Sharing 90 years of knowledge

Blesma members are helping Ukraine’s injured service personnel start to come to terms with living with limb loss. In April, Blesma magazine went along to the groundbreaking new project’s first face-to-face meeting in London. 

Ukrainian charities have thanked Blesma for providing a huge boost to their morale and knowledge after taking part in a groundbreaking collaborative project. The innovative idea, called Conversations: Розмови has paired Blesma Members with Ukrainian soldiers who are coming to terms with life after sustaining serious battlefield injuries. The opportunity for them to share their experiences and gain confidence to live independent and fulfilling lives has been hailed around the world for its impact on the beleaguered nation, which has recorded some 60,000 civilian and military amputees since the Russian invasion two years ago.

The project has featured a series of online and in-person sessions with Blesma Members Mark Ormrod, Stephan van Niekerk, Darren Swift, Hari Budha Magar, Wali Noori, Colin Branch and Stu Pearson. In April, they were joined by six members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including two who were about to take part in the TCS London Marathon.

“I’d like to express my personal gratitude for your help in organising the meeting of our veterans in London,” wrote Olena Schmidt, President of the Citizen Charity Foundation, which campaigns to secure equipment and expertise for Ukrainian amputees and to raise awareness of the country’s continuing struggle. “From the team at the foundation, I am sending a letter of thanks to the entire Blesma team.”

She added that the collaboration, which has been facilitated by The Drive Project, has supported the Ukrainian soldiers involved and generated vital knowledge and understanding that will be shared with other injured military veterans.

“The aim of the project was for everybody to learn from one another whilst acknowledging and appreciating that these experiences would be different”

The project was launched last November with an online link-up and was followed up with this in-person session before the London Marathon. Both sessions gave Ukrainian amputees vital insight into how to cope, both physically and psychologically, with limb loss.

“When Blesma asked us to design a project that used the experiences and stories of its Members to support Ukrainians, we spent a long time considering what would be most useful for everyone involved,” says Grace Staniland, director of The Drive Project. “We wanted to keep it simple but make it impactful, bearing in mind the need for translators. Having worked with Blesma Members for a number of years we know how inspiring their stories are. For the project, we needed to ensure that we created a space in which everyone’s story was equal.

“The Ukrainians are living through a live conflict and as a result their recovery journeys are very different from Blesma Members’ experiences. The aim of the project was for everybody to learn from one another whilst acknowledging and appreciating that these experiences would be different. During the online and in-person workshops, we set up exercises and facilitated conversations for everyone to share what they hoped would be useful; from personal stories to small, manageable life tools that could be useful in everyday life. These were supportive spaces where everyone was open to listening, being curious and humble, and learning.”

When the veterans met face to face at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, they were able to discuss their military and personal experiences.

“We see you guys as being very courageous. We are definitely starting a relationship and we are comrades, brothers in arms. Long may this continue”

Darren Swift

“It is a very worthwhile project to be involved in and I can only see it growing. It gives us a great sense of worth,” Blesma Member Darren Swift told the group on the day. “We are all amputees and we share a lot of similarities, but there are some stark differences. You guys have become injured and your country is still in conflict, whereas we were very fortunate that we went away to conflict and came back to relatively peaceful countries.

“We see you guys as being very courageous. We are definitely starting a relationship and we are comrades, brothers in arms. Long may this continue.”

Forming vital connections

 

Ukrainian Marines Oleksii and Heorhii, who were both seriously wounded fighting against Russian invasion forces, said the connection was vital to their rehabilitation process, and that the knowledge and advice from Blesma Members would radiate around Ukraine’s amputee community.

“Whilst we couldn’t represent everyone’s stories from either the UK or Ukraine, every story has value,” says Grace. “This project is about sharing lived experiences to raise awareness of living with limb loss and disability, and to share ideas on how to motivate oneself to get back to life. Hopefully, this is just the very first chapter in the story of shared experiences from Blesma Members and their Ukrainian friends.”

Tony Bloomfield, Blesma’s Operations Director, adds: “The project has been a considerable success, and it has been a humbling experience to witness the participants’ journeys. The number of Ukrainian people to have lost limbs since the Russian invasion is around 60,000, and to make a comparison Blesma has helped around 65,000 Members throughout its 90-year history.

“Ukraine is facing a monumental challenge that will resonate through the nation for years and generations to come. We’ve been able to offer psychological support and are helping with resources. Our Members have already experienced what these people are going through and, in typical Blesma style, have been delighted to help.”

If you are a Blesma Member and would like to find out more about how you can get involved in the programme going forward, please send an email to info@blesma.org to register your interest.