Interview with Irina Karikht

A fairy tale for sick children - the idea seems to be on the surface, but in the field of blood donation no one except you has developed it. How did you come to this?

The idea appeared a year ago, when the Crimean project “DonorLand – a country with a big heart” was created. As part of the project, we planned fairy tales from the country DonorLand. Gradually this idea developed. At first, once a year we held entertainment events for children at the Republican Children's Hospital in the oncohematology department. All the events were different, the main goal was to bring pleasure and joy to the children, and they, in turn, drew us pictures and postcards for our donors. One day we held a master class on making a New Year's toy with a wish. Each child could make a toy from various New Year's tinsel and put a piece of paper with a wish in it. The parents wrote wishes for young children, and teenage children wrote themselves. In one ward, a boy could not write a wish, his mother prompted him: “Son, write what you want, and we will definitely make you happy,” but the boy replied: “Mom, why should I write if my most important wish will not come true?” The emotional situation in the ward after his words was tense and with tears in the eyes. This day and the boy’s words periodically appeared in my head. One day the original idea of the fairy tales of the country DonorLand acquired the exact meaning, plot and content. I understood - the fairy tale should be a help to every child and every parent. It should tell how to overcome all the difficulties, instill faith that every family is not alone in its misfortune and there is always hope. The chain of care for patients is huge, sometimes no one sees it, since it is a daily routine for patients, but this help is so huge. If you notice it, you will have more strength and faith in victory. In my opinion, DONATION in the treatment of cancer is one of the main stages of supporting the patient. Therefore, the sage Danar became one of the main characters of the fairy tale.

What happened first – Maryana Tcherezova’s fairy tale or your request to her?

There was no fairy tale, it was my request to Maryana Vladimirovna. Before the request, I already had the main idea for the tale and an outline of the plot.

Tell us more about the author. Why did you choose Maryana Tcherezova?

Maryana Tcherezova is a philologist, tour guide, my teacher. I was her student more than 14 years ago. Miraculously, by chance, I subscribed to her VKontakte page and saw her deep, magical, sensitive fairy tales. I was touched by her works, her command of words, semantic presentation, it was very powerful. Without thinking twice, I invited her to participate in the project “Tales of the Country DonorLand”. I received very pleasant feedback and an answer without hesitation: “Let’s try, I have a personal story of friends about the illness of a child with cancer.”

Tell us about how the book was prepared.

The book was created for a year at no cost. When the idea and plot of a fairy tale appeared in my head, it became my intangible dream. It was so desirable that the universe itself and the symbolic signs around provided the path to follow it. I was faced with the task of finding a writer-author and illustrator who would agree to create a fairy tale with me free of charge. These two people showed up. Writer and author of the book Maryana Tcherezova and illustrator Katerina Isaulenko from St. Petersburg, responded to application on the IT volunteer website, were inspired by my idea. The three of us spent seven months creating the book, from the first paragraph and the first drawings of the main characters to creating the completed layout. It was an endless number of phone calls and messages, discussions with the author about plot twists, discussions with the illustrator about how the characters and scenes should look. Each of us put our soul and heart into making the fairy tale “About Vik, Nadezhda and the path to Danar” appear. It was an unforgettable creative flight and joy that you were creating something very important and necessary. And the moment has come when the layout of the book was ready to print, but there were no financial opportunities. The search for sponsors began. I turned to the management of PJSC RNKB Bank for help; we have been cooperating with the corporate donation for 8 years. The bank's management supported the project and took up the issue of printing the book. In September, a presentation of the book took place jointly with the RNKB bank.

The project is more than a book; what else is included?

The book is part of the Crimean project “DonorLand – a country with a big heart,” which is aimed at increasing donor potential in the region. A single graphic style was developed specifically for the project, uniting all donor activities. Campaigns are held with the slogans “Become part of DonorLand”, “DonorLand is a country with a big heart” - using printed products (posters, booklets, flyers), as well as souvenirs with the symbols of the project.

Will there be a series of similar publications for children with cancer?

We have not yet achieved the most important goal - giving the book to children and receiving feedback from their parents. When that happens, we will think about the sequel.

Our traditional question: what would you wish donors and those who are going to join the donor program?

I will say to donors, maybe a trite phrase, but with a very deep meaning: «Thank you for having us!» And those who are just about to donate, I suggest you come to the Blood Service. Let your heart become part of our big family - the RUSSIA DONOR MOVEMENT.