Euromedia Company performed a social project “Live till the last breath” in partnership with “Ukrainian League for Palliative and Hospice Care Development”
On October, 11th a socially political event dedicated to the World week of palliative and hospice carewas held in the columned hall of Kyiv City State Administration. The aim of the event was to attract theattention of the society to the topic of palliative care. Euromedia Company was the organizer of sociallypolitical event “Live till the last breath” and provided it with creative and technical support.
According to Alexandr Popov, the chairman of Kyiv City State Administration, a problem of providinghospice and palliative care is still undecided in our state. ”I am sincerely thankful to Vasiliy Knyazevichwho develops palliative care in Ukraine. It is a hard work, demanding daily actions. If we all togetherorganize providing such type of care in a right way, consolidate the efforts of the power, social andreligious organizations, sponsors, partial citizens, we will be able to change the situation in palliativecaring and really help incurably ill people”, - stated Popov.
The event was united by one plot line, binding a presentation of three novels of a documentary “A stepbehind the horizon” with a performance of singers and speeches of people without whom this eventwould be impossible to hold. These were national artists of Ukraine Nina Matvienko, Ruslana Lyzhychko,Vladimir Gryshkko, an honored artist Viktor Pavlik, a famous actress Irma Vitovskaya and many othertalented and established people who change the world with their deeds and their personal example.
“I went through the pain, when your close person dies, and there is nothing you can do with it and youcannot take away the pain from her. People living the last moments of their lives value their time likeno one else on Earth. And the most painful phrase for them is: “I don’t have much time”. Wherever onearth I am, I will always come to support all the actions directed towards the positive change of thesituation with palliative care in Ukraine.” – said singer Ruslana.
The basis for the event was a documentary about the dreams of incurably ill people “A step behind thehorizon”, filmed by Euromedia and a young film director Andrey Rozhen.
“A step behind the horizon” includes three novels about dreaming despite pain and despair. The firstnovel “The last concert for my daughter” is about a story of young woman Yulia, who loved music andher child above all. Having neither possibility nor force to leave hospice during her last days, Yulia wasstill dreaming about performing her favorite music for her daughter. “This too shall pass” – is a life credoof Stas, who walked through values rethinking, but never got the forgiveness of his relatives. However,within loneliness and involuntary seclusion there is a place for love and a dream about the sea. The lastnovel “Angel needs help too” is a story about the kindness of people working in St. Petersburg hospice,they fill children’s lives with happiness and joy, making their dreams come true.
In the opinion of Vasiliy Knyazevich, the chairman of “Ukrainian League for Palliative and Hospice CareDevelopment”, the ideologist of creating governmental program of helping palliative patients, thereadiness to help such people reflects the maturity of the society. “I am impressed when intelligentpeople don’t even want to assume that such trouble may happen to them too. They don’t even wantto hear that such problem actually exists. Many people in the society think that incurably ill people –are “used stuff”. That is why I am very thankful to those who supported us, who managed to rise aboveeverything and to think about what is there – behind the horizon.”
In the opinion of St. Petersburg hospice chief, Alexandr Tkachenko, there is a serious program fordevelopment of governmental program for helping palliative patients. If Ukraine moves further thesame way, in couple years visible results can be achieved.
There were journalists, politicians, social workers, doctors, social organizations and different religiousconfessions representatives at the event.
The host of the event national artist of Ukraine Bohdan Beniuk made a heartfelt and soulful speechabout human happiness, the warmth of human relations, support and necessity of love towards eachand every human being. As a conclusion he read the farewell letter of Gabriel Garcia Marques: “If for awhile God forgot that I’m a puppet and gave me a piece of life, probably I wouldn’t say everything that Ithink, but definitively I would think everything that I say. I would give more value to things not becauseof what they cost but because of what they mean.”
