“I Really Want to Live”: The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation Helped Treat Seriously Injured Vira from Odesa

Vira was returning from work when the enemy launched a ballistic missile at Odesa. She did not hear the missile’s whistle, only remembers a sharp blow to her back. Doctors diagnosed Vira with a shrapnel penetrating traumatic brain injury and numerous other injuries. Behind her are months of treatment and a series of serious surgical interventions. The Rinat Akhmetov Foundation provided funding for the medicines necessary for Vira to recover her health as soon as possible.

That autumn of 2024, many people died as a result of the shelling of Odesa – some of whom Vira knew personally. People who witnessed the moment of the explosion brought her to the hospital. The woman believes that this promptness ultimately became decisive in her case.

Vira says, “I underwent several operations, including a craniotomy and skin grafting. Everyone supported me – relatives, friends, but most of all – my husband. He was the one who contacted the Foundation, and I am very grateful they helped us with the medicines.”

Now Vira is gradually recovering from what she went through. The woman’s greatest dream is Ukraine’s victory and the opportunity to live on her land, in her city.

“I stayed alive because I really wanted to live. I thought about my elderly mother and the child who is still studying. About the fact that my husband loves me, and if something happens to me – it will stop his life as well,” Vira confesses.

Overall, within the framework of the “Treatment and Rehabilitation of Wounded Adults” project, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation has helped over 11,000 civilian Ukrainians affected by shelling.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, SCM businesses, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, and FC Shakhtar have allocated UAH 11.3 billion (USD 315 million) to assist the country, military, and civilians.