Paula Bronstein
Getty Images
KYIV, UKRAINE:
Andriy Onopriienko, 32, chose to serve as a veteran in the Ukraine Armed Forces, voluntarily joined the army back in 2014 and returned to the front line years later. He comes from a big family, has 4 siblings and resides in the same apartment on the edge of Kyiv in a soviet style high rise all his life. His life changed completely almost 2 years ago when he was hit by tank rocket fire. He lost his eyesight, suffered severe facial burns, and hearing loss in his right ear. After his facial injury he said, “ I was in so much pain I was begging another comrade to kill me”.. I couldn’t see anything, I was worried about my family and had suicidal thoughts as well. “ Now I want to live my life to the fullest, one step at a time and achieve even small things everyday”
Ukraine is facing an enormous and complex challenge in providing medical care, rehabilitation, and psychological support to a growing number of injured military personnel. With over three years since Russia’s full-scale war a significant number of soldiers are experiencing vision loss due to facial injuries, there are no official statistics on the number of blind veterans in Ukraine however the healthcare system is not yet adapted to treat the newly blind so it is a unique challenge for the healthcare system and support services. Soldiers who are blinded depend on rehabilitation programs to help them adjust and adapt to their new reality, and just to navigate daily life.
