On the highest floor of the building Sapphos streeta few hundred meters from Concord, effervescence predominates. Outside, a gray landscape looms. On the first floor, where the polyclinic is located, the situation is complicated, the stories are sad. Doctors of the world (GTK), but they are here for this very reason – their slogan: “Where there are people“. And the essence lies in the actions.

In an office on the 5th floor Nikitas Kanakis And Yiannis Yannakopoulosboth members of the Board of Directors of the organization and people with many kilometers on their backs, welcome me to talk about their first mission in Ukrainein March 2022, while something like a special de vivre unfolds: Last year there was such a time as hectic preparations before the departure of the team, now such preparations are unfolding due to the mission to Turkey And Syriawho were hit by a deadly earthquake.

One year ago team of nine people with two cars arrived in town Sireton the Romanian-Ukrainian border.

“We did the first hug, first aid and the first briefing, which was very simple,” says Yiannis Giannakopoulos, noting that from the Ukrainian side they entered approx. 250 people per hour.

“Our unit investigated 100 people per dayit was like endless debt“, says the doctor. Athena Grecawho later joined our company.

Nikitas Kanakis is talking motionless on his cell phone, at the same time participating in our conversation. “How do you deal with chaos?” I ask. “We are accustomed and quite trained, each doing 60-70 missions in Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Africa and other places.”

Mr. Kanakis continues: “Among the chaos, there are constant and recurring phenomena, you more or less wait for what you find. You know what to do and where to go, the old man told us: Where are you going, they don’t want sympathy, they want your helpu. You want to focus on what you’re doing and be helpful.” “You’re not used to it, you’re working on it,” adds Mr. Giannakopoulos, and I notice something that becomes apparent in the hour we’ve been talking.

All three complement each other, they do not interrupt each other – the speaker puts an imaginary punctuation mark and the next one takes over and continues at exactly the same pace. It is clear that their relationship was forged by missions to the most difficult places on the planet – they look like punch.

IN March 7, 2022, a group of Doctors of the World takes off from Athens and two days later arrives in Siret by road. “200-250 people came out per hour, we got the impression that we only see women and children“, they say, emphasizing that there was something unprecedented in this very image.

Nikitas Kanakis even remembers they existed thousand crows on the border – “a terrible sight, it was felt that from here war zone. Zones separating a peaceful situation from a military one always have a feature. It rained all the time in Kosovo.”

In the town of Siret, the Greek mission of the GTK opens its clinic – G. Giannakopoulos, an experienced photojournalist, noted that the visitors were carrying very few things, “as if they were going for three days.”

“One they packed their lives. Later, I asked the students I teach photography the same thing. Put your life in a suitcase. What will you wear? Didn’t they know… Your personal belongings, your memories, your clothes?” Mr. Kanakis asks and takes over: “You don’t just leave, you don’t even know when you’ll come back, if the rest – brothers and sisters – remain alive , grandparents, spouses. They arrived at the border and were going “somewhere”, they did not know – I saw, and if I saw refugees, I have not seen anything like this yet.”

“People were walking, passing by, not knowing exactly where they were going…,” adds Mr. Giannakopoulos.

Many had pets with them, while the children did not understand what exactly was happening. Some were happy to travel with their little suitcase.

The picture was even tougher on the Ukrainian side of the border, where the Greek “Doctors of the World” took place on March 11.

“Two days later we entered Ukraine, three people that we saw from the other side, on Chernivtsi, the succession of fathers leaving families was a terrible picture. They would get to a certain point, say goodbye, and leave,” says Mr. Giannakopoulos, while Mr. Kanakis adds: “The usual image of farewell is You salute the men who go to war and the woman to stay with the children. Here it was the opposite, the men stayed and said goodbye. You saw people pretending to be refugees, it was impressive that many had pets with them, and many children did not understand what exactly was happening. Some were even glad that they were going on a tour with their suitcase.”

I want to know how it is possible, despite their experience, to cope with such a difficult and psychologically stressful situation.

It is said that those who take part in these missions get used to it, and there is no other way: “In addition to different languages, we have a repeating pattern, you know what you will find, many times joy and sadness coexist. An example in Iran: A mother lost five children, after some time a sixth is found and rescued. He mourned and celebrated. Life is on the edge, but you are trapped, there are small moments of people through an inexpressible sadness that breeds disaster. You learn to manage it. If you can’t – don’t go – they don’t need your sympathy, they need your help,” Mr. Kanakis emphasizes.

“Management is when you turn around – this is what our people tell us, who see our gaze a little lost,” emphasizes Mr. Giannakopoulos, and then Mr. Kanakis: “When I turn around, I learn how important small and insignificant things are . . We returned from Ukraine, I went home, I had food, I had electricity, hot water, no one threatened my children, I had friends. I hold on to them and you look in the mirror and say I did my duty“.

Asked how long each mission lasts, Mr. Giannakopoulos says that “we stay as long as there is a need, we are still in Ukraine. The first mission lasted about ten days. You go, you create a field, you research first, find out what the needs are. When we reached the Romanian-Ukrainian border, we immediately assessed the situation and decided that we should come. pediatrician “There were nine of us, one mobile unit and one van.”

“Most people lost it, we faced that”refugee disease“, this is a lot of little things that play a big role in conditions of great tension and stress. You have permanent stress, because somewhere you don’t know what will happen, even a small injury, a small wound takes on a larger dimension,” says Nikitas Kanakis and adds: “When they entered the doctor’s office, they were guards,”I’ll tell my story and they will listen“. Days passed, they came even more distressed, a breakdown occurred. OUR street medicine it’s just like that with him, you understand that you are dealing with a person who is in such a state.

OUR Yiannis Yannakopoulos a few days ago he spent one photo exhibition with images from this mission.

He shows photographs, each one hides a story: “This is a Greek from Mariupol, he was in a shelter for 26 days, the shoe became one with the foot, his daughter came from Thessaloniki and took him away.”

pathologist Athena Grecawho was a doctor on the first mission, enters the office where we are and immediately takes control: she describes moments, images and sensations – how the doctor feels in such conditions.

“Medicine in poor and difficult conditions, at minus seven degrees, is dealing with a suffering and dehydrated world, with many health problems, with many hours of queues at the border. We’ve treated children with dehydration, people with strokes. We faced all the problems, we coped with them.”

And he adds that the Romanians were extremely organized and provided them with all possible assistance.

“They all thought they were leaving for a short time, they didn’t have medicine with them, they didn’t have insulin, we had to buy. Grandfather brought his grandchildren, he was a diabetic, lost consciousness. We dealt with it, and when he recovered, he left – it was terrible – he told us that he had a child with special needs, and he should go to him.

Giannis Giannakopoulos shows photos on his laptop – memories come back, they remember the details from every story, they are impressed that they brought pets, there was a special unit from Romanians to control the dogs.

“Those who leave always believe that they will return,” they note.

“You become the voice of those you provide medical care, say what is happening and watch it“, – says Mr. Kanakis and with a smile recalls the case: “The mayor from Portugal came to the scene and told us that he wanted to take people with him, offer them shelter and work in his city. At that moment, a mother with two children was next to me – I told him: “Here!” and I show this family. “Go?”, the woman asked me: “go“I answer: the woman emailed me later and she was fine.”

“We do our best, and the least you can offer is soul and care,” notes Athena Greka, who greets us because she needs to rush to the clinic.

“We are a little adrenaline junkies“, says Mr. Kanakis, adding: “You do it and believe it – it’s an old medical directive that says that if patients can’t come to you, then go to your patients“.

After hearing a series of impressive adventures, I can’t help but ask right before we finish, “Have you ever been in such danger that you felt the need to say, ‘Now I’m going to die?’

“Yes“, – they said in one voice, starting with a humorous component to talk about various incidents from the hottest spots in the world.

• So far, CoR has collected and delivered over 100 tons of raw materials basic necessities (mainly medicines and medical supplies).
• They have already carried out 25 humanitarian missions in Ukraine, accompanying the delivery of first aid.
• To date, some 29,000 people have directly benefited from the activities of the PKK in Ukraine.
• The number of indirect beneficiaries is estimated at 2.3 million.