“Light of Memory”: Dmytro Bilyi

Pain and sadness envelop the heart when you think about how many young lives have been lost because of the war unleashed by Russian criminals.

On August 1, 2023, an alarming message appeared: terrorists again struck Kherson, which was subjected to daily shelling and destruction. At approximately 11 a.m., the occupiers shelled the city hospital. A young doctor received numerous shrapnel wounds incompatible with life, and a nurse was seriously injured.

Two floors of the hospital were damaged — the surgical and otolaryngological departments, and the operating room was destroyed. On the floor, among the shattered furniture — blood…

25-year-old doctor Dmytro Bilyi had just completed his internship at Odessa National Medical University, and it was his first working day. He lived in Kherson, graduated from Zaporizhzhia Medical University, and did his internship at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of ONMedU.

The head of the department, Professor Serhiy Mykhailovych Pukhlik, recalls: “Dmytro was one of the best interns, with a great thirst for knowledge. It could not have been otherwise, because he found his calling, his professional path in helping and treating people. He completed his correspondence course at the Kherson Hospital, and his full-time course at our department. He passed all the difficult exams with “excellence”, and it became clear that we had before us a perfectly prepared specialist with all the necessary knowledge and human qualities that are so important in the medical profession.” Tetyana Petrovska, otolaryngologist: “Dmytro was serious, calm, balanced. He really wanted to learn, to improve in his chosen specialty. His eyes, as they say, were burning. In class, he sat in the front row, always ready to answer any question the professor had. When we received our certificates after graduation, we asked Dmytro where he was going to work. He replied: “I came from Kherson, and I will go to Kherson.” To which we asked: “Aren’t you scared?” Dmytro said: “It’s scary. But who, if not me?”

That is, he could have easily chosen any other place of work, but he wanted to return to his hometown, where his help as a doctor was needed.”

Dmytro’s first working day ended as soon as it began. What is this? A terrible game of fate? A coincidence? No, it’s just a mean war. His mother and grandmother were left without their only son and grandson.

We really want as many people as possible to learn about this life that was cut short on takeoff, about this unsung song. To understand how war kills those who could do so much good in their lives, filled with high meaning, and also destroys the fate of their relatives and loved ones. This is a universal evil, and it should have no place on Earth!

Eternal memory to you, Hero!