Severe head injury

"I am Nazariy’s mother – Liubov.

I still remember that evening when the phone rang. The medic spoke calmly, but I could tell he was struggling to keep his voice steady. My son, soldier Nazariy Terletskyi, had been severely wounded during a combat mission near Toretsk, Donetsk region. Artillery shelling, an explosion – and Nazar lay unconscious on the battlefield. He remained there for almost a full day until a fellow soldier managed to carry him out.

Blast trauma, severe brain contusion and compression, frontal bone fracture, massive hemorrhages, coma. Then – decompressive craniectomy and a complex surgery: resection of a hemorrhagic contusion and reconstruction of the meninges with autologous tissue. When I heard all that, I didn’t understand any of the medical terms — only one thing: my son was between life and death.

He was transferred to Vinnytsia, then to Lviv, and later to Drohobych, to the military hospital. Each new city felt like another chance. Nazar remained in a medically induced coma for four weeks. The doctors did everything they could, and I just sat beside him and prayed. I didn’t ask questions – I simply believed that God wouldn’t abandon us.

His wife was an enormous source of strength. She didn’t break. She stayed strong for him, for their little son. I’ll never forget the moment when the boy quietly said, "I asked Saint Nicholas to make Daddy open his eyes". So sincerely, so simply – just like someone who truly believes that miracles happen.

And they did. Nazar began to move his fingers. Then opened one eye. Then the other. These were small steps, but for us – the beginning of a new life.

After all the surgeries, Nazar was left with serious consequences: impaired movement, coordination, and speech, weakness on the right side of his body, and memory problems. Doctors emphasize that he needs long-term specialized rehabilitation in a professional center. That’s why we turned to "AGAPE" – a rehabilitation center experienced in recovery after severe traumatic brain injuries.

Nazar has been through resuscitation, numerous complications – aspiration pneumonia, a gastrostomy, repeated surgeries. The medical documents state dryly: "unfit for military service". But to me, it means one thing – he’s alive, though he still needs our support.

He served as a police officer with integrity. When the war began, he joined without hesitation. He said, “Someone has to hold this line.” Now that line is within him. We dream of just one thing – for Nazar to walk again, to speak, to hold his son in his arms.

To live – not merely survive after the war.

I’m asking for help. As a mother who watches her child fight for every movement, every word, every breath. Every donation, every kind thought – it’s a chance for Nazar to take his next step.

He survived where chances were almost nonexistent. Now I’ll do everything I can to help him return to a full life".