Abstract
It was only 7:00 a.m. on a Friday in September 2024, but she was done. She did not want to see or talk to anyone. She needed to get away, find peace and quiet, and read a book by the lake. Her husband and daughter could join her later on, in the evening. But right now, she had to be alone. The previous weekend, she had been delivering medical aid to people on the front lines and devastated communities throughout Ukraine. As soon as she resumed her leadership positions at three different organizations, she realized that she was completely exhausted. She had been moving at an extreme pace for well over two years, since the first Russian missiles and artillery hit cities across Ukraine, on February 24, 2022.
On this Friday, like most Fridays, Marianna Bilyk was too tired to think about anyone or anything. For a brief moment, she wondered how long she could manage to keep going before burning out. Of the many roles Bilyk was juggling, the top four were critical. First, she was head surgeon at her dental clinic, with a second clinic opening soon. Second, she volunteered her time and skills as head of the medical aid division of the charitable foundation, Volunteering and Help Centre (VHC), the largest humanitarian aid distribution centre in Ukraine. Third, her newest project was a non-governmental organization called Dental Front, in which she was leading the development of nationwide dental services for active military personnel and veterans (also as a volunteer). Fourth, she was both a wife and mother of two children—one away in university and another living at home.
Bilyk had to find time to spend with her husband, her 13-year-old daughter, and their new puppy, Marley. But she had to laugh at the concept of work-life balance. She was alive, when so many others were not, so Bilyk had to keep going. Just this week, more than 50 people were confirmed dead in a Russian missile attack at a military academy in Poltava, Ukraine. One day later, her own city of Lviv was attacked, leaving seven people dead, including four members of one family—a mother and her three children, whom she knew.
On this Friday, like most Fridays, Marianna Bilyk was too tired to think about anyone or anything. For a brief moment, she wondered how long she could manage to keep going before burning out. Of the many roles Bilyk was juggling, the top four were critical. First, she was head surgeon at her dental clinic, with a second clinic opening soon. Second, she volunteered her time and skills as head of the medical aid division of the charitable foundation, Volunteering and Help Centre (VHC), the largest humanitarian aid distribution centre in Ukraine. Third, her newest project was a non-governmental organization called Dental Front, in which she was leading the development of nationwide dental services for active military personnel and veterans (also as a volunteer). Fourth, she was both a wife and mother of two children—one away in university and another living at home.
Bilyk had to find time to spend with her husband, her 13-year-old daughter, and their new puppy, Marley. But she had to laugh at the concept of work-life balance. She was alive, when so many others were not, so Bilyk had to keep going. Just this week, more than 50 people were confirmed dead in a Russian missile attack at a military academy in Poltava, Ukraine. One day later, her own city of Lviv was attacked, leaving seven people dead, including four members of one family—a mother and her three children, whom she knew.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 1-10 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Specialist publication | Ivey Publishing [Case Studies] |
| Publisher | Ivey Publishing |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Oct 2024 |