An Old Soldier

An Old Soldier

My first introduction the man was on the operating table in a Ukrainian hospital Kyiv. The patient was prepped for surgery or so we were told. We stepped into the room, gowned, masked & ready to film the below-knee amputation of his right leg. In a US hospital the patient would have been totally unconscious, not so here! He was under a "saddle-block", spinal anesthetic and thus he was wide-awake, talkative and immediately asked in Russian, "Who are these men?"

I replied in Russian that we were Americans who had come to film his surgery & to train his surgeons in a new technique for his faster reception of his new prosthetic leg. "Good! I want to get my new leg so I can once again go dancing with the beautiful women of Kyiv! I like Americans! I met many in Berlin after we killed Hitler!" was his enthusiastic reply then he began with, "American? Do you have Lucky Strike cigarettes? I like such cigarettes. I trade Americans for them in Berlin in 1945 & 1946." Obviously this man had been part of the Russian occupation forces after WW-2 in Berlin, Germany

After assuring him that we had none, his surgeon began what in the USA would have been a longer surgery than we observed there in Kyiv. In about 12 minutes the lower leg was removed. My team colleague then began to demonstrate to the Ukrainian doctors how to bandage then cast the stump so that the very next day this patient could apply weight to the limb with temporary prostheses in place. The norm then was approximately 90-days before the prosthetic limb would be introduced. That meant that learning to balance, use the prosthetic limb, re-develop the remaining musculature, etc. all took much more time than necessary. In the following weeks working with this man daily, we came to know him. His name was Yuri Pavelovich Tushenko. He had been a soldier, scout, with the Russian Army. Yuri bears no enmity towards Germans but likes Americans & British much better. He had a cheerful demeanor, was always optimistic, applied himself to his task and became our friend.

Yuri was a beekeeper, a honey producer, ranked as a Master of this craft. You need to know that since ancient, pagan times, beekeepers-honey makers-mead makers have been accorded a place in the culture of high status. In pagan times they were minor priests. In modern times this is a scientifically oriented craft that still has high status even during the Soviet Era. Yuri has many friends, relatives & customers who we came to know as well.

Yuri's daughter, Svetlana, was a nurse in this same hospital. She was the one who encouraged him to come to our diabetes foot & leg clinic where he was seen, treated for some leg ulcers & eventually was scheduled for this necessary surgery caused by the diabetic nueropathy in his right leg. His sons, Igor & Nikolay, were also there to greet him when he came out of surgery. They were with their children, all 14 of Yuri's grandchildren, as well as several of his neighbors. We were proudly introduced to all of these people by Svetlana, whom we already knew, as she was a nurse in our diabetes programs at this particular hospital Darnitsa District Hospital & Institute of Medicine.

The next morning at 10:00AM, we arrived with the temporary prosthetic limb for Yuri. He was sitting on his bed waiting for us. As we entered the room his face lit up with huge smile & his booming, "Dohbray Ootrah doctors!" was heard in Chernobyl some 88 miles away! He insisted on giving each of us a big Russian bear-hug & kissing us resoundingly on both cheeks in the traditional manner. I told him we were happy to see him and he again asked about the lucky Strike cigarettes.

He began the slow, painful process of learning to use a prosthetic limb. His spirits never drooped, his enthusiasm was infectious & he proudly berated the other patients that with statements like, "You can do this also! You are afraid of small pain! I have beaten down this small pain & I am now walking again!" It worked, within a week, 4 of these patients had requested the necessary surgery to alleviate their suffering.

He was released from the hospital to his daughter's home on the 4th. day post-surgery. I rode with him in the team van as we transported there. When we arrived he got out, settled his crutches and began to head for the front door of the building where their flat was on the 4th floor. He made it with no difficulties. Once we were in the elevator he began to tell me of the wonderful meals he was going to eat all made by his daughter for him. Svetlana was there to, open the door as we got off of the elevator. I could smell many good things cooking in her flat as he stood in the open doorway. "Welcome my home doctors!" she greeted us after kissing her dad.

Yuri's wife, Alla, was dead, she had died 3 years before of cardiovascular complications. After her death, he began to ignore his diabetic regimen that allowed him to stay in control of his diabetes. This is what led to his amputation. He had bounced back however. His indomenitable spirit took over once more and he began to live again.

In the days & weeks that followed Yuri made great progress. In 2 weeks time he left his daughter's home & went back to his home. Yuri does not live in one of the Stalin-era, multi-story buildings. Yuri's house is a 19th. century cottage, located in the Northeast outskirts of Kyiv. In the surrounding 4 hectares of land were many beehives, several sheds & a barn for Yuri's goats.

Yuri took us into his house. His grand-daughter, Olga, a blond, blue eyed beauty of 19 is going to stay with him for a few weeks until he feels secure in his balance & is able to work again without assistance. His apprentices, Pavel & Mikhail, met us at the door. They are good looking, strapping lads aged,17 & 19, who look at Yuri with respect & affection. Mikhail speaks very good English. His mother is a professor of English at Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. His dad is a chemical engineer. Pavel's mother is there with a Ukrainian meal of vareniky, borsch, kapusta, Oliver salad & keffir. We are introduced to Nadya, who is a doctor at "Okmadet" the largest pediatric hospital in Ukraine. The meal was delicious. Yuri took us on tour of his apiary. He has some 90+ hives there and another 200 hives on farms in the area surrounding Kyiv. He & his 2 apprentices work with the farmers to gather the honey. This honey is shared with the farmers on a 70-30 basis with Yuri getting the 70%. The farmers get more honey than they use so they can sell the surplus at the renoks (bazaars) to provide an extra income for their families.

Yuri's goats are milked & the milk is sold to a dairy producer who comes by daily. Yuri retains enough for his use & makes some of it into really tasty cheese. Yuri lacks for nothing to do! He has a large collection of stamps, wonderful collection of butterflies & a large library of books.

It was 4 months after Yuri's surgery & I was again back in Kyiv after a 10 week trip back to the USA. Yuri met me as entered the offices of Orto-Tek, the Ukrainian firm that supplied his prosthetic limb. He was standing without crutches. He had no crutches with him! He walked to greet me & observed a slight limp but he was steady & firm in his gait. After he was finished giving my hug & the obligatory kisses up my cheeks he began to regale me with his adventures with a new leg!

Every time I go to Kyiv I make it appoint to go to see Yuri. He is one of several people that make my adopted home town feel like home. Yuri will soon be 92. He is spry, teaches 4 apprentices, does indeed go to dances held by his civic committee each month & has never given in to the temptation to once again allow his diabetes to get out of control. He danced at His grand-daughter, Olga's, wedding last year. His sons & daughters are proud of this man who survived the harshness of WW-2, the times under the oppression of the Soviet Union, the death of his wife & is truly a man of the world with friends & colleagues all over the globe.

I consider it an honor to have been part of the effort to bring advances in techniques of surgery to Ukraine. It has been my great honor to come the wonderful people & culture of Ukraine. Strong people with a desire for life, a deep faith in their nation & all of them are making it in the economic chaos that followed the collapse of the Soviet. Yuri epitomizes the majority of these great folks!

Copyright © 2006 Donald R Houston, PhD. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the author's consent.