In Chicago, a complex surgery was performed on a wounded Ukrainian Defender. The charitable organization Revived Soldiers Ukraine continues to support severely wounded Ukrainian service members and Heroes. One of them is serviceman Taras Orel of the 82nd Separate Air Assault Brigade, whom the organization has supported since the beginning of his difficult recovery journey in the United States.
This was reported by Revived Soldiers Ukraine.
According to Revived Soldiers Ukraine, on February 10 in Chicago, the organization’s Medical Director and surgeon, Dr. Yevhen Pavelko, performed a scheduled ileostomy closure surgery for Taras Orel at University of Illinois Chicago Hospital. This stage was the result of months of extraordinarily complex and systematic preparation of the patient for surgical intervention.
Taras was evacuated to Chicago in September 2025. At that time, he weighed only 53 kilograms. His body was critically weakened after numerous surgeries in Ukraine and peritonitis caused by multiple intestinal ruptures following a direct hit by a 120-mm mortar shell on his dugout position.
After arriving in the United States, the UIC hospital team began long-term stabilization and preparation for the complex operation. Over five months, Taras received comprehensive daily treatment, including total parenteral nutrition (TPN), continuous intravenous infusions, regular blood tests, extensive examinations and diagnostics, and constant supervision by specialized physicians.
As a result of this work, his weight increased to 76 kilograms, his overall condition stabilized, and doctors were able to perform the long-awaited surgery.
Taras Orel is originally from Rivne region. Before the full-scale war, he worked as a blacksmith and dreamed of opening his own forge, steadily building a future for his family. In March 2022, he voluntarily joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He first served in the engineering troops and was later transferred to the 82nd Separate Air Assault Brigade.
In July 2022, during intense fighting in Donetsk region, a 120-mm mortar shell struck directly at his position. His intestines were torn in multiple places, and his left arm sustained severe injuries. As Taras himself said, “you could fit a fist into the wound.” Ukrainian doctors in Dnipro and Lviv saved his life.
Further treatment lies ahead, including surgery on his left arm, which currently has significantly limited function due to the severe injury.
The organization expressed sincere gratitude to Dr. Yevhen Pavelko for coordinating Taras’s treatment at UIC Hospital and successfully performing the surgery. Special thanks were also extended to the Parish of St. Joseph the Betrothed, the “Protect Heroes” Foundation, and Father Mykola Buriadnyk for financial support of medical treatment for Ukrainian soldiers in Chicago, as well as to the Revived Soldiers Ukraine team for their daily work alongside the wounded defender.
“We fight for every one of our heroes. And we do not stop,” the organization concluded.
Photo: Revived Soldiers Ukraine
Author: Danylo Pievchev