The Osseointegration Group team has a long history of helping civilians and military personnel injured in conflict, and have travelled across the world to do so, bringing new surgical technology, training and techniques.
One of our newest military patients, Viktor Bogoyavlensky, arrived in Sydney in a very different way.
On September 1st, 2024, as Viktor’s unit mobilised along the front in east Ukraine, a mortar exploded at Viktor’s feet, turning his lower legs to “confetti”. He was evacuated from the field in the back of a pick-up trick and taken to hospital in Dnipro, where surgeons were forced to amputate both of his legs above the knee in order to save his life.
The position of Viktor’s amputation, high up the femur, would mean that he would struggle to walk using traditional socket prosthetics, and so faced the prospect of spending the rest of his life reliant on a wheelchair for his mobility.
Understandably keen to explore other options, Viktor was contacted by a US-based charity organisation, Atlas Global Aid. The CEO of Atlas, Jack Frye, had a personal interest in helping Viktor – his own brother had completed osseointegration with Prof. Munjed Al Muderis seven years earlier.
So, with the help of Atlas, Osseointegration Group, Sydney’s Ukrainian community and thousands of well-wishers and fundraisers across social media, Viktor was evacuated from Ukraine to Poland, where he was first checked by the team at our partner organisation in Warsaw, before boarding a flight to Sydney.
Viktor’s post-operative wounds had not been closed, and so it was vital to move quickly to decrease the risk of infection. Viktor was in the operating theatre, ready to receive his OPL implants, only 10 days after his injury – a testament to Viktors determination, and the overwhelming level of support he received.
Today, 8 weeks after his surgery, Viktor is going from strength to strength. His bilateral osseointegration has been a success, and the most important part of his aftercare has been ensuring that he takes things slowly! Now, with his sites firmly set on returning to his unit, there’s really no stopping him.
