Meet the Wounded Ukrainian Soldiers Being Healed by Christian Doctors

A group of Christian doctors has helped more than 130 Ukrainian soldiers with severe facial injuries since 2023.

The Vision for Ukraine medical mission is carried out by the Christian Medical Association of Ukraine (CMA Ukraine) in collaboration with American partners. The mission unites Ukrainian and American oculoplastic surgeons to help bring hope to injured soldiers.

The mission’s doctors perform complex reconstructive interventions, which can involve everything from restoring facial bones to individual eye prosthetics.

“For us, as an association of Christian doctors, this is also a matter of dignity … [not only returning] functions, but also a face, self-image, [and a] future,” Rudolf Myhovych, head of the CMA Ukraine, told me. “Vision for Ukraine is a mission of cooperation, medical brotherhood, and deep respect for those who defend Ukraine.” 

The total cost of all surgeries and implants has already exceeded $750,000. Financing has been provided by international support of Leap Global Missions, Ed’s Friends, AROMS, Razom for Ukraine, and MedCAD.

For many patients, these implants and reconstructive surgeries are a chance for a new life. 

Serhiy’s Story

A Ukrainian veteran named Serhiy returned to defend his country in 2022. That year, he lost an eye and sustained major damage to his skull when shrapnel hit his face.

Serhiy got a standard eye prosthesis and returned to duty a few months later. In 2023, Serhiy was wounded for the second time by an exploding mine. Part of his foot had to be amputated.

“It didn’t look great, of course,” he told me. “But at the time, that wasn’t the priority.”

At the Kyiv Regional Clinical Hospital, CMA Ukraine doctors performed a complex operation on Serhiy’s face. This involved removing the old prosthetic structures, rebuilding bones, and preparing the basis for an individual prosthesis. 

All of CMA Ukraine’s patients undergo CT scans in Ukraine. The scans are then sent to MedCAD in Dallas, which produces patient-specific implants. Based on the scans, a 3D model of the skull is created, and engineers work alongside surgeons to design custom titanium plates that are tailored to each individual patient.

The implants are made of titanium, which is an expensive material. One implant costs $9,000 to $12,000, and this is without taking into account the work of the operating team and the hospital. However, patients of the Vision for Ukraine mission receive implants and operations free of charge.

When the implants were installed, Dr. Jorge Corona, an oculoplastic surgeon from Dallas and a member of the mission, said, “They fit like a glove.”

After seeing Serhiy, Nancy Hairston, CEO of MedCAD told me,“He looks great. You can see that he feels confident again, and he talked about his plans for the future. This is new life, new senses, and new hopes. [It’s] very moving”

Arthur’s Story

Arthur is a soldier and father of two. He received a bullet wound on the front line that completely changed his life. The bullet passed through his face and permanently blinded him.

As part of the Vision for Ukraine mission, his facial bone structure has already been restored, and several stages of reconstruction have been carried out, installing individual titanium implants.

He also received eye prosthetics. While these could not restore his vision, they helped restore a sense of wholeness. 

“My previous life is over,” Arthur told me. “Now a new one begins.”

Artem’s Story

Artem was injured multiple times defending his county. He received his fourth and most serious injury in 2022. The blast trauma damaged his face, vision, and hearing. He also lost most of his teeth.

Recovery was a long process involving numerous surgeries. 

“I wouldn’t call [them] surgeries,” he told me. “They were putting me back together piece by piece.” 

During the Vision for Ukraine mission, Artem was fitted with custom 3D implants that restored his facial bone structure and functionality.

Despite the difficulties associated with his ongoing rehabilitation, Artem says he remains motivated knowing that his two young sons waiting for him at home. His journey—full of pain, patience, and faith that life after injury is possible—is being made for his kids. 

Previously, ophthalmology in Ukraine was a more limited specialty and did not include complex reconstructive surgeries on the eyelids and mucous membranes.

“The war, paradoxically enough, gave impetus to the development of certain areas of medicine in Ukraine,” Stuart Seiff, an oculoplastic surgeon and member of CMA Ukraine, told me. “Thanks to the cooperation of Ukrainian and American specialists, this area is now actively developing. And now we already have specialists who are able to perform operations of such complexity without our intervention.” 

Care for Each Patient

The Kyiv Regional Clinical Hospital in Ukraine performs more than 100 operations every month. About 60% of patients are military personnel with mine and bullet wounds to the face. 

“The injuries are different: sometimes the bone is damaged, sometimes the muscles, sometimes the participation of an ophthalmologist is required, sometimes a neurosurgeon,” Oleksandr Vasyliev, head of the maxillofacial surgery department of the Kyiv Regional Clinical Hospital, told me.

“There are no universal solutions here. We do everything possible to ensure that the treatment is as effective as possible and that [each patient] can return to a full life.” 

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