Doctors for Heroes: Restoring hope and health

Roman Yermolenko is a participant in the “Doctors for Heroes” project.On October 24, 2022, during combat operations in the Svatove sector, he sustained serious injuries from shelling. These injuries included traumatic brain injury, fractures of the skull bones and jaw, limb injuries, multiple shrapnel wounds, and severe barotrauma. Specifically, he was diagnosed with a linear fracture at the base of the skull, a contusion of the brain, multiple fragment fractures of the right upper jaw and nasal bones, a contusion of the right eye, and significant hearing damage. In addition, Roman suffered multiple gunshot fractures to his right limbs, resulting in the amputation of part of his right leg and three fingers on his right hand.
From the start of the full-scale war, Roman joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in March 2022, becoming a grenadier in the 1st Motorized Infantry Company of Military Unit A139.On October 24, while carrying out combat tasks to repel Russian aggression in Luhansk Oblast, he sustained severe injuries following a Russian artillery strike using multiple rocket launchers.
Before the war, Roman lived in the city of Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region, working as a construction worker and an elevator technician. He is a father of two children.
Due to extensive injuries, Roman urgently required the installation of custom implants for his zygomatic-orbital complex and temporomandibular joint. Despite his critical condition, the surgery was performed on May 16, 2023, prior to the start of fundraising for the implants.

Volodymyr Bodnar, a hero of the “Doctors for Heroes” project, sustained severe injuries on May 15, 2023, while on a combat mission near Kreminna in the Luhansk region. Following an enemy artillery strike, he suffered blast injuries with gunshot and shrapnel wounds to his head, face, neck, and body. His injuries included a closed traumatic brain injury, concussion, subarachnoid hemorrhage, barotrauma, and multiple fractures of the lower jaw, teeth, and facial bones.

The wounds were so serious that Volodymyr also experienced pneumothorax and damage to his liver and intestines. Shrapnel impacted not only his torso but also his limbs: his right thigh, shin, forearm, and shoulder blade were injured, and the fifth finger on his left hand was amputated. As a result of these injuries, Volodymyr now suffers from epileptic seizures.

Despite these hardships, Volodymyr remains an example of strength and courage. He comes from Zakarpattia and was the youngest of three children. As a teenager, he had to care for his mother after a severe injury, taking on household responsibilities since his older siblings had already left home.

Volodymyr always sought to learn and worked in various fields, never having the opportunity to pursue higher education. He was an internet café administrator, a travel agency manager, worked in Europe, and organized his own construction crew. In March 2023, recognizing the importance of defending his country, Volodymyr volunteered for the front lines—a choice that was difficult for his family.

Following his injury and multiple surgeries, Volodymyr does not regret his decision to stand up for Ukraine. He says that if he had to choose again, he would make the same choice. His family—his wife, a son born in 2017, and a daughter born in 2020—continues to support him on his path to recovery.

Currently, the goal is to cover the cost of creating a custom titanium jaw implant for Volodymyr. The total amount needed is 77 262 UAH, and the implant surgery was already performed on April 16, 2024. Volodymyr is now on the road to recovery.