Serhii Antonick

full interview

Here. Okay, well, it’s for 1,000 Dreams. I am interviewing… 
Serhii.

Serhii. And, well, nothing, it is to know a bit about his story, why he is living in Spain now. And let’s start from the past. Where are you from? What do you like? What were you doing? A little bit about how your life was. 
I am from Ukraine and, before coming to Spain, I had not visited any foreign country. And we’re a big family, I have my wife and seven kids, and hmm… It’s a little bit… It’s hard for us to travel, and that’s why we haven’t traveled to another country. And, we live in Ukraine without thinking about leaving the country or looking for a life, a better life. And the story? The story of living in Spain started without thinking, without wanting to, in 2021.

Okay, in 2021 you had to come, you and your son, you told me, right?
Yes, because at the beginning of the year, in February 2021, my three-year-old son in 2021 was three years old, and he had a serious illness: leukemia. And, at first, we started treatment in Ukraine, and due to the type of illness being quite serious and we didn’t have many guarantees that medicine in Ukraine could give a good treatment and that’s why…

You started to look for other alternatives?
That is how the story of why we decided to come to Spain started.

Ok. But I’m going to put that on this way because otherwise, it’s too low. Too… So, you decided definitely on Spain because, here, did you speak to someone who could do the treatment? 
Before coming to Spain, we knew nothing about Spain, its culture, its language, or anything.

But did you decide to do the treatment here for any reason in particular?
Yes, there is a pretty good hospital in Barcelona, San Juan…

San Juan de Dios. 
Yes, yes, it’s for children. And when my son became ill, a family that lives nearby, in our city, in Ukraine, had their son’s treatment in Barcelona at this hospital, and they advised us to come to do the treatment which is better here than in Ukraine. And we were thinking a lot, because treatment for foreigners here, in Barcelona, and particularly in this hospital, is not free. You have to pay and pay a lot. And that’s why we didn’t have money for treatment in Ukraine, and Spain was…

It was unthinkable.
Yes, it’s just that… But this family told us that there is a foundation in Poland that helps… It helps… It doesn’t help financially, but it helps to create a web and to explain the kid’s story, and to generate money yourself to be able to travel.The foundation is called… What is the name? I can’t remember.

It’s okay. No problem. We can edit it later. So, the foundation helps you make a website explaining the...
Yes, there is a site dedicated to each child on the foundation’s website. This foundation works only with children who have serious illnesses.

Sure. 
And most of the children are from Poland, but in some cases, they… They choose children from other countries and it’s not so difficult to sign up because there is a process. It’s just that, in other foundations, you have to do a lot of papers to show that your case is quite serious. And you have a lot of cities to travel.

To travel you need those papers, I understand, to be able to do it?
And, that’s why we decided to try, and finally, we managed to get the foundation to sign us up and we could create a page on their website with all our story.

You got the money you need?
Yes, yes. Finally, at the beginning, the hospital has to estimate how much will cost approximately the treatment.

The treatment.
Yes, and with that the foundation… It starts giving information on this web to people who want to help. But the thing is, parents and family cannot use this money.

Of course, it is only for the treatment.
Yes, the foundation transfers the money directly to the hospital.

Sure. Sure. So, you are responsible for the remaining of your own expenses.
Everything since we came here, from renting the apartment to our needs to live; you have to think for yourself and that’s why it was also a pretty strong decision for us. And we weren’t sure if this decision was worth it, and how it was going because it’s an unknown country with a very different culture, language, and everything. And coming with a sick three-year-old boy who just started treatment and he was really bad.

I suppose he was weak because he had already started treatment there, but without certainty that it could end satisfactorily. 
Yes, yes. And that was the reason why we came to Barcelona. And I, and I, I remember the first days in Barcelona, how I was very lost, without anyone knowing about this mother with her son and their case. This was also particularly hard. And, her boy was the same age as my son. In the first days or months, I was always thinking, and hesitating about my decision.

If it was right.
If it was right. Yes. And the thing is that throughout the year, we came here in March 2021, and we were in hospital great part of the year because the boy was suffering complications. And the thing is he was little, three years old. The thing is, when the child is undergoing chemotherapy or a strong treatment, there are other diseases that attacks the body because it is weak. Apart from general illness, other diseases can appear. Because um, the kid has no immunity.

Sure, sure, sure. Yes, he’s extremely weak. He doesn’t have any kind of defenses. 
And that’s why we spent almost half of the year in hospital and it was quite hard and we decided. I had a job in Ukraine and a normal life. Every family, of course, families in Ukraine do not have a life as secure as in Europe. But we hadn’t left Ukraine, therefore life was normal for us…

It was normal?
It was normal, yes. And when we had to decide who would take Andri…

Sure, take the boy to Spain?
To Spain. The thing is that the only one who was working was me because my wife was at home with the family.

The family, of course.
She couldn’t work or um, um, take Andri because if I stayed with the six children…

And the work. It wasn’t easy.
Yes, yes, it was impossible. And that’s why we decided that I would take Andri to Spain. For me, being with an ill child; is easier for moms, for wives, because at San Juan de Dios Hospital, there is a department for foreign patients, and most of the parents who take their children there from other countries either are two or the mother but…

There are few fathers. 
There are few fathers because it is quite difficult for them with an ill little child. And, in my case, it wasn’t easy. I had to get used to spending all the time with my son and organizing everything. And also for her, being without the child, and taking care of the whole family. Staying alone with the children was also quite hard for her. And that year we stayed apart: Andri and I were in Spain while she was in Ukraine; but for us, health was more important and the child’s well-being. 

So, did the treatment go well? Was the money enough…? 
Yes, yes. It was pretty complicated, but finally, the kid is fine now. The treatment is over and he is still not taking any medication. He only has an appointment once a month for his check-ups, blood tests, and so on. We finished the treatment only five months ago. He finished taking their medication in August, the end of August.

Sure.
Yes, yes, it’s been almost two years. No, more. We came here two and a half years ago. Because we came in 2021 and finished the treatment in August 2023. 

And, in Ukraine, what happened to your family? 
Yes we are together now, my wife and our seven children because at first we thought to do the treatment, finish it, and return to Ukraine.

Of course.
Because all my life was in Ukraine and I was here only for the treatment. I had nothing to do but stay at the hospital for my son’s treatment. And… well… but when the war started in February 2021, I remember we had an appointment at the hospital in the morning on February 23, and I saw on TV about the situation in Ukraine. They explained that Russia attacked Ukraine. And, when I called my wife, she was worried; and at the end of the first day of the war, a friend of mine in Ukraine took my wife and my six children to a smaller town. We live almost in the center of Ukraine, in a city called Jmelnitski which has 350,000 inhabitants. At first, everyone was terrified, they didn’t know what to do.

Where to go, sure. 
Yes, yes, yes. The thing is you don’t know where you can be safe. And most people either left the country or went to small towns because they thought that there they would be safer, of course. And my wife with my friend who had a car, they went to this small town. My wife and my children stayed there for two weeks and, during this time, we were hesitating and thinking how.

Well, I remember when the war started there was a date: at the end of February it would end. And your first thought was that it’s a war, how are you going to know when it will end? No, you cannot know, you could have a deadline because you think you can make it, but war never has a deadline. And, of course, I can’t imagine the situation: what to do, where to go.
And, we were hesitating because, on the one hand, we hoped that the war would end sooner and, on the other hand, my wife was terrified for our children. And, the thing is that she was very scared to return to the city; and staying in this town with unknown people for so long wouldn’t be possible with all the kids. At the end of February or the beginning of March, we decided that they would leave the country and go to Poland and take a flight to Spain. And, since we had connections with this foundation in Poland, some Polish helped us online with…

With paperwork or how to make the journey?
Yes, yes. We did it only via WhatsApp or online.

But they supported you anyway. 
We had their contacts and they helped us when my wife crossed the border. They, er, waited for, er…

They waited for them. 
Yes, yes, they were waiting. Then, a family took my wife and our children to their home. My wife was in Poland for only a week because it was very complicated…

The flights between airports.
Flights, all, because there were a lot of people who wanted to go out.

But you’re saying they were six people, right? 
Seven. My six children and wife.

Seven?
Yes, seven.

How did they go for them? In two cars? It’s complicated, it’s not?
Yes, in two cars.

And what did your wife take from the house on the first day of the war? She grabs the passports and it’s not easy. 
One day my wife and my children were at home and it was like… The thing is, a day before they went to bed without thinking that the next day there was going to be a war. That the next day they were going to leave the house and they didn’t organize or prepare things, nothing; they only took one suitcase for each one. And the thing is, when you go out with so many little kids, because my youngest daughter was a year and a few months old. Yes, because… No, she was two years old because she was born in 2020 and, in 2022, she was… She was born in January 2020 and in February 2022…

Just turned two years old?
Yes, yes, she was two years old. And the boys… was five years old and Danilo was eight… ten. They were little and the thing is that it wasn’t possible to carry bigger suitcases.

No, and what I’m saying is that I remember the absurdity of this war being that it was said it had a deadline and would end quickly. And it’s 2023 and it isn’t over yet. 
Yes. And when my wife was in Poland; it’s true that Polish helped Ukrainians a lot because they gave them food, clothes, things…

Daily things, everything: toothbrush, combs… Because you don’t take it, you only take your clothes, shoes, and something else. I don’t think you had seven suitcases in your house. Did you have seven? You might have bags because a normal family doesn’t have seven suitcases. Even if you are seven, you always share because it is planned, but when it is take what you can.And how were you? How did you feel at that moment? 
Yes, on the one hand, I was like always, I was used to think about my son’s treatment and another problem appeared: the war. The thing is I was lost all the time.

And emotionally? 
Yes, yes. During that time, when my wife was in this small town… And I didn’t know how to help her. What could I do to make her trip better? Or less worried, or less stressed. I called different people and looked for contacts in Poland and Ukraine. But everyone was worried about…

About their own people, of course, their families and everything, because Ukrainians were all living the same. 
Yes, it wasn’t easy to make a safe decision. Yes, but at the end it happened.

How did you feel at that time? Because you were here unable to do anything. What was your feeling…? 
The thing is, I didn’t feel like doing anything, not eating, nor watching TV, or… It’s just that…

But, at the same time, you were in charge of your son. 
Yes, yes. And the thing is, how do you say…? I couldn’t organize myself well enough to help the child because every day he had appointments and treatment. And one has to dedicate time to help one’s son and it was hard for me to organize myself. And it was the most difficult time of my entire life.

I imagine, yes. For both, you and her. I don’t think there’s anything to compare with what you went through. 
Yes, yes. And, besides, there was a time when I had no contact with my wife because she left one country and entered a new one, for example, Poland.