A disabled person from Vitebsk gave money saved for surgery to residents of Donbas for medicine

Two women from Vitebsk delivered medicines and medical supplies worth almost 40 million Belarusian rubles to those in need in Makiivka, Ukraine.

Lyudmila Bush and Valentina Shtal from Vitebsk are well past their prime. Moreover, both are Group II disabled. They met in a hospital 11 years ago and have been inseparable ever since. The suffering of ordinary Ukrainians, drawn into military conflicts on their own territory by politicians, was perceived equally by both Belarusian women – as their own tragedy. Recently, it has become especially difficult to watch the daily news on television, filled with heartbreaking stories of bloodshed, child deaths, defenseless elderly people left without any state support, the suffering of the sick due to the lack of essential medicines, and the hardships of thousands of refugees…

The latter is particularly understandable to Lyudmila Bush: at one time, she and her family fled from nationalist persecution from the Baltic states, and since Lyudmila Ivanovna served with her husband, they even had to hear "Occupiers" shouted at them. They found refuge in Belarus in the 90s, where they received refugee status and experienced firsthand the effectiveness of all the laws of the state that sheltered them. In Vitebsk, Lyudmila Ivanovna's family was provided with necessary housing in a dormitory, found work, and when her health suddenly deteriorated, she received medical treatment, a pension, and disability status.

The decision to somehow specifically help the residents of the Donetsk Republic came to Lyudmila Bush and Valentina Shtal almost simultaneously. Since they had recently become volunteers of the October District Organization of the Belarusian Red Cross Society, with the help of its chairman Mikhail Gusachenko, they contacted the Red Cross of the Rostov Region, which agreed to help the two women from Vitebsk fulfill their personal noble mission.

33 types of medicines, medical supplies, as well as cotton wool, bandages, and gauze – a total of 674 items worth 37,852,950 rubles – were purchased with the money Lyudmila Ivanovna had been collecting for an operation in America. Since the woman uses crutches, Valentina Pavlovna traveled with her friend as a companion. Naturally, both women also bought round-trip tickets with their pensions. The "protective charter" for the aged missionaries embarking on a difficult journey was a letter from the chairman of the October District Red Cross organization: it contained a request to all enterprises, organizations, institutions, and private individuals to provide all possible assistance and support to the Vitebsk missionaries. And indeed, this is what happened!

— We left Vitebsk on the night of September 18th for Rudnya, then transferred to a train to Smolensk, and it turned out that we had all sorts of problems on the road, but we were helped by both Vitebsk railway workers and ordinary Russians; we were warmly welcomed by representatives of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and border guards. Everyone paid special attention to us because we were in the bright, eye-catching uniform of the Belarusian Red Cross, and the red scarves clearly read: "From heart to heart"…

— And the way the Rostov Red Cross took care of us, we recall with special warmth, — says Lyudmila Bush. — They met us at night, fed us, let us sleep, provided a car in the morning, and drove us to the border of the Donetsk People's Republic. True, it would have taken another three hours to get to Makeevka itself, but we were limited in time, and the two-day journey to Rostov was physically difficult. Therefore, right at the border, we handed over the suitcases with medicines to the representatives of the Makeevka Red Cross. There was no end to our gratitude, because the drugs we brought remain in the greatest deficit: for insulin-dependent patients, with kidney and heart problems…

Two Vitebsk volunteers inadvertently acted as diplomats. They brought medicines exclusively from Belarusian manufacturers to demonstrate their effectiveness and affordability in case of procurement. They also learned that Makeevka would gladly accept Belarusian potatoes, dairy, and other products. Well, good deeds know no borders.

Natalia Drozdova, "Vitbichi". Photo by the author.