Mykola Nyzhnykoskyi had both legs and one arm blown off when he stepped on an errant grenade in his small village in the Ukraine. He was destined to be a triple amputee with few prospects until a group of Canadian doctors working on a medical mission in Ukraine heard about him. Now, the Shriners Hospital in Montreal is piecing the 12-year-old back together.
Mykola Nyzhnykovskyi undergoes therapy in the pool at the Shriner's hospital in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi for The Globe and Mail)
Mykola Nyzhnykovskyi's physical therapist Stephanie Gould guides him through some exercises in the pool. (Christinne Muschi for The Globe and Mail)
Mykola Nyzhnykovskyi practices walking on his prosthetic legs as his mom, Alla Nyzhnykovskya, left, watches. (Christinne Muschi for The Globe and Mail)
Mykola performs weight exercises as his mom, Alla, looks on. (Christinne Muschi for The Globe and Mail)
Mykola grips a marble with his prosthetic arm during occupational therapy. (Christinne Muschi for The Globe and Mail)
Mykola rests as he climbs stairs as part of his physical therapy. (Christinne Muschi for The Globe and Mail)
Mykola does step exercises with his physical therapist Stephanie Gould. (Christinne Muschi for The Globe and Mail)
Mykola holds his knee during therapy. (Christinne Muschi for The Globe and Mail)
Mykola is being fitted for prosthetic legs for the first time at J. E. Hanger in Montreal. (Adriana Luhovy for The Globe and Mail)
Mykola is pictured with his mother, Alla, while being fitted for prosthetic legs and an arm in Montreal. (Adriana Luhovy for The Globe and Mail)
Mykola receives surgical care within the operating rooms of the Main Military hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine, as part of the Canada Ukraine Foundation medical mission. (Adriana Luhovy for The Globe and Mail)