The story of Roman Oleksiv from Lviv has become a true symbol of childhood resilience during the war. He was seven years old when, during a russian missile strike on Vinnytsia in 2022, he suffered 45% internal and 35% external burns, a broken arm, a severed muscle in his right leg, and shrapnel wounds to his head. Tragically, his mother, who was with him at the time of the terrorist attack, was killed on the spot.

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Roman’s condition was critical, and doctors at the time were cautious about his prognosis. “Doctors weren’t sure that Roma would even make it to Dresden — his condition was that severe,” recalls his father, Yaroslav Oleksiv, about the first days after the missile strike.

Roman was urgently transported to Germany by private medical aircraft. After a year of intensive treatment and more than 30 surgeries, the boy was able to stand on his feet again. Today, not only has Roman learned to walk again, but he has also returned to ballroom dancing, a passion he had pursued from an early age.

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Currently, Roman and his father Yaroslav spend most of their time in Dresden, where the boy is undergoing an intensive course of treatment and rehabilitation at one of Germany’s largest burn centers — Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus Dresden.

“We will overcome everything, I am sure of it — it just doesn’t all happen quickly,” says Yaroslav Oleksiv with confidence.

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