“45-year-old Valentin from the city of Pryluky, Chernihiv region, worked in the field of repairs all his life, but after the beginning of the great war, the man started volunteering, and later joined the army. The defender lost a limb while performing combat duty. Valentin’s story was told at the UNBROKEN Ukraine National Rehabilitation Center. On February 24, 2022, Valentin was abroad, but as soon as the man learned about the beginning of a full-scale invasion, he immediately”, — write on: ua.news
45-year-old Valentin from the city of Pryluky, Chernihiv region, worked in the field of repairs all his life, but after the beginning of the great war, the man started volunteering, and later joined the army. The defender lost a limb while performing combat duty.
Valentin’s story was told at the UNBROKEN Ukraine National Rehabilitation Center.
On February 24, 2022, Valentin was abroad, but as soon as the man learned about the beginning of a full-scale invasion, he immediately returned to the Motherland and joined the volunteers. In 2023, the man decided to join the 119th separate TRO brigade and became a machine gunner.
For more than a year, Valentin defended Ukraine from the invaders and was a participant in heavy battles, but on October 15, 2024, his war ended. The defender was seriously injured – stepping on a mine, he lost a limb.
“We went in a group of 3 people. I step on the ground and a sharp explosion. The area I stepped on was littered with mines. Honestly, I don’t know by what miracle, but I regrouped and didn’t hit other mines, because maybe I wouldn’t tell this story now,” Valentin recalled.
First aid was given to the man in the hospitals of Donetsk region and Dnipro. The defender went to Lviv for treatment, rehabilitation and prosthetics. One of Valentin’s problems is phantom pain: “The hardest thing is not even the pain itself, but the realization that a part of the body that does not exist hurts. It’s exhausting. Feeling as if you are being hit with a hammer on a foot that is no longer there. And this phantom pain could appear both during the day and at night,” the defender shares.
Ukrainian virtual reality VRNOW simulator can help defenders with phantom pains. Thanks to this development, military rehabilitation is more efficient.
How VRNOW works:
- Overcoming phantom pain
Simulator “reprograms’ the brain, helping to reduce pain in non-existent limbs.
- Development of motor functions
Virtual reality helps patients master new movements and improve physical condition.
- Psychological support
Interaction with the virtual environment motivates, reduces anxiety and increases confidence.
- Acceleration of rehabilitation
The trainer reduces recovery time and promotes a quick return to active life.
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Currently, such a simulator is available in some medical institutions of Ukraine, and the National Rehabilitation Center UNBROKEN Ukraine announced a collection for the purchase of VRNOW, which will help veterans in rehabilitation.
The goal of the collection: UAH 1,800,000. You can donate via the link.
“Phantom pain is an invisible enemy that can delay a patient’s recovery for a long time. VRNOW allows not only to fight pain, but also helps to restore the motor functions of the limb. This is a revolution in the approach to comprehensive rehabilitation intervention,” says Oleg Bilyanskyi, head of the center.