Let's help overcome unbearable pain

Urgent help is needed to help overcome the excruciating pain of the injured defender! SPREAD, ASK YOUR FRIENDS TO SPREAD!

Oleksandr Popika, call sign KOT. began his military career in 2014 when he volunteered to join the 54th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion. He was discharged in 2017. During that time, he served in Debaltseve, Pisky, and Mariupol. After his discharge, he worked as a driver. On February 24, 2022, he received a call that a full-scale invasion had begun. Without hesitation, he packed his things and went to defend his family.

"I always joke that I have nine lives like a cat, hence my call sign. During my military service, I sustained several injuries, but the most severe one left me in a wheelchair. I received it on October 10, 2022, in Bakhmut. We were on a combat mission when a tank targeted us. Shell fragments damaged my spine and spinal cord. I sustained a closed chest injury, lung contusion, damage to my left and right thighs, and more", Oleksandr mentioned.

Unfortunately, the shell fragments did their damage... His comrades were the first to help Oleksandr. Under fire, they evacuated him from the battlefield.

 "I am alive thanks to a friend with the call sign KHVOST, who carried me 8 kilometers in his arms. Without him, I wouldn't have survived", Oleksandr mentioned.

He was evacuated to Dnipro, stabilized, and then sent for treatment in Kyiv. His wife has been by his side the whole time. No matter how difficult it gets, she is always with him, his main support and strength.

“I suffer from severe pain that makes life unbearable. Constant painkillers affect my internal organs. My liver is suffering, and my kidneys have failed. But the worst is that my heart might not hold out. The doctors give me hope – a neurostimulator implant. It's the only way to reduce the pain and live a normal life", KOT mentioned. The operation will be performed free of charge by neurosurgeons of the Romodanov Neurosurgery Institute. However, it is necessary to purchase the neuromodulator itself, the cost of which is UAH 837 447.

Despite all the difficulties, Oleksandr is currently teaching at a school. He teach children what he know: tactical medicine, survival rules, and more. While school is on break, he  is undergoing rehabilitation in Kyiv.

"I dream of living without pain! The neurostimulator will give me a chance for a peaceful life. That is why I am asking for help from everyone who cares," emphasizes Oleksandr.