When the Fog Descends
This young man's story began with hope. Oleksandr (let’s call him that) was born in a village in the Vinnytsia region, and later moved to Odesa — searching for his place in the sun. He managed to settle in: he had a job and a roof over his head. He did sports, went fishing, never shied away from physical labor. In short — he was building a life.
Everything seemed to be going well. He met a girl and soon moved in with her — into her own apartment. But their story turned out to be short and bitter. The girl took advantage of Oleksandr’s trust and earnings, and it turned out — she had someone else. When the truth came to light, the young man simply packed his things and left. No shouting, no drama. He just walked away — into nowhere.
The room he had previously rented was already occupied. And going back home — to a family with five younger siblings and a tired mother who was struggling alone after her husband left — felt both pointless and unbearable. From time to time, he sent his mother some money. But now he himself was left without support.
Despair engulfed him like dark water. He found himself among the people the city doesn’t notice — the homeless. One rainy day, after drinking cheap alcohol, a downpour swept him into the cold. He was soaked to the bone, trembling. Some of the other homeless people gave him hot tea and shared dry clothes. It helped a little.
But then came illness — severe and prolonged. For ten days he lay as a shadow of himself. When he got back on his feet, he worked occasionally to earn food and a bit of clothing. But the worst was yet to come.
Drugs crept into his life unnoticed. At first — for escape, then — as a dependency. He drifted further and further from himself. Two years vanished, as if covered by fog. Oleksandr no longer recognized himself in the mirror. He had wasted away, lost weight, the light in his eyes had dimmed. Though thoughts like “I need to change something” would sometimes appear, they dissolved in the cold, damp, foul air of the basement where he spent his nights.
The cough appeared. First mild, then deeper, harsher. At night he couldn’t sleep: the cough choked him as soon as he lay down. Fever, night sweats, weakness. And again — indifference. He stopped going to work. He had no money for another dose. His whole body ached. He was gasping for breath even without moving.
The first time he lost consciousness, someone called an ambulance. He was taken to the city hospital. There, the medical staff contacted his family. His grandmother — a 78-year-old woman with a big heart — set off to bring her grandson home.
In the new city (Bershad in the Vinnytsia region), where they relocated as internally displaced persons, we heard his story. As the “You Should Know About Tuberculosis” project was active in the area, a social worker immediately conducted a screening and referred Oleksandr for medical examination. The doctor ordered tests, took his medical history, and listened to his complaints. A GeneXpert test was performed. The diagnosis was confirmed: tuberculosis.
Oleksandr was urgently referred to Vinnytsia. That’s where a new treatment began. A new chance. Because today, with timely diagnosis and treatment, we can beat tuberculosis!
Let us remind you that the “You Should Know About Tuberculosis” project is currently implemented in six regions by the NGO Labor and Health Social Initiatives (LHSI) with funding from The Global Fund, through Alliance for Public Health. In Vinnytsia region alone, during the first half of the year, 250 people underwent screening, 125 received medical examinations, and 1 case of tuberculosis was detected.