American-run rehab center in Kyiv providing veterans with prosthetic limbs and jobs
Artem Ivankov was 17 when Russia invaded Ukraine and his family moved to Canada. However, Ivankov soon returned to fight for his country.
"I was born here and wanted to live all my life in Ukraine because I like it here. I love it. I love my country," Ivankov said.
It was not long before Ivankov realized the price of his sacrifice when a landmine explosion in Kharkiv caused him to lose one of his legs.
Ivankov's story is not unique -- many soldiers and veterans in Ukraine have lost limbs.
When Mike Corcoran heard about the number of amputees, he felt the need to spread his work to Kyiv.
Corcoran is co-founder and CEO of Medical Center Orthotics and Prosthetics (MCOP), a privately funded company based in the Washington, D.C., area. His company has been helping wounded veterans get prosthetics and with rehabilitation at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for years.
"We're hearing over 100,000 [amputees], which, compared to 20 years of war for the United States, was 2,500. It's just off-the-charts numbers," Corcoran told ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz in a story that aired Sunday on "This Week."
His company officially opened its doors in Kyiv six weeks ago. In Ukraine, they manufacture and fit veterans with custom prosthetics while also providing rehabilitation services. For the veterans of the Ukraine war, the opportunity to receive prosthetics is life-changing.
Last week, Ivankov took his first steps in a year after receiving a prosthetic leg. On Saturday, he ran part of a relay race to support veterans wounded in the war.
"I just want to show them that you can do basically whatever you want and get back to previous life on the prosthetic one," Ivankov said.
But Corcoran's presence in Ukraine doesn't end at helping veterans get prosthetics and rehabilitation. His company is committed to hiring and training veterans to make prosthetics.
Anatoly, another veteran of the Ukraine war, lost his leg in a drone strike in the battlefield. After receiving a prosthetic leg from MCOP, Anatoly now works for the company.
"Mike gave me first chance to return to life when he gave me this prosthesis, and then he gave me next chance, invite me to his company, to MCOP work here," Anatoly said
Corcoran said hiring veterans is central to MCOP's mission.
"We've committed to hiring and training veterans … We like to say that, you know, 'You lose your limb, you're still the same person, right?' … They can be functional people and have productive lives," Corcoran said.
Corcoran said that MCOP is more than just a business to him and his team.
"We take living life for granted. But when you've lost two or three limbs and you don't have like [Americans with Disabilities Act], or you don't have a support network behind you, it's tremendously difficult," he said.
Corcoran's goal is to help provide people with new beginnings, a mission that sometimes makes him emotional.
"Yeah, I mean, they're great people. Really … The people are fantastic. The resilience here is something to be proud of, you know?" he said.
