A state-of-the-art prosthesis for our defender
He made it! A three-point shot with a bionic arm! A physical education teacher who lost his arm at the front realized his dream 5 months after rehabilitation. Using a prosthetic arm, he threw a basketball straight into the basket.
Valentyn Anokhin, 32, is from a village in the Rivne region where he worked as a physical education teacher before the full-scale invasion. In the spring of 2022, the teacher was mobilized. In the summer of 2023, Valentyn was seriously injured in the Kupyansk-Lyman area when a tank shell exploded three meters from him. "Fizruk" miraculously survived, but lost his left arm.
After his treatment and recovery at the UNBROKEN National Rehabilitation Center, the defensive teacher was most concerned about whether he would be able to teach children to play basketball and shoot three-pointers again. In order to continue practicing with the ball, a conventional prosthesis is not enough, he needs a high-tech one. So the multidisciplinary team decided to fit the teacher with a bionic limb.
"I was really looking forward to my artificial arm. Since my injury, I had gotten used to doing a lot of things with one hand. But when I put on the prosthesis, I felt how much easier my daily routine became. Now I can do everything twice as fast," the defender shares his feelings. But the most important thing is that Valentyn's dream has come true. The capabilities of the bionic river have given him back the ability to play basketball again.
It is not yet known whether Valentyn will be able to return to teaching or will continue to serve in the military. This decision will be made by the military medical commission.
Valentyn was able to receive such a functional and expensive prosthesis thanks to a joint project of the National Rehabilitation Center and the dobro.ua charity platform, Prostheses for the Unbroken The fundraising for bionic arms for the defenders continues.
