Ilya's story: veteran, who got rid of the pain that had been bothering him for more than six months

At the end of 2024, Nova Ukraine, together with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, launched a project called “Ukraine Without Pain.” Its main goal is to create a networked ecosystem for treating chronic pain in Ukraine by supplying hospitals with the necessary equipment and funding the training of doctors working in those hospitals. The importance of this project cannot be overestimated: People who have lived with chronic pain for months and sometimes years can get rid of it, stop using painkillers, and live a normal life.

“If you’ve ever had a toothache for several days that made you ready to climb the wall, imagine that I had something similar, only worse, and for six months,” says Ilya, a defender who survived amputation, rehabilitation, re-amputation, and crazy ranges of pain that did not subside for long even under the strongest painkillers.

Recently, Ilya turned to the Feofaniya Clinical Hospital, which is a leading medical institution in Ukraine and one of the two medical facilities where the project “Ukraine Without Pain” is being implemented. The specialists conducted a number of interventions to reduce the pain, which helped. The doctors proposed an experimental technique - an implantation of a programmable spinal cord stimulator. This is a modern method of treating chronic pain when other therapies are not effective. (The procurement and supply of neurostimulants is supported by the state, not by Nova Ukraine.)

Even after the test implant, the patient noticed dramatic changes. “Almost immediately after the implantation, the pain disappeared. I went for two weeks - according to the regulations, it’s not allowed anymore - and it was great...” says Ilya.

Recently, Ilya received a permanent neurostimulator and shared his impressions: “This stimulator completely eliminated the pain. A nice bonus was that it also removed phantom pain. Now I will recover, and life will begin. Next year, my friend and I will go to the Invictus Games.”

Learn more about our projects at novaukraine.org