Kitchener resident and former marine cycles 1,200 km for Ukraine war amputees
As the number of Ukrainians with disabilities grows, so too must the resources, said Jakob Kepka
It's no small feat to cycle 1,200 kilometres, let alone in war-torn Ukraine as an above-knee amputee.
Kitchener's Jakob Kepka did just that.
The 67-year-old is a former U.S. marine who started his journey by bike on Aug. 11 in Krakow, Poland and finished in Kiev, Ukraine a month later on Sept. 11.
He said he wanted to raise awareness for the struggles war amputees face in conflict zones like Ukraine. His campaign is called the HopeRaising Expedition.
"I wanted to show them face to face, right? Life doesn't end with amputation," he said.
Kepka, an avid long-distance cyclist, was working in Poland and Ukraine two years ago on the border.
On a weekend outing in Lviv, Kepka ran into a young soldier who had recently lost part of his leg and was walking on crutches. Kepka was wearing his expensive bionic knee.
"He looked at it, then he looked at me and I looked at him and all I saw was the despair in his eyes and a loss of hope," Kepka said.
Kepka said he regretted not stopping to talk to the young man. That not only haunted him, but inspired him to take action. He said the shame of not helping another amputee drove him to do the ride.
When he started his month-long expedition, his early goal was to fundraise for prosthetics for soldiers affected by the war.
As he rode with his team he realized there was a bigger issue at hand — the availability of healthcare professionals to work on amputees.
"You can have a warehouse full of prosthetics, but if you don't have a prosthetist and the prosthetic technicians to fit those prosthetics, those prosthetics will never get on the people that need them," Kepka said.
Kepka is now working to develop partnerships with Canadian and other Western foundations and universities in rehabilitation healthcare fields to partner up with clinics in Ukraine to develop programs that would help them get the qualified people they need.
The need
Yaroslava Kolodii helped coordinate the HopeRaising Expedition project, but said that the true mastermind was Jakob Kepka.
Freedom Space Foundation, a non-governmental organization in Ukraine, and a team of volunteers were also behind the ride.
In an email, Kolodii told CBC News that Kepka was an example of "strength and determination, self-discipline." Kolodii said the goal, to raise hope among amputees, was well-met.
"The biggest need now is training of specialists, as well as information and financial support abroad," said Kolodii.
Kepka said there are still about 120,000 amputees in Ukraine, and there are only 14 certified prosthetists. He said there's also a major infrastructure need.
"They have to figure out a way to integrate and assimilate the growing number of people with disabilities in Ukraine into society and everyday life," Kepka said.
'It's a very complicated situation over there'
When he became an amputee 10 years ago, Kepka's main goal was to ride a bike again.
By chance, he came across a Spanish Para cycling team he got to train with in Barcelona. It took him three years to perfect his riding technique.
Kepka rides a conventional bicycle with one leg. The trick, he says, is to pull the pedal up at the bottom of a stroke.
The adjustment was a hard one. He said some amputees in Ukraine are adjusting to multiple limb amputations.
"It's a very complicated situation over there, much more so than here," said Kepka. "Our prosthetists here don't see what prosthetists over there are seeing on a daily basis."
So that's exactly what his trip took him to see. He met with veterans, medical staff, hospital directors, surgeons and specialists alike to look at the dire prosthetic situation in Ukraine. He learned a lot, fundraised some, but specifically wanted to raise hope.
"Living with a disability allows you to develop into the person you were meant to be," Kepka said. "And changes you in a way where you can be of service to others if you choose to be."
LISTEN | Kitchener cyclist raises awareness for war amputees in Ukraine:
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With files from Diego Pizarro