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Svitlana Hrytsenko explains how modern rehabilitation helps service members return to independent life after severe injuries. During the work of the RECOVERY network, aid has been provided to 50 thousands of Ukrainian servicemen and servicewomen. In a column for RBC-Ukraine, the head of the RECOVERY project, Svitlana Hrytsenko, describes how the approach to recovery after severe injuries is changing. 50 thousands of military personnel and 50 thousands of personal stories. The full-scale war has posed an unprecedented challenge to Ukraine's health care sector. Every day thousands of defenders of Ukraine need not only life-saving care after injury, but also a long recovery process. Rehabilitation largely determines whether a person can again be independent, return to family, work, community, or service. Since the RECOVERY network of rehabilitation centers began operating, specialists have helped 50 thousands of service members. This figure is undoubtedly important, because it shows that modern rehabilitation assistance can be organized in large volumes even during a full-scale war. Yet behind this number are not only reported metrics but real people. These are servicemen and women who, after serious injuries, relearned how to stand, walk, dress, cook, and use transport. Some returned to service, some pursued a new profession, and some dreamed of once again holding and embracing their own child. There are many names that immediately come to mind. For example, Yevhen, who wanted to recover as quickly as possible so he could get behind the wheel, or Vladyslav, who trains daily to walk on a prosthesis because he wants to hug his wife and daughter soon, who are waiting for him. Therefore, the main result for us is not the number of procedures performed, but that a person regains independence, confidence, and the right to determine their own future. At the same time, returning home does not yet mean the end of recovery. We honor those who died defending Ukraine. But we must also learn to value heroes who returned alive, especially those who came back with severe war-related consequences. While a serviceman is in a hospital or rehabilitation center, they remain in the focus. But after discharge, a person may be left alone with pain, inaccessible housing, employment difficulties, changes in the family, and the need to seek further help independently. Respect for a defender must persist even after they return home, because that is often where the longest phase of recovery begins—life that has fundamentally changed due to the combat experience. Therefore, already in rehabilitation centers, we prepare military personnel not only for discharge but for overcoming daily life challenges. Modern rehabilitation is not just about equipment and technology, but above all accessibility and a strong team, up-to-date knowledge, and a holistic approach. A person after a severe injury should not have to travel hundreds of kilometers for quality care. The ability to undergo rehabilitation closer to home helps preserve family ties, receive support from loved ones, and gradually return to a familiar environment, a high-quality life, and to themselves. That is why the RECOVERY network is developing in different regions of Ukraine and today unites 20 centers. Quality care should be everywhere people live, not only in a few large cities. The RECOVERY network today unites 20 centers (photo: recoveryua.org). Rehabilitation should prepare not for discharge, but for life. We quickly realized that there is no standard rehabilitation program, because every person has their own history, health status, professional and life experience, family circumstances, and plans. Therefore the recovery journey starts from their needs and goals. We do not offer the servicemember a standard list of procedures; together we determine what is truly important for them, form an individual plan, and adjust it according to progress. This makes the person not a passive recipient of help, but a partner of the team in their own recovery. This approach is illustrated through concrete human stories where the result is measured not only by medical metrics but also by a return to independence, to loved ones, and to a normal life. Valentyn is a young serviceman who married after his injury. Today his greatest victories are connected to important everyday tasks: washing dishes on his own, using a hammer, organizing a shared home, and making plans for the future. A people-centered approach also means we prepare the person not for life inside a rehabilitation center, but for life beyond it. Therefore activities often extend beyond hospital walls. Together with specialists, military personnel learn to use an ATM, buy groceries, navigate the urban environment, use public transport, or safely cross the street. These are ordinary things most of us perform automatically. But after a serious injury, they often become the biggest challenges. Another example of how modern rehabilitation is changing is preparing servicemembers to return to their families. We have noticed that many young fathers after injuries worry not only about their own health but that they may no longer be able to safely hold their child or care for them. That is why in the occupational therapy rooms we have created zones with children's cots, where, together with specialists, servicemen practice everyday parenting activities in safe conditions and adapt them to their new physical abilities. During sessions they learn to lift a child safely, hold and transfer them, put them to sleep, perform daily parental duties considering changes in their own mobility. The consequences of injury are not limited to physical impairment; pain, anxiety, fear of re-injury, body image changes, loss of confidence, and combat experience can significantly affect daily life, so psychological help must be accessible and fully integrated into the rehabilitation process. Effective rehabilitation is also impossible without teamwork. A doctor of physical and rehabilitation medicine, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a psychologist, a speech-language pathologist, a nurse, and other specialists jointly assess the person’s needs, agree on goals, exchange information, and adjust the program. It is this collaboration that allows accounting for physical, psychological, social, and professional aspects of recovery. Recovery begins with the person, not with a procedure. Another strength of RECOVERY is the community of professionals united by a commitment to be the best in their field. They continuously learn, analyze their practice, discuss difficult cases, and transfer experience between centers. Knowledge gained by one team does not stay inside a single facility but strengthens the entire network. This synergy enables faster adoption of modern approaches and constant improvement of the quality of care. I am confident that, by the example of this network, one can analyze how quickly the rehabilitation system in Ukraine can change when there is a shared mission, responsible partnership, investment in people, and willingness to change day-to-day practice in real hospitals across regions and under wartime conditions. Therefore, beyond infrastructure and equipment, we continue to invest in education, mentoring, knowledge exchange, and professional development of teams. A strong system starts with professionals capable of learning, collaborating, and taking responsibility for the quality of outcomes. When we talk about developing rehabilitation, we mean not only new centers or modern equipment. We mean creating the possibility for a person to play football with friends again, to buy groceries independently, to sit behind the wheel of a car, or for the first time after injury to hold their own child. It is from such seemingly ordinary moments that real return to life is built. For us, discharge from a center is not a finish line; the true result is visible when a person returns to daily life, moves independently, works, communicates with loved ones, raises children, participates in community life, and makes decisions about their own future again. The mission of RECOVERY is bigger than the number of centers and recovered patients; it is to help defenders of Ukraine return to an independent, active, and dignified life. It is an opportunity to form a new culture of rehabilitation: person-centered, holistic, team-based, accessible, professional, based on modern evidence, continuous learning, and sharing of experience. Unfortunately, 50 thousand service members is not the final figure. But it is already 50 thousand reasons to keep going.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "50 тисяч історій сили на шляху до відновлення". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: RBC-Ukraine.
