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Young Ukrainian Triple Amputee Meets Prime Minister Trudeau and MP Wrzesnewskyj

Nov 15, 2016 | Ukraine, Canada, Featured, Newpathway

MP Wrzesnewskyj office, Ottawa.

On November 9, 2016 Mykola Nyzhnykovskyi, the 11-year-old boy who lost his legs and an arm in Volodarsk, near the ceasefire line in eastern Ukraine, traveled from Montreal’s Shriners Children’s Hospital to meet with Prime Minister Justine Trudeau while spending the afternoon on Parliament Hill as a guest of Etobicoke Centre Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj.

On August 24, 2015, Mykola and his brother Danylo were playing with two other friends in a field near their home. The boys saw an object that piqued their curiosity. Thinking the object was a toy, Mykola picked it up and it detonated. The object was an unexploded grenade. The blast immediately killed Danyo and left Mykola a triple amputee. He also sustained severe injuries to his face, teeth, eyes, and other parts of his body.

Mykola’s facial injuries were treated by Canadian doctors and medical staff at a hospital in Kyiv. The Canadian medical team was led by Etobicoke Centre resident Dr. Oleh Antonyshyn of Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital. This team of Canadian medical volunteers were part of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation’s (CUF) medical mission to Ukraine. CUF arranged for Mykola’s further treatment in Canada at the Shriners Children’s Hospital in Montreal which has generously provided ongoing assessment and treatment of Mykola’s challenging prosthetic needs.

Accompanied by his mother Alla and dedicated CUF officials Victor Hetmanczuk and Krystina Waler, Mykola spent the afternoon in Ottawa as a guest of Wrzesnewskyj, Chair of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group. Joining the group was Ukraine’s Ambassador to Canada Andriy Shevchenko. The highlight of the afternoon trip to Ottawa was Mykola’s visit with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Prime Minister’s office. During the meeting, Mykola presented the Prime Minister with his personal colour drawing of the “Tree of Life” inspired by his experiences and impressions of Canada that he completed during his art therapy sessions.

“Prime Minister Trudeau and I were deeply moved by the experience of spending time with Mykola and learning first-hand of the many challenges he’s facing. It gives me great pride to know that a first class Canadian health care facility, Montreal’s Shriners Children’s Hospital, is helping Mykola overcome his significant physical challenges. The Canada-Ukraine Foundation along with Dr. Antonyshyn and team have done the work of angels in helping Mykola, and all of those undergoing reconstructive surgery as a consequence of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine,” stated Wrzesnewskyj.

For more information on Mykola’s ongoing treatment, visit http://helpmykola.com.

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