Veteran of the 24th "Aidar" battalion Stanislav Dekhtyar with the call sign "Vinegar" in an interview with Online.UA shared the story of his struggle for the independence of Ukraine, which does not stop even after the amputation of a limb. Why it is important to never lose hope and form the right attitude towards yourself — read on.
Points of attention
- Support from loved ones and a positive environment are important for adaptation after amputation.
- It is necessary to keep faith in one's strength and potential.
- After amputation, it is important to continue working and developing without giving up.
- It is important to maintain a positive attitude towards yourself and the environment.
"Vinegar" told the story of being wounded at the front
As the veteran notes, it was August 2022. He and his brothers were standing by the lake behind Klishchiivka, in Donetsk region.
At the same time, the Russian occupiers opened fire on the Ukrainian soldiers from three different positions.
The shelling continued for quite a long time, so the defenders agreed to retreat behind the track. "Vinegar" and his brother went into the building to take the most necessary things until there was an opportunity to return back.
And at the moment when the projectile arrived — for the first time in this building, in the gate. The gate flew out. My brothers and I lay down on the ground, agreed that now is the time to leave, arrive, and we have 30 seconds to leave. But the second shell caught me. He hit the wall under which I was lying. I was wounded in the left limb, I was wounded in the right limb. I remember everything before arriving at the first hospital. And then on the table — lancets, painkillers.
Stanislav "Vinegar" Dekhtyar
Veteran of the 24th "Aidar" battalion
According to "Vinegar", when he regained consciousness, his leg was still there, and doctors tried to save it.
However, even then the warrior realized that there were very few chances of saving it.
The doctors also did not hide the real state of affairs from the wounded man, so he was faced with a difficult choice in his life.
We have to make a decision: either we cut now, or we cut later, because we will have to cut. It was a pretty tough choice actually… and a decision. Maybe because you understand that from this moment on your life changes completely. It was really difficult after the amputation, after all those processes, not to get upset, but to get a hold of yourself, not to start doing stupid things.
How to adapt to life after amputation
Stanislav Dekhtyar remembers that when he was weaned from painkillers and anesthetics, he came to a clear realization of how important it is to continue working.
According to the veteran, in such situations, a lot depends on a person's behavior, his attitude towards himself, as well as how the environment behaves.
If I were in my environment, in the presence of my relatives and friends who were near me at that moment, I would "sour", then according to me, the same attitude could be: sour enough and weak. What is this: "poor, unhappy, and how bad everything is." But when you hold on and try to take it all not in a positive way, but also not in a negative way, somehow you are very calm about it — that right now I can't walk... Good. I will lie there for a day or two, transfer to a wheelchair, be able to drive around the territory, then crutches, then a prosthesis... Like, everything is okay, everything is fine.
Stanislav "Vinegar" Dekhtyar
Veteran of the 24th "Aidar" battalion
Dekhtyar emphasizes that this approach really works, because during all this time he has not noticed a single pitying look from relatives and friends.
According to the veteran, it is extremely important to build on what you have and never lose hope.
