Tatiana found work as a housekeeper in Warsaw, but recently suffered a serious fall from a ladder onto a concrete floor. She now faces mounting medical bills and a long recovery, while being unable to work.
Until 2021, Tatiana Kuksa, originally from Vitebsk, owned a small women's clothing store. Although she had already retired, she continued running her business. In February 2021, she was detained at work over a comment she had posted online, and her home was searched. After her release, friends urged her to leave Belarus. She first moved to Kyiv and, following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, relocated to Poland, where she was granted international protection.
“As soon as I left, my store was seized, along with my bank account. My pension payments were also suspended in 2023. Now I live in Warsaw and can rely only on myself. For more than three years, I worked as a housekeeper for a wonderful Polish family. Unfortunately, they moved permanently to Spain, so I had to find a new job. Sadly, I wasn't as lucky with my new employer.”
“A few weeks ago, I had a terrible accident. I fell from a high ladder in her house and hit my back and head on the concrete floor. An ambulance took me to the hospital, where I stayed for several days. The doctors told me I had suffered a very serious traumatic brain injury. They performed CT scans almost every day while preparing me for surgery. Fortunately, the hematomas began to shrink, and they decided that surgery would not be necessary – for now.”
“I am still undergoing treatment and learning to walk again. I can't work yet. My health is improving gradually, but I still depend on painkillers and medication. I suffer from headaches and occasional dizziness. My left leg is especially worrying because I still have to drag it when I walk. The doctors say that with enough determination and patience, I should eventually recover.”
Treatment in Poland is expensive, and unfortunately I do not have health insurance. I plan to resolve that in the future, but right now I urgently need to pay for my medical care. Three CT scans and my hospital stay alone have left me with medical bills exceeding €1000. I am managing the cost of medication myself, but I can no longer cope with these larger expenses. I also have no idea how long my rehabilitation will take.
“Please help me. I can't afford to become disabled – I need to be able to work. Returning to Belarus would mean going straight to prison. And without work, it's impossible to survive here.”
Fundraising goal
€1600
€1500 – hospital treatment and medical expenses
€100 – rehabilitation costs