Oksana and Viktor’s story of getting married
The video of their wedding went viral all over Ukraine. Repost after repost. Comment after comment. And after my repost, I decided to write to them.
The 117th day of the war, Monday
She:
Our first dance took place while Vitia was holding me in his arms at the Lviv Surgery Center. I had imagined it differently...
After the proposal, we just wanted to get married. Maybe go to a cafe. But when we were at the registry office, we got a call from Lesia. She is a volunteer who constantly visited us in the hospital. She baked a wedding cake, brought me a white dress to the hospital... The whole hospital staff gathered in the ward to celebrate our wedding.
Suddenly, Mrs. Nataliia (her husband – a soldier was in the next ward) brought a laptop and turned on the song “Narechena” (“Bride”) by Dzidzio. Vitia took me in his arms to dance. What’s a wedding without a first dance?
He:
The most valuable thing we have left after our wedding is her wedding wreath, which is now kept at her parents’ place in Poltava, and our wedding rings. When I look at my ring, I immediately remember how everything happened, how her eyes were glowing with happiness.
LUHANSK REGIONAL HOSPITAL
She:
We have known each other since we were 12 years old. He lived in the village of Vovchoiarivka, in our Luhansk region, and my mother worked there at the rural health center. So whenever there were events, she always took me with her. That’s where I met Vitia.
When we were kids, we went to a summer camp together, then we started dating and have been living together for 6 years. We have two children: our son is 7 years old and our daughter is 5 years old. Our children have always come first for us, and we have always postponed marriage. At first, I spent six years studying at a medical school along with two maternity leaves. After that, I worked at the Luhansk Regional Hospital as a nurse in the children’s unit.
When the war broke out, I was returning home from my night shift. I got there, thank God. Then the public transport stopped going, so I traveled with my friends. We all adjusted to each other to somehow get to work. That’s how I went for my shifts in the Sievierodonetsk town.
In early March (I think it was the night from the second to the third), it was my last night shift. That’s when our hospital was shelled. The emergency department was damaged, and window glass in other units was smashed. The oxygen supply was cut off in our intensive care unit. Two children could not breathe without oxygen for more than two minutes. The heat and gas supply were damaged. After that, I was no longer called to work because I lived far away.
She:
On March 27, Vitia, our friend and I were returning home. I was walking ahead on a familiar road, not turning anywhere. I wanted to show the guys a shell that was sticking out of the ground. I made a half-turn to Vitia to warn him. I flew over. I just managed to shout: “Honey...”
He:
I was walking behind. After the explosion, Oksana was lying down and not moving. At first, I was afraid to approach her. I saw that she started to turn around and urgently called an ambulance. While the paramedics were driving from the Lysychansk town, we kept talking to keep in touch. I bandaged her injured legs and arm. She kept asking: “What’s wrong with my legs?” and I kept saying: “Everything will be fine...”
She:
When I was hit by a mine, he was with me all the time. When I had 4 surgeries in our local hospital, then when I had to go to the Dnipro city for treatment and to the Lviv city for rehabilitation. All this time, Vitia never left me for a moment.
NOW WE HAVE NO OBSTACLES
He:
We had been planning to get married for years but kept putting it off. After Oksana was hit by a mine, we thought we would get married when she was fitted with prostheses. But then I decided to end our talks about marriage with a proposal.
She:
One day he said to me: “I’m going to the store and I’ll be right back!” And he came back with an engagement ring. So, on May 2, we got married in the Lviv city, and celebrated the wedding in the ward of the Surgery Center.
He:
You should have seen her joy and the sparkle in her eyes when she realized that I had finally decided to take this step... This moment was an understanding - we have no obstacles. We will go this way together.
TO HELP OTHERS BY SHOWING AN EXAMPLE
He:
Our goal now is to get back on our feet and return home to Ukraine. We are currently undergoing rehabilitation in Germany, waiting for a decision on prosthetics, and taking out insurance. As soon as the documents are finalized, orthopedists will start fitting the prosthesis, and we will be able to return home.
Oksana wants to retrain as a rehabilitation therapist to help other people by showing an example. And I have plans to open a locksmith shop or a brewery with live beer.
She:
I am sure that every person has something to live for. God does not give us trials that are beyond our power. That’s why you can’t give up. You must set a goal and go for it. The most important thing is not to lose heart and fight for life.
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