A local nonprofit is bringing Ukrainian soldiers who have lost limbs in the war to Minnesota to fit them with new prosthetic devices and help them get back on their feet, literally.
Dr. Yakov Gradinar runs the Protez Foundation rehabilitation clinic in Oakdale and has so far fitted 57 amputees with 180 prosthetic devices.
After the war started, and not being a resident in the country anymore, Gradinar, a Ukrainian-American, found himself asking what he could do to help his people and his homeland.
Gradniar said that “as a simple citizen,” he was looking to offer help that the government couldn’t. Eventually, he started reaching out to those in need of prosthetic devices in Ukraine.
Gradinar shared that he is thankful for all of the support his foundation has received so he can help those impacted by the war, who he says, often arrive emotionally broken.
“Mentally, they get drained because now they feel [like] a burden [to their] community, a burden for their family,” Gradinar said. “So for them to get up and walk again and be independent means a lot.”
Gradinar says the foundation pays for the soldiers’ travel, treatment and lodging. He says soldiers typically stay for three weeks, spending the time getting used to their new limbs and traveling the country fundraising for the clinic.
Oftentimes members of the Twin Cities’ large Ukrainian population will house the soldiers, before they head back to their families with their new leases on life.
Listen to the full conversation with Gradinar here:
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