NOTHING LOST- A STORY ABOUT COMMITMENT, RECOVERY, AND HONOR

Olena and Petro met in Lviv when she was 16 and he was 21. She was in school and he was working as a truck driver. They have been together for 18 years and have two children together- Taras, 16 and Emily, 5. On February 24, 2022 Petro was working in Poland and the war started, 5:30 local time, 4:30 am in Ukraine. He decided at that moment he wanted to help defend his country. At first, Olena was unsure about him joining the Ukrainian Army but Petro said he couldn't sit idle and was losing sleep thinking about wanting to fight for his country.

Petro finally came back to Ukraine in April and the family spent Easter, April 24 together. Petro joined the army the next day. He began his training near where the family lives in Lviv. After completing his basic requirements, he was offered a job driving demining brigades on the frontlines. Since his background was in driving, Petro was eager to go east and start making an impact on behalf of Ukraine. He knew his job meant he would be constantly putting his own life at risk but he said he was never scared and that his service felt like his true calling outside of being a father and husband.

Two months into his service, outside of Kherson, he was driving his team when the vehicle hit an anti-tank mine seeing all the members of the vehicle flying. As the driver, he took most of the impact, losing both his legs and two fingers on his left hand. It is because of his height he wasn’t completely decapitated but he lost a significant amount of his eyesight due to injuries above the chest. He was extracted from the scene and taken to a hospital in Mykolaiv for immediate treatment and then sent to Odesa. The doctors were not sure he would survive because of the extent of his injuries but he said he wanted to try and spent the next few months in urgent care having surgery.

Olena, 44, cares for her husband Petro, 49, at Halychyna rehabilitation center outside of Lviv, Ukraine. On some days, the children come with Olena to the rehab facility, eager to spend quality time with their father.

Olena wasn’t told of the news of her husband but she recalls having a feeling that something wasn’t right. She describes a specific day. Her daughter woke up crying and eventually had to be picked up from school because she kept saying her legs hurt. After doing an assessment on Emily and seeing she was physically fine, she started calling military members to try and get in touch with Petro. She said it was difficult to reach anyone and get straight answers. This was very upsetting and it slowly confirmed her suspicions that something had happened to her husband. She couldn’t have imagined the reality. When she finally found out what happened, she left for Mykolaiv immediately— leaving her children in the care of her mother. The last time she was in Southeast Ukraine, it was for vacation a few years earlier. She remembers thinking of these memories as she mentally prepared to see Petro for the first time after his accident. She had started receiving pictures from him and her worst fears were confirmed. She breathed deeply, grateful her love was still alive but life for their family was never going to be the same.

When he was finally stable enough to enter the first phase of recovery, Petro was transferred to Velykyi Lyubin’, a rehabilitation center about 65km outside of Lviv. Olena stayed by her husband’s side for the entire transition and journey. The Velykyi Lyubin’ rehab center is currently at capacity housing over 150 injured veterans. Petro knew he was facing a very long and hard recovery. This facility was now his home and he entered the lobby with honor and optimism, counting down the days to when he could be reunited with his children.

Afternoon light falls on petro as he and Olena enjoy a lunch date and an afternoon away from the hospital.

Petro meets with a physical therapist and a masseuse every day as part of his recovery at the in-patient facility he stays at during the week.

Olena holds up a photo of Petros hand that he sent to her after the mine exploded in Kherson.

Olena administers Pedro’s eye drops at the bedside of the room he shares with three other recovering veterans at Velykyi Lyubin’. She drives 30 minutes to the rehab center every single day to be by Petro’s side while the kids are in school.

Petro’s window view where he can see Olena arrive and leave each day in the family’s red car.

Emily shares a moment with Petro as his father unloads the wheelchair from the trunk to clean it.

Family photos line a dresser at Olena’s mothers house where she drops off Emily on weekends when Petro comes home.

Olena and Petro have started to think about how they can transition back to normal life. There are many obstacles to this. The home which they just purchased earlier that year is not structured for Petro's needs in a wheelchair. He has to be carried into the building and upstairs to their unit. Olean has to find strangers and ask them for help just to get him inside which makes it impossible for him to leave once he gets there without the same help. Inside the home has narrow hallways and a split bathroom that prevents him from using the shower, toilet, or sink. However, Petro seeks independence in any way he can often trying to clean and prepare his own meals at home. The kitchen and the bedroom are the only spaces in the apartment with enough room for him to roam freely in his wheelchair.

When you are actively serving there are government-provided benefits but once you are discharged, even if it's honorably and due to injury, those benefits stop. The family has no financial assistance and the cost to renovate is far out of the family’s budget. After taking care of Teras and Emily, and Petro, Olena stays up late at night stressfully crunching numbers. However– similar to Petro, she refuses to accept pity and sees everything in life as a blessing. The family reflects the Ukrainian spirit at its core- indestructibly selfless. They are committed to each other in the face of these new obstacles and living through a war in general. Petro is proud of his decision to fight for Ukraine’s freedom. He may be living without limbs but he says he has lost nothing as long as his family is by his side.