Ukraine soldier who lost arm on battlefield receives prosthetic arm in Livonia
LIVONIA, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Andriy Mazuryk lost his left arm while trying to help his fellow soldiers on the battlefield. But nearly one year later, the 26-year-old's wish of getting a replacement is finally coming true.
"I got really happy when I found out I could get a prosthetic," Mazuryk says.
Mazuryk is not doing it alone. Thanks to a local Ukrainian family in Livonia, and a couple of nonprofits, he is not only getting a state-of-the-art prosthetic from Hanger Clinic, but the clinic's Upper Limb Specialist Ryan Sheridan is helping him learn how to use it.
"He was in a rehab hospital and kind of all of these moving parts had a connection to Hanger Clinic and that was how they coordinated his care and him coming to Detroit and finding a clinic that could work with him on a short time frame and get him fit with a prosthesis," Sheridan says.
In what usually takes months getting used to, Sheridan says Mazuryk had only weeks to prepare before returning home.
"He's heading back next week. We'll try to connect with him over email. We'll try to connect with him the best we can," Sheridan says.
And while his heart is aligned with getting back home, Mazuryk says he has enjoyed his stay in Michigan so far.
"The pizza is good here. Very good," Mazuryk says.
