks and strongly urges him to keep on fighting for the children, that he is very much needed by all of them, that she can’t do it alone. He will sit then and think and then slowly start doing something. “Sometimes we sit down to talk – he has many plans and wants to do something, and then sometimes – he has complete apathy. All the while I take care of the children and keep a great hope that everything will fall into place, it just takes time. Everything will be fine. We will survive everything,” Lesya says. She adds: “The boys hanker after their father terribly. The eldest understands everything, he knows all about military matters. He says he also will fight. He is such a patriot, like his father.” They have two sons, Stanislav aged 7, and Vladislav aged 4.

In this difficult period for Oleh, he requires special care and special household hygiene products without chemicals, and special medicines – which his family orders from the USA. All of their efforts are spent on care and the family needs support.

Source: Firtka.if.ua

Ukraine War Amps runs
Adopt a Soldier and I CARE About Fallen Hero’s Family and Visit A Soldier projects
for Ukrainian veterans.

Ukraine War Amps is a worldwide community whose sole purpose is to assist amputees, severely injured soldiers and patriots who have been fighting for the liberty of Ukraine during Russia’s ongoing invasion and war against it. The Ukraine War Amps community is comprised of caring people who sponsor and support Ukraine’s heroes, and now also, their families. UWA has an international team of volunteers working 24/7 all over the world to make aid available and to deliver it directly to the recipient’s doorstep or bedside in any city, town or village within Ukraine in a timely manner.

Adopt a Soldier: UWA provides monthly stipends of approximately $50 USD to as many Ukrainian heroes as it can. One hundred percent of the proceeds go towards Ukrainian veterans. Adopt a Soldier establishes a unique bridge between the donor and the amputee. The donor helps on a monthly basis so both parties are always connected.

Some UWA supporters have had the opportunity to meet with the heroes and their families in person, others communicate through phone, Facebook, emails, or Skype. This helps supporters learn more about their adoptee and his or her family and gives them a better understanding of the adoptee’s needs, situation and what can be done to bring them to the level of living they deserve. It also gives hope to the Ukrainian hero and the knowledge and experience that they are not forgotten.

I CARE About Fallen Hero’s Family: UWA founders Gene Berezovski and John Broadhead say they have discovered through personal experience that not only the war amps and their families need help – but the fallen heroes’ families suffer as well. We need to remember those who joined the Nebesna Sotnia (Maidan’s Fallen Heroes) fighting for their country. The program I CARE About Fallen Hero’s Family is our action plan and a wakeup call, launched in June of 2015.

Visit a Soldier: As a supporter, you are hosted by UWA volunteers or Heroes in Ukraine, meeting a family in their home, sharing meals, stories, their families, making lifelong friendships, being driven around by Heroes visiting hospitals with UWA volunteers and gaining a truly unique first-hand experience. You also have the opportunity to donate to the wounded soldiers and amputees directly, tailoring your donation to specific immediate needs that may arise during the time of your visit.

With the Adopt a Soldier and I CARE About Fallen Hero’s Family and Visit A Soldier programs on the go, the Ukraine War Amps has been running for one year and 9 months. John Broadhead is a Canadian of Irish descent (whose father was a WWII amputee and veteran). Gene Berezovski is originally from Ukraine. UWA is truly a corruption-free way to support Ukraine where 100% of your support goes directly to the recipients.

To help support the Adopt a Soldier, I CARE and Visit A Soldier programs
please access them through this link:

https://www.youcaring.com/Adopt_a_Soldier

You may also contact UWA through:

ukrainewaramps@gmail.com

For more information,
please visit the official UWA website:

http://ukrainewaramps.ca