Sycamore soccer player Drew Rohner uses Voice to help wounded soldiers
CINCINNATI — It started as a soccer game – one of thousands played across the United States this summer by select programs. It turned into a mission for one Montgomery resident.
Drew Rohner, a senior at Sycamore High School, and his Cincinnati United Soccer Club teammates were in Minneapolis, competing in the Target USA Cup in July – one of the largest youth tournaments in the world. Across the field, Ukraine’s FC Minaj side. Rohner had no way of knowing then that his life would intersect with those of many of the Ukraine fans, that he would become one of their bigger advocates, instead of a rival.
All, he says, because of coincidence.
Approximately 20 Ukraine soldiers had been flown to Minneapolis that same weekend to have prosthetic limbs implanted; the soldiers decided to cheer on their home country’s soccer team. When Rohner saw them, the game became secondary.
“The entire experience, watching these 17-year-old Ukrainian players who are so talented, who are only a year away from being enlisted … and then these you know, really courageous soldiers who had so much passion cheering on their players, and were only a couple years older than the guys they were cheering on. I mean, these guys were 19-, 20-years-old, missing limbs … like proof of the horrible war situation that goes on,” Rohner said.
It may, in fact, have been more than coincidence. Rohner plans to study biomedical engineering in college – a decision reinforced and perhaps coalesced in Minneapolis.
“My entire life I’ve kind of been split between whether or not I wanted to go into medicine, because I … really love like anatomy, biology, but also whether I’d ever want to go into something engineering because I also gravitate towards math a lot. I felt like this is a really good way to put them together,” he said.
College is nine months away, but Rohner is putting plans into action now. Working with the Oakdale, Minnesota-based Protez Foundation, whose mission is “to help (Ukrainian) people who have lost limbs to restore the quality of their life,” Rohner has organized an online fundraiser to raise awareness and collect donation for the effort. As of Oct. 3, “A Voice for Prosthetics” had raised $1,556, toward its goal of $5,000. He hopes for an in-person event in November or December, but nothing has been finalized.
Rohner said he, his Cincinnati United teammates and Sycamore classmates, have been aware of the situation in Ukraine on an “informational level;” only after the tournament in Minneapolis, and more research, did he begin to understand what was happening.
“I think that’s the biggest eye opener, I mean, the biggest was seeing these guys in front of me who were 19-, 20-years-old … that’s me in two or three years. And they’re missing arms missing legs, like absolutely, like terrible things. I can’t imagine going through the things that they go through,” he said.
Friends ask how they can help, and Rohner will gladly accept any assistance offered. He has been in contact with USA Cup organizers, who have reached out to the coaches of the FC Minaj team. A Protez official is advising him, as are his parents, Nicholas (a lawyer) and Deborah.
Persuasive skills help, and Rohner has honed those as president of Sycamore’s Mock Trial Club, a role in which he visits other schools to talk to younger students about law-related issues. He is also a National Honor Society member and student mentor.
“For one period a day any student can come into my room and you help with their homework … sometimes people just need a friend and I’ll just talk to him about that. Just advice,” he said.
This is not a whim.
“I think that my goal in this is for right now, and I don’t necessarily have all the best resources to myself, is to help people in this way. But as I go to school and start studying this, then I want to be the person that actually makes (the prosthetics) rather than just having the voice and I want to be able to meet the people that I’m helping face to face, and form a nice connection with them,” he said.
Rohner has set up a website where more information is available. Awareness is critical.
“I’ve named my fundraiser ‘A Voice for Prosthetics’ because the thing that I need the most right now are just voices. I need the word to spread. I tell people that I know and the way that somebody else could help me the most would be by telling other people and sharing.”
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