Unbroken – the name of Lviv’s new medical Rehabilitation Centre is a sign of defiance. With shiny new wards for robotic prostheses, physical rehabilitation and trauma therapy, sports facilities and a giant white “walkbot” for amputated patients, it stands as a flagship of hope for thousands of Ukrainians mutilated by Russia’s devastating war.
More than 150 severely injured war victims have been evacuated to the centre from frontline hospitals since it opened last April. Some 200 more are on a waiting list. Most have lost legs or arms, many also eyes or hearing, others with severe head wounds, many psychologically traumatised.
“These people are our heroes,” says Bogdan, a young helper, in front of a gallery of photos showing patients with metal prostheses, crouched on crutches or in wheelchairs. Most are soldiers, but some are civilian women and children. “They lost everything, but they are unbroken”.
