The book of consolation
Nikita - the winner! Three-year-old Nikita Badykov needs urgent surgery on the second ear. To 100% restore the child’s hearing, you need to install a cochlear implant. From birth the boy heard, but in the first six months of life received therapy with ototoxic antibiotics and lost his hearing (treated heart disease). The price of a child’s health is UAH 678,000. The amount is not affordable for his parents. The fund raises funds for the operation for the child, and the time to raise money is limited: the operation on medical grounds must be carried out urgently, in early summer. Ufond journalist Nina Filatova talks about artist Nikita Badykov to artist Roman Romanyshyn. In co-authorship with her husband - Andriy Lesiv - Romana created a children’s book "Loud, quiet, whispers." Last year, the book received the prestigious BIBPLAQUE award at the International Biennial of Illustrators in Bratislava.
Of course, the author of the book knows more than us what hearing is and how important it is to hear well. Romano, in your book you tell children about hearing and what a deaf person has left… - While preparing the book, we read a lot about hearing, the anatomy of the hearing organs, talked to people who cannot hear. Ordinary people take sound for granted, and silence is needed to be alone. We looked at sound and silence in different aspects, and talked about how important it is to understand each other even without words. But in fact, life without hearing is difficult: we can not hear the voice of the dearest person, to feel the beauty of music. We can not hear the sounds of cars, other important signals, that is, without hearing it is difficult to navigate the world around us, and sometimes dangerous. That is why in our book we write that ears are such a delicate mechanism that must be protected.
Have you made any discoveries about people with hearing impairments? - Yes, we talked in Lviv with children who cannot hear, and it was a revelation for us that they still feel sound vibrations. In addition, modern gadgets are very helpful now. For example, they communicate with each other via Skype, see each other, and speak sign language. It was very interesting that sign language is not the only one, there are more than 150 of them. And if Ukrainian children want to communicate with American ones, they still need to learn sign language. However, it was unfortunate to learn that it is difficult for people with hearing impairments to realize themselves, because they have few educational programs and, as a result, few opportunities to work in important positions. For now, I just hope that our state will develop in this direction.
For some reason, our state does not consider that operating on a child from an early age is much more profitable, even from a financial point of view. After all, a person who does not hear or has poor hearing is provided with social assistance, which is paid for life. Short-sighted politics destroys destiny: a person can not live on meager wages from the state and can not fully realize themselves. How do you think this issue could be resolved?
- Experience shows that today the charity movement and volunteering is almost the only way to help people in our country. The traditions of charity in our country are actually very old. I cannot fail to mention Metropolitan Sheptytsky, who always helped the needy. The problem is that people with hearing impairments do not look different from ordinary people, and we do not care about their problems because we do not have enough information about their lives. But attention to the problems of people with any disabilities should be drawn, and it seems to me that our Paralympians are doing quite well, proving that they can achieve victory. People who have health problems are with us and it is our duty to help them. It’s just money, and it should be used for really necessary things. Fortunately, we live in a time of great technical discoveries, particularly in medicine, and that’s great, that Nikitka has a chance to regain his hearing. He definitely needs help.
But most people, if it is not personal to their family, can not perceive someone else’s misfortune as their own. Sometimes a person is heartbroken, but not effective. What should be the impetus for you to start doing charity work?
- Yes, in fact inertia exists. And, as far as I understand, to overcome it, there must be someone’s clear example. A person sees something that goes beyond his daily worldview and feels discomfort. And here both television and radio have to do some work, which should talk about people who need help. This is an important part of the work of both artists and illustrators. And we believe that such things should be discussed in children’s books, because these books shape the worldview of the child from an early age. And the child must understand that there are such people around, and they need help. But these people must also be seen as equals.
It does not seem to you that personal example is also important here. He helped himself, told a friend, an acquaintance: here is such a person, let’s help. And such a chain would be the best? - Yes, I think that we, Ukrainians, are very supportive people. And the last five years have proved that we know how to unite for a common cause. That is why such a chain of mutual assistance would really be the best.
Nikita, says his mother, when he had his first ear operated on, immediately began to respond to music, and his mother now calls him a music lover. Mykytka can’t speak and sing yet, because the child has a tracheostomy in his throat, a tube that helps him breathe and which will be taken out when all the planned operations are performed. But he feels the rhythm, he dances, he has his favorite musical compositions, and he asks his parents to put them on. Do you know how music affects a person? - In our book we talk about the connection between music and colors. He was noticed by many artists, including Vasyl Kandinsky and the well-known art critic Florian Yuriev in Ukraine. There are people who feel what is called "synesthesia", ie when you hear music, you see colors at the same time. There are people who have such a gift. But we all mentally complete the figures, images, when we listen to music. And there are people who do the opposite: they see colors and hear music. That is, music has the ability to arouse several sensations.
For Nikita Badykov’s family, all three years since the birth of his son became the years when trials were overcome like steps to the goal. And each subsequent one inevitably led to the victory over the disease. Romano, please share some advice from your own experience: where do you look for strength to overcome any obstacles?
- We all have to overcome various difficulties and obstacles. Sometimes it is very difficult not to give up and not to give up. However, I am convinced that in order to overcome difficulties you need to believe that everything will work out, make every effort to do so and not be afraid to accept help from loved ones.
Photo by
Irina Sereda for The Ukrainians Author
N i na F i latova
HELP NIKITA -
http://ufond.ua/357