From fear to hope: Olena`s journey
She sat quietly in the corner of the humanitarian center, holding a cup of hot tea. She didn’t take food packages, didn’t ask for help. She was just warming her hands and staring into the void.
Olena had arrived in Kyiv after multiple relocations, fleeing her hometown of Nikopol — a city that has lived under relentless shelling since the first days of the war. She came frightened, pregnant, exhausted, and hopeless. It seemed she had no strength left to go on.
It was Irina, a social worker from the “You Need to Know About Tuberculosis” project, who noticed her early on. At first, Irina simply approached her, spoke gently, and offered help. Then she began searching for shelter for Olena. But every attempt ran into the same obstacle: a medical examination.
Olena refused. She was terrified of doctors, terrified of what she might learn about her health and her baby’s. She hadn’t seen a doctor once during her pregnancy.
As the due date drew dangerously close, Irina and a doctor finally managed to convince her: delaying any longer could cost her life. Olena agreed to screening and a full medical check-up. The diagnosis was devastating — tuberculosis, along with several other serious conditions that endangered both her and the child.
The birth was extremely difficult. The baby was born with severe health complications and, tragically, did not survive. According to medical protocols, in such cases doctors focus on saving the mother’s life — and they succeeded.
Today, Olena is completing treatment. She lives in a safe environment, slowly regains her strength, and is learning to trust people again.
Her story is one of pain and loss. But it is also a story about resilience — and about those who step in during the darkest moments to make sure someone doesn’t break completely.
The “You Need to Know About Tuberculosis” project and its social workers, like Irina, do more than identify illness. They give people a chance — at life, at recovery, and at a fresh page to begin anew.
The initiative is carried out by the NGO Labor and Health Social Initiatives with the support of the Public Health Alliance under a Global Fund grant to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. It also works in close partnership with regional and local social service centers and healthcare facilities across Ukraine.