These amputee soldiers are coming home as ‘bionic’ heroes with new prosthetic limbs

Sergeant Jovan Patagani woke up one day feeling for his legs and realizing there was nothing there.

No one foresaw the bomb attack that took his limbs and one of his comrades in 2012, especially since his battalion had just come from a search and rescue operation to help victims of Typhoon Pablo.

Patagani recalled the pain he felt that day very clearly in an episode of GMA’s “Stories of Hope.”

How it happened

“Hindi naman namin inakala na pasabugan kami kasi, under Humanitarian Law, dapat automatic ceasefire po,” he said.

[We didn’t expect to be bombed at that time because, under the Humanitarian Law, there was supposed to be an automatic ceasefire (in the typhoon-hit area).]

“So, nung araw na may sumabog, ’yun, nagising na lang ako na may mahapdi na parte sa katawan ko—’yung una ’yung sa right side na paa ko, mahapdi. Nu’ng pagkapa ko po, tumagos na ’yung kamay ko sa paa ko ... wala na ang mga buto.”

[So, that day the bomb went off, I just woke up feeling pain somewhere—first, on the right side of my foot. When I reached down, my hand went through my leg ... the bone was gone.]

The soldier, who lost both his legs, eventually got back up again, but he couldn’t move forward after the blow that cost him more than just his legs.

Patagani wanted nothing more than to continue providing for his family, so he was happy to hear that he was one of the members of the Armed Forces who would be receiving high-tech prosthetic limbs.

Another excited soldier was Sgt. Ariel Reyes, who lost almost an entire arm after a firefight against New People’s Army members in 2019.

“Hindi namin alam na ang kalaban nakaabang na pala sa amin,” said Reyes.

[We didn’t know the enemy would be waiting for us.]

Reyes said he was among the most severely wounded members of his battalion that day, but the father tried his best to recover so he could come home to his wife and kid.

“Napatingin ako sa langit ... ‘Lord, hindi ko pa time. Kaya ko pa ’to. Kayang-kaya ko pa. May naghihintay pa sakin.’ Hindi ako napanghinaan ng loob,” he said.

[I looked up at the sky ... “Lord, it’s not my time yet. I can do this. There are people waiting for me.” I did not lose hope.]

Patagani and Reyes were among the beneficiaries scheduled for the turnover in January 2020, but the pandemic made them wait longer.

To make things worse for Patagani, he tested positive for COVID-19 and had to go into quarantine.

“Dumating na sana ’yung pinakaaasam namin tapos naantala ulit,” the officer said.

[The thing we’ve been waiting for is almost here, and it’s been delayed again.]

Prosthetics

Still, the day finally came.

Patagani was fitted with a pair of high-tech prosthetic legs with microprocessor-controlled knees.

Reyes, on the other hand, was given a “bebionic” arm equipped with robotic fingers that picked up impulses from the user’s muscles.

According to prosthetist Nicole Arcilla, it will take time for Patagani and Reyes to get used to the new limbs, but these are especially designed to make it easier for them to perform daily functions.

As seen on Monday’s episode, Reyes was already using his robotic hand to pick up a fork and was very excited to finally come home.

“Excited ako, at lalo na sila ’yung pamilya ko, excited sila dahil parang normal na kamay lang,” he said.

[I’m excited, and so is my family, because it’s just like a normal arm.]

Patagani, on the other hand, said it had gotten much easier for him to walk.

“Lahat naman, actually, mahirap pero kung pursigido ka na kaya mo, madali naman lahat eh. Kasi para rin sa ’yo ’yung device na ikakabit sa ’yo, so kahit anong hirap magiging madali basta pursigido ka.”

[Anything is easy if you put your mind to it. The (prosthetic) device is made for you, so no matter how hard it gets, it will get easier.]

“Stories of Hope” features compelling stories that highlight the Filipino resilience, grit, determination and hard work, which can ultimately spark a sense of inspiration in the hearts and minds of Filipinos.

Catch it every Monday, 11:30 p.m. on GMA Network. – Margaret Claire Layug/RC, GMA News