Love in Times of War, a story of a Ukrainian veteran who lost both arms and leg.

Bohdan Gadzevich in his room in a hospital where he is undergoing rehabilitation.
March 5, 2004

Gadzevich Bohdan is a war veteran who volunteered for the Ukrainian army on February 24, 2022, and was seriously injured defending his country in the Avdiivka area (Donas district) on July 24, 2023. He lost both arms and one leg which were amputated.

Bohdan had no money for prostheses. Moreover, he treated his sadness and hopelessness with alcohol. Because of his drinking he was kicked out of a prestigious prosthetic center and ended up in a regular hospital. He was a hopeless case, no money for prostheses, his wife left him, he felt lonely.

Bohdan Gadzevich in his room in hospital using a touch pen to press icons on his mobile.
March 5, 2004

Bohdan Gadzevich demonstrates how he holds a spoon. It is strapped to his wrist, meaning he can finally eat by himself without being fed.
November 4, 2024

When I visited him in the hospital a year later, he was more cheerful. Money was collected and donated for his prosthesis by members of the Czech Republic. Life for Bohdan was improving, and getting even better. One day his old girlfriend Lena appeared. But she could not stay for long, she had to return to Hungary for a while where she works, she had to end her employment, hand over the keys to the dormitory, and try to explain to her daughter why she was planning on moving in with someone who still required full-time care.

She was away for eight months, during which time she didn’t call or send messages. Meanwhile, Bohdan was sinking into hopelessness and the conviction that Lena would never return. But last summer, Lena opened the door of Bohdan’s apartment. In November, they got married and moved to the house in the village.