Two years of courage: the story of little Andriyk, who lost his legs due to rocket fire
War is always great sorrow, tragedy and death. During shelling, not only adults suffer, but also children, and this is a double grief. They receive serious injuries and injuries that lead to amputation of limbs. After that, the lives of children and their parents are divided into before and after... Such injuries are not only physically difficult, they also have extremely serious psychological consequences for children.
Two years ago, a great misfortune came to the Tomchuk family from Korosten – on March 6, 2022, during an air raid and bombing, 4-year-old Andriyko lost both legs due to a fragment of a FAB-500 missile. Since then, the boy has undergone many complex operations, after which the child’s bandages were repeatedly changed under anesthesia.
Journalist of IA “FAKT” Yuliya Bozhok spoke with the father of the injured child, Pavlo Tomchuk, and found out how Andriyko lives now.
“It happened on March 6, 2022, at the beginning of the war. We were staying at a friend’s house, and at night during an air raid and bombardment, we came under fire. No one expected trouble from the explosion and debris, but suddenly – silence, dust and a terrible picture – Andriyk’s legs are mutilated.
When the tragedy happened, we immediately went to the Korosten city hospital, and our doctors immediately took my son to the operating room, he lost a lot of blood at that time. A few more minutes, and Andriyko found himself on the operating table, it was two o’clock in the morning on the clock. Doctors began to perform a life-saving operation, and thanks to the skill of the surgeons, his life was saved. Around six in the morning, he was on drips in the intensive care unit. The night was very difficult… Then we were sent to the Zhytomyr Children’s Hospital, where we stayed for 10 days.”, – recalls Pavlo with tears in his eyes.
Two years passed, and the parents’ unbearable pain remained for the rest of their lives.
“After that, we went to the city of Krakow for 10 days, – Pavlo Tomchuk continues, – there, the son underwent several operations, one of which was a re-amputation on one leg, and an infection was removed from the other. Andriyko underwent very difficult operations, each such operation and each change of plaster bandages took place under general anesthesia, because the pain was unbearable.
12 days after the treatment in Kraków, we went to Germany, where prosthetics was made. Today, the boy uses modern prostheses, there are several riders of variables – some for everyday life, and others for sports. In two years, we have already changed 3 pairs of prostheses. Andriyka is growing and the prostheses need to be replaced,” – says the boy’s father.
The father adds that Andriyko does not need such treatment at the moment, there is simply constant monitoring of his health. Mother and son constantly visit doctors:
“Doctors often observe whether everything is developing normally or whether everything is as it should be. Andriyko is constantly under their supervision. Here in Germany, the child attends kindergarten, but most of all he likes to swim in the pool. In general, the boy lives a full life, he has already adapted to changing prostheses and to such an unusual life. Despite everything, Andriyko always smiles and almost never complains.” – noted Pavlo.
A tragic and very moving story… The editors of IA “FACT” wish Andriykov successful rehabilitation, love and care of his relatives, and endurance and strength of spirit to his parents!
