A sweet and sincere girl with an irresistible smile is known throughout Ukraine. Many wrote about it and even showed it in the news, but it did not save anyone from the flame and did not make any scientific discovery. Inesa Matiushenko simply makes life fun and beautiful, which is especially important for people who have cancer

“Life was shared before and after, when it became aware of its diagnosis, but there was more meaning and more opportunities in it. I’m generally a man, I love different events, talking with interesting people. Now I have the opportunity to organize these interesting events too. Everyone is accustomed that oncology is something that can not be, God forbid, speak aloud. And the word “cancer” can not be said, and talk with those who can not have cancer. Or do not forgive God to pass on yet. (Smiles). We have in Ukraine, and even in the post-Soviet space, an unclassified taboo on it. And I’m very worried that when people find out about their diagnosis, they are trying to look for a simple way: they clog the search on the Internet and decide: “I’ll cure soda”. Someone writes these articles about alternative treatments for cancer, even in one day, misleading people who are so shocked with their diagnosis, and I do not understand at all how to make money. People write whole books, about how to cure celandine, starvation, diets, kerosene, mushrooms, homeopathy, vyshipotyvanny, etc. My project is aimed at psychological support of oncologists: photo sessions, yoga classes, drawing, spiking clubs, master classes, meetings where we can drink coffee, talk. It is also informing the society that we are and we need help, support – psychological, emotional, material. In general, we do not see each other as hepato cumulative. We certainly speak about the disease, we advise, exchange experiences. But first of all, we are interested in each other as a person ”
“We recently organized such a cool thing! I liked it myself. This is the drawing of a bluish hair on the head of fox girls. So beautiful! There was also sound therapy, such a kind of meditation: the girl played on Tibetan bowls. This cosmic atmosphere! They also did a joint project with Mom – Daughter. There, organizers Tash Shapiro – a girl who also overcame cancer five years ago – and Olena Tverdiuk, their project is two years. They did a photoshoot for the oncological children and their mothers. Our project was called “Mom – Children”. And we had the opposite: taking pictures of the oncological mothers and their children. From Zhytomyr in the project participated Nataliia Kucherenko, she has four children, and she came with two daughters. It was very cool! Now we plan to do another sound therapy. I plan that I will soon have more time to do the project and not distract from anything ”
“Yulia Balan is one of the first girls with whom we met on the basis of illness. She wrote to me: “Hi, I also have cancer. Let’s be friends”. And we thought together that people say, “You are so strong, you’ve overcome the disease!” That there are some girls who are not upset, but are active in their lives. Society is generally convinced that if you have cancer, you have to look like that: superb red, green, you have to sit at home and not go anywhere, and my project shows the other side of oncology. And people have the idea: if you’re lying on cancer and it’s bad, and on the other hand, if you’re cheerful, funny, active, going and laughing – it’s also bad. From somehow it’s so amazing! ”
“But when you are treated from oncology there is a different mood, a different state of health. For a week you lie with a stone, and then you want to go and jump with a parachute or banjo-jumping. Or bypass half the world, or want to sit at home and not go out. I jumped with a parachute after the second chemotherapy, when there was a lilac (Laughs). At the age of 24 he first encountered a diagnosis. At that time, it was my own self-defense system, so it was easier for me to go through this test: to be active, not to show anyone that I am sick. Even at work few people knew, although they saw me in a wig. I did not want me to be scared or perceived as a person with a fatal illness. Then I began to appreciate my time and my emotions more. Of course, they are all different, but I even try to carry positive emotions in my project, to give them. For me it is the most important thing. Friends have often been with me in the hospital, supported, but I can also find inspiration and strength going closer to nature, to my grandmother – to places that fill me, my places of Zen. From this I had a philosophy »
“After six months I had a relapse and I began to treat my health differently – more seriously. Because at first I thought that you were recovering, and everything. I did not know about the existence of relapses. Many people who have overcome cancer are afraid that the disease may come back again, but do not live with this fear, just have to keep an eye on their health, undergo planned examinations and not be afraid ”
“Surprisingly, there are so many speculations about the causes of cancer and alternative treatments. It offends when people find out that you have cancer, friends are not familiar advise to drink soda or go to grandmother. Such advice can cost a person a life and a lost time. I think we need to inform society more. This state must do, the media. So, from my childhood, I remember the AIDS videos that mention preventive measures and so on. The same should be the case with information about cancer, because people do not know the elementary things banally. And from this ignorance itself suffers, even cease to communicate with the friends who fell ill. Here in Kiev, in other big cities, oncologists communicate, and in the village comes to absurd things: almost infectious have ”
“It’s good that now fewer people are ashamed to talk about their illness. I myself, once my friends said: “Why are you so embarrassed? You should not be guilty of having fallen ill! “But I was ashamed of my weakness, the head of a fox, and I did not want the people to look at me like a person who would soon die, because they had their experience with their loved ones, grandparents and grandparents . Doctors do not inform the oncologists about the treatment process and their subsequent life after recovery, nobody says exactly what rehab is needed. In general, the attitude towards patients, rather than the history of the disease, and not as a living person. Not every hospital has a psychologist, but they are very needed. Nobody explained anything to me, they said only that they should be checked every six months. All! And doctors have to explain, because there is a lot of questions, and people are beginning to look for answers on the Internet. And so we come to non-evidence-based medicine. People must understand that this is a nonsense. If and read information about their illness, then only on official sites, and preferably English-language articles. As for lymph, I like the site https://lymphomanewstoday.com/ »
“For the illness, I was an ordinary student who goes to work, for English courses, I enjoyed concerts, exhibitions and so on. Now I have my own project, new friends, new people surround me. And I really like what I do. It is sometimes amazing to me how people really respond! Because literally every third was in the family of a person who was ill with cancer, which indicates the urgency of the problem. People have a desire to help someone, they sometimes just do not know how to do it. At least I am the kind of people around. In general, ideal volunteers are good, positive people who do not believe that someone is guilty of anything. He or she will not wait until someone changes something, but does it himself. ”
“Money is just an opportunity. Ability to live actively, the ability to help others, the opportunity to travel. This is definitely not an end in itself ”
“I am in Zhytomyr for the second time. The first time I came to visit Yulya in the hospital for chemotherapy, and the nurse fired me from the ward and was not allowed to sit next to me, which made me very surprised. To prevent people from maintaining their loved ones is a nonsense. And in my life in Zhytomyr there are always some “adventures” from a taxi. In general, Zhitomir reminds me of the Podil of Kiev. Probably their cozy little houses »
“I do not know if I am a creative person. (Laughs) I tried different things to do: decorating, photographing. She took a camera and went to the Botanical Garden. It turned out not so much, but the process itself was great! I kicked off what I was doing. The people I meet are constantly thinking that I’m a photographer, or a designer, or a stylist ”
“I really want to organize a concert, a charity festival. I want to change attitudes towards oncology and philanthropy. We are not collecting funds, although the amount needed for treatment is huge. I have more to inspire and morally support than to raise funds. Actually, I understand that when a person does not have the means to pay for chemotherapy, then he is entertained – do not entertain, but he thinks he will still be about where to take money for the next course of chemotherapy. From facebook there is often a collection of funds, moving posts, but people do not even read it. They do not want to give a negative in their lives, because everyone has enough of their problems. Here is a cool example for me – “Courage-Bazaar”. It’s such an extraordinary platform that people help with without thinking about it: some percentage is being recounted, and people just hang out with friends. And in this there is no negative color. Girls from the “Tablets” fund came up with delight when they started co-operating with “Aromakava”. Here I am a coffee maker, and I thought: “How cool I drink coffee and help someone”
“The most important thing in life is balance. Being satisfied with yourself and your surroundings, because if there are people with whom you resonate, this is happiness ”
“It is necessary to live today, because life is a process. In cancer treatment, long-term treatment, you can be treated for half a year, eight months, two years, and more relapses. And you can not stop life at this time. This is not the case that from now on I will not live, and then life will begin. You live now, and life is in trivia. You can give cards to your friends, as I did when I was sitting in a sterile box after auto-transplantation of a bone marrow. For me, three weeks did not let anyone, and I signed a greeting card for Christmas. The key to happiness in you, you can not expect from others that they will make you happy. Only you! When I have a bad day, I go to my favorite coffee shop, buy coffee, and my life is set. And there is not much money to do this. In the summer of picnics, in the fall – favorite movies, books. And it all makes the mood! Banal things make you happy, you have to make a mood yourself. There is a billion ways to make your own happiness, not to sit dumb and wait for someone to come in for fun. ”
“I started my project because I just wanted to do something positive. And it did not matter to me that someone would write articles about it. No, of course, I was worried that it would not be interesting to people, but I did it in order to help at least three or five people, let alone one day lift up the mood. That’s precisely for that. And then people were interested in it. Such is the secret: do what you like, do happy others and do not forget to enjoy the process ”

Translated by Aliona Matushevich