According to Ms. Olga, the war gave her gray hair and wrinkles. When shelling began in her city, the woman and her family hid in the basement. They thought for several hours, and in the end lost count of days.
"It's unsanitary all around...A trophic ulcer has opened on the right leg.
My son ran to the pharmacy between hailstorms, but they were all closed. No products, no medicine... So it lasted for several more days. But the leg was swollen and started to hurt," the woman recalls.
Then Ms. Olga thought that there is no difference what to die from - from bullets or from an infection. She decided to take a risk and left the basement.
The woman was brought to the Dnipro hospital, where the doctors fought hard for Olga's leg, but in the end they advised her to contact their colleagues in Lviv. There, the woman was met with disappointing words: "no way without amputation."
Ms. Olga asked to give her a day for moral preparation, and the next morning, when the doctor asked her about readiness, the woman answered: "not ready, but amputate."
During the conversation with our volunteers, Olga periodically stopped her story because of phantom pain: the leg, which is not there, was twitching. But in a moment, this amazing woman found her smile again and calmed down the volunteers.
When we asked Ms. Olga how she manages to smile and joke, we heard the answer: "Why whine? Will the leg grow from that?" This is the argument.
The war brought all-consuming pain, anger and depression into our lives. But we must hold on for the sake of those who protect our land. In a moment of sadness, remember the words of Mrs. Olga. Appreciate what you have, every minute, until and after our victory.
