Help 23-Year-Old Ukrainian Hero to Get a New Leg

Help 23-Year-Old Ukrainian Hero to Get a New Leg

This fundraiser is for the rehabilitation of our nephew and godson Leonid (Lyonia) Losev, a young hero wounded while defending Ukraine from Russian aggressors. On October 31, 2022, a mortar shell landed in Lyonia’s trench, tearing his leg off and killing his friend. He survived catastrophic blood loss thanks to the efforts of his brothers in arms and is now on the long road to getting a leg prosthesis and returning to his former life. The donations raised through this campaign will go toward non-medical expenses during his treatment (getting a leg prosthesis) and rehabilitation process.

We are Yuliya Drakovich and Lina Bogdanova, and we are raising money to help our cousin, nephew and godchild Lyonia. Having known him since he was all smiles and mischief as a young boy, we write with a heavy heart to ask for your help.

About Lyonia

Lyonia was just beginning his career when the war began. He graduated from a top-tier high school in Kyiv, Ukraine and pursued higher education in logistics in Poznan, Poland. When he wasn’t working or studying, he enjoyed swimming, karate, and spending time with friends. Then, in 2021, Lyonia was conscripted for a compulsory 1.5-year military service as part of Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service.

(Above) Lyonia after conscription in 2022. (Below) Lyonia on the front lines.

Lyonia’s Service and Bravery

When war broke out in February 2022, we were overwhelmed with pride and worry when Lyonia volunteered to go fight on the front lines. He was first stationed near Chernihiv to help secure Ukraine’s northern flank against the Russian invaders. Soon thereafter, Lyonia was relocated to the Donetsk region. In October 2022, Lyonia disabled an enemy armoured personnel carrier (APC) using a rocket-propelled grenade launcher (RPG), preventing the enemy from breaking through the Ukrainian line of defence. On February 12, 2023, he was awarded a “Courage in Service” medal for his bravery.

The Injury

On October 31, 2022, Lyonia’s life changed forever. Our tears would not stop flowing on the day we learned that during a mortar attack on Ukrainian positions, a shell flew into Lyonia’s trench, tearing his right leg off and killing his friend on the spot. Despite the shelling, his comrades provided first aid as best they could. There was not enough leg left to tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Lyonia suffered catastrophic blood loss during a harrowing four-hour trip to the nearest hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery and blood transfusions to stabilize him enough to be transferred to a better-equipped hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine. In Kyiv hospital he underwent six more complex surgeries to debride his wound and save his life.

Lyonia survived thanks to the heroic actions of his brothers in arms, the skilled work of Ukraine’s army surgeons, and his thirst to live. October 31, 2022 became not only a day of horror, but also his second birthday.

The Road to Recovery

After recovering from his surgeries, Lyonia was referred to the AVIMED clinic in Katowice, Poland, to receive a leg prosthesis. His extensive injury left him without enough residual limb to attach a prosthesis, and his doctors determined that he would need osseointegration – a procedure in which a rod is inserted into the residual bone of the limb to provide an attachment point for the prosthetics. After this procedure and a subsequent recovery period, Lyonia would be fitted with a prosthetic leg and would undergo an additional rehabilitation process to re-learn how to walk.

Lyonia’s osseointegration implant schematic. This rod will be inserted into the remaining part of his bone and will serve as an attachment point for his prosthetic leg.

The total cost of osseointegration, the prosthetics, and the rehabilitation process is estimated at 100,000 euros. The total time to undergo osseointegration, fitting with a prosthesis, and recovery is expected to take about 6 months.

Luckily, Lyonia found benefactors in the Dynamo Kyiv football club (Ukraine’s leading football team), who agreed to sponsor most of his medical expenses.

Photo of Lyonia with four Dynamo Kyiv football players when they visited him at the military hospital in Kyiv.

This fundraiser is meant to help with accommodation and rehabilitation expenses.

How Your Donations Will Help

Lyonia will travel the long road to recovery with the help of his retired mother, who took a job as an accountant in Kyiv to help support her son. He will stay in Katowice, close to the AVIMED clinic, to facilitate the frequent medical visits required for procedures and rehabilitation. His mother travels from Kyiv as she is able, on average three or four times per month, to support her son and help coordinate logistics during the treatment and recovery process.

The donations raised in this campaign will support Lyonia during the rehabilitation process. These expenses are broken out below:

Lyonia’s Estimated Expenses:

Lyonia’s Accommodation $3,000

Rehabilitation $6,000

Total $9,000

Join Lyonia's Journey to Recovery

By donating to this campaign, you will provide essential support to Lyonia and his mother during this challenging time. Your generosity will help alleviate financial stress, allowing them to focus on Lyonia's rehabilitation and return to a fulfilling life.

Please consider making a donation today and share this campaign with your network to spread the word. Your contribution would help to recognize the bravery of a young Ukrainian who fought for his country by helping him to return to a more normal life. Lyonia is only 23 years old and deserves to have a job, a family, and as normal a life as possible despite the consequences caused by the Russian war of aggression!