“My only fear is not doing everything I can”: Nataliia Kyrytsia, Kyiv region

Nataliia Kyrytsia is a paediatric infectious disease physician, PhD in medical sciences, and lecturer at the Bogomolets National Medical University. She is also a volunteer with the Ukrainian Red Cross emergency response team in the Kyiv region.

She had dreamed of joining the Ukrainian Red Cross even during the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, as an infectious disease doctor, Nataliia first witnessed the team training medical staff in the proper use of personal protective equipment.

“I thought then: what wonderful people they are,” she recalls.

This desire stayed with her for several years, and in 2023, it became a reality. Since then, Nataliia has been involved in responding to the consequences of attacks, transporting people, and working shifts during mass events. She also continues to learn and develop her skills — from first aid to water rescue operations.

One of the most important stages of her volunteer journey was the Skhid (East) mission. While working in frontline areas, she truly understood what it means to stand by people in the most difficult moments of their lives.

Her first deployments left a strong impression. What she remembers most vividly is the strike on a shopping centre, where children were among the injured.

“There is no fear as such. My only fear is not doing everything I can. That is what motivates me from within,” she says.

Her work as a doctor taught her to maintain a clear mind even in the most difficult situations. Delivering difficult news to parents, working with children, and making rapid decisions — all of this shaped her resilience and became an important foundation for her volunteer work.