Recently, 7-year-old Ukrainian gymnast Oleksandra Paskal, who lost her leg as a result of a missile strike, returned to sports and already won her first competition.
Oleksandra lost her leg on May 16, 2022, when Russian troops launched a missile attack on a recreation centre in the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi region.
That shelling happened at 9 o'clock in the morning when the whole family was in the house. Four people were injured, but Oleksandra's injuries were the most severe - an open fracture of the arm, a head injury, a fracture of four ribs and multiple shrapnel wounds. The floor slab fell on the child's leg and shattered all the bones.
The girl was in a medically induced coma for 15 days. The doctors did everything they could, but they were not able to save the leg. Oleksandra was treated for a long time in Ukraine, underwent an operation on her hand and then rehabilitation in Austria.
There she received a bionic prosthesis, which she mastered in 4 months. And now, after returning to Ukraine, after all the difficulties that befell her as a child, she went to the gym, returned to rhythmic gymnastics and is already winning competitions.
When asked about what helped Oleksandra to recover and come back to sports she said: "The desire to live a fulfilled life. When the doctors allowed me to return to training, I was very worried about whether I would be able to do this sport. And thanks to my coach, everything worked out for me."
Oleksandra added that her dream is to become an artistic gymnastics coach. You can see the story of the young gymnast and a small part of her performance in the video below.
Russia is still destroying Ukrainian cities and killing civilians including kids with all the weapons imaginable. We strongly condemn Putin’s genocide and acts of terror against Ukraine.
