PORTLAND, Maine — A man who cut his teeth in the medical field at the University of New England and felt inspired to put his skills to use helping others in Ukraine recently returned to share his experiences.
Rob Motley sat in an empty lecture hall at the school and explained how he spent four years in the Army ROTC program at the University of Vermont, during his undergrad, and one year in active duty. But, he said, he suffered an injury that derailed his career.
After filling that void with a job conducting search-and-rescue missions in the Wyoming mountains, Motley eventually found a new passion in the master's occupational therapy program at UNE in Portland.
During his time in school, he watched Ukrainians suffer at the hands of Russian invaders and, after graduating this past spring, he said he flew himself over to help at the Superhumans clinic in Lviv, dealing exclusively with soldiers who lost limbs.
He returned to Maine in Maine after six weeks and shared his experiences Tuesday with other O.T. students at his alma mater.
"I want to try to rally support for Ukraine in whatever way I can in Maine, in the Portland community," Motley said. "I would absolutely love to go back to Ukraine with even more allied health professionals, so we can have more exchange of ideas and techniques."
Not only does he want to go back to Ukraine, Motley estimates there are so many unexploded mines and ordinance in the country, Ukrainians will be losing limbs for multiple generations to come; meaning occupational therapists will be in demand for just as long.