Hello, this is Eva May, and I'm speaking to you from the Women's Radio Station for a really special broadcast, actually, in my Healing Image High story, uh, the series which I've been doing for the last 3 months. Um, today I am— I'm, I'm really pleased to be speaking with, um, someone that I met in my life 7 years ago. I have mentioned before on previous broadcasts that, you know, I have been to a rehab facility in the United States of America, and, you know, I am from the United Kingdom, so for me that was quite a big thing to do. I was really fortunate in some ways for where I went because there were quite a small residential community, and we stayed together for many days. I was there for 70 days, and that was not uncommon for people to be there around that length of time. Some of the people that I met— you know, I'm 56, I'm a mother of 3— were people who were the same age as my children. I've always got along with my kids. I've worked with children throughout my working career, so, you know, I, I really enjoyed being around them. And some I'm still in contact with. And this week, um, I've— well, through social media, which I actually don't use an awful lot, I've been able to, to be in contact with somebody that I met during my time in America called Billy. And Billy, he, he really did remind me like of my son. They're, they're roughly the same age, and I, I just really like— well, we stayed in touch over the years, and he's just an incredible person. And I knew that anyway, and I've always known that in my heart, but I've just been speaking to Billy earlier and finding out about what he's doing now, and I tell you, I have such admiration for this guy. And, um, you know, he, he is actually a humanitarian volunteer who's come from the United States and is now in Poland where he has been setting up a refugee camp and doing humanitarian work for the Ukrainians, um, and trying to help them in this awful time when their country is being invaded. So, um, let's talk to Billy. Um, he's, he's got a train to catch in about an hour, so I'm hoping that we can get this one done, um, because you know, from what you read in the papers or you see on the news, discussions you might have with people, friends and family. I've never spoken to anyone who's actually there at the moment and seeing what it's like and hearing stories, meeting the people and doing the work that needs to be done. So anyway, I'd like to say hi to Billy and welcome you. Hello. Hello. So great to hear from you. So would you like to say a little bit about yourself to— as a— by way of an introduction? Sure. Um, thank you, Eva. Um, my name is Billy. I'm 30 years old. I'm from California, and, um, I went to university in San Diego. Um, I've had some struggles throughout my life, and, um, I, yes, I fortunately met Ava 7 years ago. And we've been in somewhat of contact, especially as of lately, which has been amazing because Ava is a wonderful woman. And she— just hearing what you were just talking about right now just brought tears to my eyes because I just appreciate you very much. And you've always been somebody that I've held close in my heart for sure in my life. And yes, right now I flew out to Poland about a week and a half ago, and I'm currently in Przemyśl at the humanitarian aid center where I will probably be for the— until my visa capability— for the next 2 and a half months, just because I need a visa after 3 months. So right now, this is where I am, and I've been here doing work and We house up to 1,300 Ukrainian refugees, and I believe right now about half of the beds are filled up. And so the work that comes with that is what I do and what all the other volunteers that are here do as well. You, um, you were saying though, Billy, you, you made the decision to go and help, and you booked your ticket from the United States over to, to Poland. And you, you actually only had just like enough money for the airfare in your bank account. So I mean, I think this just illustrates like how important you feel this is. And talking to you as well, how, um, maybe the way you've gone and done it, and you've now got in touch with organizations who are responsible for running different areas of the camp like maybe the way that you went initially on your own, because you were completely on your own, and you're there and you're needed, and more people like you are needed. But would you suggest if anyone's like thinking about helping to maybe try and get in touch with organizations now? Because there must be more set up that you could contact and actually make some plans with, because I mean you know, you've just turned up, that's how, what sort of person you are. But I know you were saying definitely need more aid workers really, and that's just where you are, and you are only one of many places. Correct. Yes, I came out here with no idea of where to go or when to go, and so I just kind of, I kind of fortunately found my way down into Semis, which is where where I am right now, we're at the humanitarian center. But just next, just in Przemyśl, we got the border, which is Medyka, or Medyka. That's about 10 kilometers from where I'm at right now. And that's the actual Poland-Ukraine border that have volunteers over there as well. And then there's the train station, similarly about 10 kilometers from where I am right now. And they also are housing refugees and volunteers as well. But so when I tried when I first initially made the decision, I bought my airfare and then I tried, I started calling numbers to try and figure out where to go, but a lot of the people didn't speak English that I got, that I was trying to contact. So I was kind of in the dark for the first maybe 4 days that I was in Poland, not knowing where to go or who to go to. So I think right now it might be a little bit better set up to, because we definitely, there's definitely a need for volunteers. And I think, I think we're better equipped to take more phone calls and be able to pass along the information of where to, where to send people who want to come help, because there's definitely a need for it. Absolutely. And God forbid the war goes on for a long time. But I mean, I don't anticipate it's going to end anytime soon. I hope it does. But definitely in the meantime, we're definitely going to need as much help as we can. Yes, and can you tell us a little bit about the jobs that you've been doing while you've been there? Of course. So one of the day jobs is when people are not sleeping is making sure there's— what is it, 13 rooms, 13 separate rooms in this warehouse that I'm at, the humanitarian center. 13 rooms inside, and then there's many tents outside. But so on a daily basis, we have to clean all the rooms. We have to make sure all the beds, all the cots are disinfected. We have to make sure all the laundry is done because from the previous people who slept there. So we have to disinfect laundry. We have to rotate all the beds, which is, like I said, 1,300 beds. And then of course, lots of cleaning to do. And then once the refugees get here, they have many questions. So we assist with that. We help carry the luggage. We help, you know, we try to be a friendly smile and a hopeful smile for them as they come very distraught and disoriented and not knowing what's going on. And so we try to do our best. I only speak English. There's a lot of people that speak Polish, Ukrainian, even Russian, French over here that have been definitely helping in the translating area. But for me, I also have Google Translator, which has actually been my godsend because I'm able to talk to the Ukrainians using this phone app, and they are able to understand what I'm saying. So when I don't have a translator, then I just use Google Translate. Well, that's great. I mean, that's absolutely great. And I think you were saying to me as well that you're identified, aren't you? You're wearing a vest. So you're, uh, is it like a high-vis vest so you're easily identifiable? And it's got— has it got your name on it and, and the language that you speak? Yes. Um, so the vest I wear is like a neon green, so very easily identifiable. Um, and then I have my name on there as well as, yeah, the language that I speak, which is English in my case. And then I also have a badge That is actually my, like, my ticket into the center and out, because you need to be registered as a volunteer or a refugee to be able to come in and out of the center. They are very strict about scanning people in and out, so no— so, um, somebody can't just walk into the center without having either a wristband or a badge, like in my case. And what about what's security like? I mean, how safe do you feel inside now that you're setting up this you know, it must be huge, this area, if you've got that many people. So have you got security there as well in place? Yes, we have, um, at the entrance and the exits we have Polish military, as well as then the, um, the side exits and the back, the back exits towards like the warehouse. Um, there's a lot of, um, zones where they close off to either the refugees or even some volunteers. Like the back warehouse where a lot of the supplies are kept. So yeah, we have a lot of Polish military, a lot of Polish police. The police force is here very— in very large capacity. And I think it definitely helps everybody, keeps everybody rested and assured that we're very well protected here. Of course, it's a volatile situation, but I think right now in Poland, at least, we're safe. Um, I can't say the same thing about being in the Ukraine, but in Poland right now it is safe to be here. And the people that you— you who are coming to you, so it's the men, Ukrainian men between the age of 18 and 60, if they are in, uh, you know, physical and mental health-wise are okay, they stay in the Ukraine? So you're getting the, the women, the children, the elderly. Um, I mean, that must be such an emotional time for them all because, well, not only leaving their homes but the uncertainty. So you, you are the, the, the receiving, the, the haven, the safety for them. So how, how is that experience? How are you finding that? I've found myself to have very mixed emotions. Some days when I see them, I start crying because it's just really sad. Like right now, it's bringing tears to my eyes just thinking about it. But other days, it's just a day-by-day thing. My emotions are going everywhere. But it's just the main emotion that I feel is just a sense of great compassion and sadness towards these people that are just that are torn from their, their home country and are coming here with no idea of what, what is going on or what they're going to do or where their father is, where their husbands are. And it's, it's, it's heartbreaking. And it's really heartbreaking. Yeah. And, and they are like, so they're just really bringing, carrying belongings and looking after their children. And yeah, I like I, well, you know, I'm a mom and, well, I, I just can't, I just can't imagine trying to protect your children. And, you know, they deserve a life of safety and, and happiness and, and support. So to have this, it must be extremely confusing. And I would think, I mean, I think we're going to end up with an awful lot of very traumatized people for, for years to come because this sort of thing is, um, well, I, I, I can't, I can't imagine it, Billy, what it, what it must be like to be a mom to try and to leave your husband and, and go. And, and, and I think we were talking before we started recording that the number of refugees, the people who have left Ukraine. Ukraine is quite a large country, and so you've only got— it's, it's, it's quite a small fraction, isn't it, that have now left? There are still quite a few remaining. My rough, my rough estimate from what I've heard and what I've, what I've researched is I think maybe only 10%, even less, have left the Ukraine. And so we still have 90% of the Ukrainian residents still living inside the Ukraine. And so it just goes to show that this, the humanitarian aid, this is just the beginning of what is needed of us because we're gonna, they're definitely gonna need to be coming through here at some point. To places like yours because where, Um, we, we can explain like the, the place that you're at now. So you're providing, um, shelter and food and medical. You've got doctors, volunteer doctors, haven't you? Volunteers you've met now from all over the world. Um, I think some, some as far as Australia have come over to help. And so that's only like 10%, and then the refugees who you are now receiving, they're staying with you for— is it like 1, 1 or 1 to 2 days until they are then processed? So, um, I mean, they must be exhausted. And then to get somewhere and then be processed and then to go off again, um, I know it's off to safety, but, um, you know, you— so you're having to constantly be prepared to receive all these new refugees? Correct, yes. And the people that need medical attention, they are getting that treatment from volunteer doctors? They have doctor— they have, yes, volunteer doctors, and we ask— we also have volunteers, uh, psychological help as well. Oh, I need to talk to the psychologist, so that's really cool to see too. And then what about— what do you do about food? Where are you getting all the food from? Well, right now we have the World Central Kitchen here. They're the main supplier of food. And then we have this place called Ita Pizza, like an Italian pizza place that's been parked in our parking lot for as long as I've been here. And they've been handing out free pizzas all day, all night, every single day since I've been here, and they hand free pizzas to anybody who comes up to them. And so you could get a pizza, or you could go inside into the World Kitchen, or right outside of the warehouse, there's another tent for coffee, for tea, and two of my French friends are actually running the coffee and tea tent, and they're very funny and good people, good characters. They laugh and they bring smiles to a lot of the people who are coming right off the bus. And they offer the coffee and the tea. And it's just something, a warm cup of coffee, a warm cup of tea can make these people's difference. And I've seen it firsthand. I've seen moms that are exhausted coming off the bus. And then this, my French friend saying, coffee, tea. And then they have a cup of tea or a cup of coffee. You can tell that they appreciate it very much. Oh, I bet they do. And how are the children? The children seem to be doing good. There's a lot of toys that are set up. And once you walk into the warehouse, you could see a bunch of them. They're playing soccer in the hallways and basketball or throwing a tennis ball around and stuff like that. So they keep themselves pretty occupied. Oh, do they? Oh yeah, yeah, kids are, kids are pretty resilient actually when you, um, put them in, in any situation. But, um, and I think their parents and their, you know, family members must be just so relieved that they've got their children to safety and that there's going to be a safe bed for them to sleep in and some food. And if they're if they're sick, they're going to get looked at, and they've got people like you there who are, um, who are helping. So you, you did mention to me that you've been— is it Tesco you've been working with? The food— is that for food? Is it like a supermarket? So I think, I believe the name Tesco, um, is coming from, I think, like a supermarket chain, I believe. Yes, we have, we have it in the UK. It's one of our sort of big four giant supermarkets. Right, so, so that's when I say Tesco, that's, that's what I mean, is like this, it's a converted huge supermarket into a humanitarian aid center now. Oh, so they've given, they've given their facilities over to you to turn into a refugee camp? They have, yes. Oh, wonderful. Okay, and then what about getting aid, um, to other people who are near the border or further into Ukraine? I mean, is that something that's happening as well? Yes, there's the border. The border crossing is called Medica, and it's— or Medica. It's about, like I said, 10 kilometers from here. I haven't personally been to— oh, shit. Oh, I'm sorry. I don't mean to curse. I thought my phone died. That's okay. Don't you worry. You're still here. You're still here. Sorry about that. But yeah, the border crossing, I haven't personally been there, but I've had a few friends there and they said that it's kind of a more chaotic setup just because it's right at the border, but that there's the same general humanitarian aid. There's definitely not a huge warehouse like there is right here, but there's definitely lots of tents set up for the refugees to be coming through. And yeah, buses, and people driving them here, either here or to the train station, which is in, in Central Chemnitz, about another 10 kilometers from me. Everything's pretty close to where I am right now. So where you are, are you sort of in the middle of nowhere, or are you in a town or a village, or, or what is it? Is it an out of sort of, you know, out away from any, anything else, or is it near Like on the outskirts of the main town. It's not a very big town. I think somebody was saying there's only 60,000 people who live here in this town of Shemesh. Total 60,000 total people who are residing here. So it's not a very big town at all. But I would say that I'm probably on the more of the outskirts of town, but still like everything's close. I could catch a taxi or a bus into town and be there within 10, 15 minutes into the center of town. All right, okay. So have you got a lot of people from the, from the, the local, uh, towns and villages in Poland? Are they all coming to help as well? There are, there are Polish volunteers. Um, I would say at this center I, I've seen more foreign volunteers than— there are Polish volunteers and Polish military and Polish police, but as far as the actual people who live here In this specific city, um, I haven't seen many. I've seen one, this guy Matthew, um, and then— but I think there's a lot of— a lot of the Polish volunteers are helping at the border or in the train station, from what I've heard. And I would think many of them have got— I've got jobs. I mean, you know, they must still have, you know, their daily life commitments as well as having to receive— uh, receiving, um, all these people from Ukraine. Um, so you're totally— yeah, totally jobs to go to. So when, when you, you've now got your refugees coming into you and you, you're at about 600 capacity at the moment and they're staying 1 or 2 days, so while they're there they're able to get some rest, get some food, and then they go to, um, processing. So who Who's doing the processing to then decide where they, you know, they can request where they want to go and live for the next, I think, is it 6 months they initially try and move people? I believe it's Red Cross or Medair that is handling the processing and the delegating of where each person's, each family or each person is going. I know that they wear red vests at the registration area. There's about maybe 15 tables connected and they're 24/7 around the clock working, you know, just based on the incoming refugees. And then inside the warehouse, there's 13 rooms. Each room is a different country of where these refugees will be going, whether it's Germany, France, Switzerland, or Poland even. Um, so they have different, different flags to delegate where the people who are sleeping there will be going the next morning. Oh, I see. And then they try— you, you make all the travel arrangements are all done for them, and then they, they get taken to— so, so where are they going to go and stay with other families or, um, placed in either, either other families, or I know that I know that they have a destination to go to. I'm not sure whether it's going into receiving families or if they're going to maybe an Airbnb or a hotel, but I know that the expenses are heavily covered for them by people who have donated money. So a lot of the monetary donations go towards that for sure. And what, what is the mood like there? Like, I mean, I know you're saying, you know, it's obviously, um, you know, the feeling you must see when you're receiving people, uh, you know, these are human beings that deserve a really good life, like everybody does. I mean, what— but, but, you know, this is the result of a, of an aggressor, of war. I mean, what is the feeling like, you know, to this war that's ongoing? It's something that I'm still yet to comprehend. I'm still trying to wrap my head around what's going on. And I think the mood, the main mood, I think, is the anxiety, the anticipation of what's next. The sadness of not being with the male figure of the family. It's the mood, it's just, I don't know how to describe it. It's definitely a very, it's just, it's definitely sad and it's frustrating to see that this is happening as a result of this aggressor in war. And it's just heartbreaking and All I can do is just be there for them and try and help and try and understand what they're saying, even though I can only speak English, and try and direct them or direct them with a translator. The mood definitely changes day by day, for sure. Lisa, you know, we— well, our press are getting, you know, quite a lot of obviously reports out, but of various media platforms and papers, and, you know, we're reading of, um, you know, the most terrible atrocities that you cannot— I can't comprehend it. I can't get my head around it. Um, you know, that these are going on. Are they all aware of, you know, how some areas where there's been some actually— well, they're, they're unspeakable, um, from the reporting that, you know, I've read, is that— are they aware of what's going on in the whole of their country, or is communication quite difficult? I think the communication is quite difficult, um, somewhat. Um, in my, in my firsthand view, I've seen from people who came from the front line of the war, showing me videos and pictures of the actual what's going on, stuff that obviously the media is not going to show the world. But I've seen some horrible photos and videos of, of, of, of mass gravesites of, of, of my, my military buddies, 3 friends that were killed by a bomb. And I've seen— I mean, he's taking— he takes photos because he wants to show what's really going on. And I respect that, that even while he's being shot at, he's able to capture the reality of what's going on. And these Russian soldiers are not— they are not merciful. They're brutally and savagely causing destruction to everybody. And he said— And I don't even know if I should say this, but he said that he's seen kids as young as 4 years old, 4 years old with bullets in their head. No. And yeah, it's very— it's an atrocity. And I just— I can't even speak up. I can't even speak about it without just crying because these— it's a child they're killing. These Russian soldiers are literally putting bullets in the heads of kids that are under old. And I've seen photos of this. I've seen it firsthand. This is— the media is not going to say that, but I've seen it. This is what's happening, and it's atrocious. And it's just, uh, it kills— it's killing everybody here. It's— everybody's hearts are breaking. But we could— we just show up and just do our jobs and try and help these people. Yeah. And how are you going to look after yourself? Do you have people that you can talk to about, you know, because because these are, these are, these are very disturbing things. I mean, you know, there doesn't matter how strong you are and how fit you are, you know, when you're a caring human person, there's an impact, um, and you need to take care of yourself. Uh, so do you talk— we do have like, um, we do have the— we can talk to the psychologist here if we wanted to, and then, um We consider ourselves amongst the volunteers, we consider ourselves like a big family and we all help each other. Just like today when I drove my friend whose sister passed yesterday, he's going back to Australia. So stuff like that, me and two other, one gentleman and one lady, we drove him to the Warsaw airport today and it was like a 10-hour, or no, not 10-hour, but like an 8.5-hour round trip journey. But this is like the stuff that we do for each other because we got to be there for each other as well. Yeah, you do. You've got, I mean, you to help other people, you've got to look after yourself. Um, absolutely. To some degree. So you are getting, are you getting proper sleep? Um, mostly, mostly, yes. I think the last few nights I've gotten decent sleep. Um, I've, yeah, tonight, tonight might be a longer night for me, but in general, most people are getting decent sleep cuz we have a day shift and a night shift here. So it's broken up into shifts. And what, what is it, um, so the weather, what's the weather like now? Because in the beginning we used to see it was snowing, so these, these people were losing their homes, having to leave, and you know, it's absolutely like, it's winter. Um, what is, is it starting to warm up a bit? From where I am right now, I'm actually, I'm outside and I'm, I'm in a t-shirt and I'm not too cold. I would say it's maybe, maybe, uh, probably like 15 or 18 degrees Celsius where I am right now. Oh, well, that's just getting a little better. How are— and, and what about the elderly people? I mean, how are they? They, they're, uh, we take care of them very well. They're the, the elderly and the mothers are, are the mothers with children are the volunteers' priority of making sure that they have proper bags, proper luggage bags, and the utmost assistance. Of course, we assist everybody, but in terms of like, I don't know how to say this, like a hierarchy of a priority, it would be— Yeah. The elder are sick, and then the elderly, and then the mothers with children, and then it would be like the strong and fit kids that are able to kind of carry the bags themselves and kind of navigate through this center themselves. Do you provide them with, um, some clothing as well? Because, uh, yes, we do. You have clothing? Yeah, we have a huge area with, um, I obviously— I think it's a lot, many donations, but it looks like a little, little thrift store where we can, um, where they can go to and get shoes, get jackets, get clothes, pants, whatever they need. Oh gosh. So, and do you know how many places there are like this, um, in Poland now springing up? Or they just springing up? It must be, I think, needed more and more every day. Yes, absolutely. Especially as the, um, as Russia keeps infiltrating the Ukraine, there's going to be more of these, um, centers that are needed, um, near the borders for sure. And I know that, yeah, I mean, if he's going to keep progressing through the Ukraine and going west to east or east to west, then definitely there's going to be a definite, definite need for more centers like this to be springing up. And I anticipate that for sure there's going to be tens, if not hundreds more of these places. So if anybody wants to go out and is thinking about the best ways that that they can help, because not everyone can do what you, you know, you've done and, and go and leave and go and help. But there are organizations where, uh, you can be put or be attached to a charity, an organization that can actually, you know, make sure that you're allocated to the right place. So people can do that. I know certainly in the UK we're now starting to get quite a few refugees coming to live. Actually, I was at a wedding on Friday and two of the guests didn't come because they had got some refugees just arrived from Ukraine. And they didn't want to come to the wedding and leave them, um, alone. They didn't want to leave them. They want to spend some time with them to help get them settled. And they said for the first 48 hours they actually didn't come out of their room. They, they, they just— I don't know if it's because they wanted the security of having a room to shut a door on have some privacy, take stock, I don't know, get some sleep. Just, um, I'm sure there's— it must be an extremely difficult thing to process. But, um, so people who are arriving, even, you know, in places, countries of safety who have offered them accommodation, uh, that, you know, this— it doesn't end there. They've still got a lot to go through. Mentally. Yes. And, um, yeah, yeah, it's hard. It is heartbreaking. It really is, uh, to think of that. So it's not like going to stay with somebody, is it? As a, you know, go and say hello and you've got language difficulties. And the things that they must have witnessed, it's probably, you know, I mean, you and I met in a rehab center. We know what it's like to have difficulties and not be able to express it verbally. And I would think that some of these situations now these people are going through, it's not vocabulary that they ever expected they'd need. And it's going to be— they're going to need a lot of care from everybody, from the world. Absolutely. No, you're totally right about that. Um, you're spot on with that. Now I am aware that you need to get a train for your— I do, I do need to make my way to the railway station pretty shortly. Um, I, I'm leaving out of the town center and I, I just need to go pack up my, pack up my belongings for the next, um, for my journey for tomorrow. Um, so I might, might need to do that pretty shortly just because I have my train leaves in about an hour and a half or like 2 hours, but then it's— I got to go pack and make sure and meet up with my buddy who I'm going with, and then we got to get over there and make sure that we get through passport control before our train as well. Right, okay. Well, you must not make yourself late to that. And, um, I know you've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow. And, um, is there anything else, Billy, that you'd like to say? I mean, this— I think you said to me this, that you've found this, um, although it's an extremely, uh, it's a situation that shouldn't really be happening, but you found this actually, uh, quite a strengthening, uh, thing to go and do, uh, for yourself. Yeah, it's something that I honestly have never— I could have never imagined that I would be in this situation. And then when I started reading about the news of the war going on It's just something inside of me just pulled me towards getting that plane ticket and coming here. Like, I didn't even— I didn't think twice about it. When I had the funds, I just bought the ticket and didn't— haven't regretted it and won't regret it. Definitely won't regret it at all. I'm very happy to be here. Of course, the situation is unprecedented and very, very heartbreaking, but I'm glad to be here of help because, you know, I just feel like I'm needed here, and that's why I want to even extend my trip even longer than the initial 3 and a half weeks. I want to stay here for my full 3 months that I'm allowed here without a visa. So that's something that's in the works as well. Well, I hope they get that sorted out for you. Otherwise you need to come to the UK. Can't you come to the UK and then go back? Yeah, no, I, I mean, I definitely have a ride to the UK if I need. Uh, one of my friends here, uh, drove his car from the UK Oh really? Over here, right over there. Right, right. The deal is you come to the UK, we meet up. Oh, of course, duh. Absolutely, that goes without saying. Absolutely, I will. I'd absolutely love to see you, I really would. But honestly, it's been like such a pleasure, um, to talk to you and to be in contact, um, with you. And, and I've also, you know, I've been in contact with your mom because, uh, well, you know that, uh, because I, I have, I have had contact with your mom previously when we, we met first time. So, um, that's been really nice, um, reconnecting too, not only with you but also, uh, with your family. And, um, I think I know it means a lot to them as well. Very glad. Oh, I— oh goodness, just let me know how you get on tomorrow, please. I will be, uh, looking at my phone. And, uh, yes, I'll update you. Um, yeah, I'll definitely update you as soon as everything is good and I'm back safely. Thank you. Yeah, I definitely want to know that. So go and get your things together and, um get the train. And, um, just loads of love, Billy. I'm— you're just one of life's people that I'm so glad I met anyway. And then finding out all of this, and thank you so much for, for speaking about it. Um, and, uh, you know, please, please take— oh, pleasure, absolute pleasure. And we'll, um, we'll be in touch soon. Absolutely. I love you very much. I love you too. Speaking with, um, later tomorrow as well. Yeah, yeah, you're good because you've got to do your, uh, yeah, large food delivery tomorrow. So that's, uh, yeah, essential work. So brilliant. Thank you for all you're doing and thank all your, um, all the volunteers that you're working with too. Oh, I will absolutely. Um, love you very much and, um, I will talk to you soon. Yeah, you take care, buddy. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Oh gosh, so that was, um, yeah, that's, that's, that's incredible to actually speak to, um, someone, you know, live, uh, today. This is, um, it's the, the 1st of May actually, because, uh, I, I won't be putting this recording out until the 9th of May. So I'll probably have some more updates on, uh, Billy. But he is somebody who— he has been, as he said, he's been through some struggles in his life. And now to, to be a person who's actually putting themselves— well, others before themselves with so many other people who he's met now from all over the world. He went on his own, uh, didn't know anyone, and now he's got a few, few people there, and I think they're all, um, they've got themselves very organized. So, um, that's, that's really great to hear. I do, um, I'm a big fan of the reading newspapers I can't concentrate to read a book for very, very long, but newspapers I find that I quite like to read. But the news over the past few weeks is something that I wish I'd never had to read. I've suffered trauma, as we've spoken about— I've spoken about in my series before— as a child, that— and I've seen and been involved with things that shouldn't have happened. So right now in the world, we've got children and families who are, are experiencing something on a, a massive scale of horror and things that children just should not be going through. I don't know how you can possibly explain to somebody that you're— to your family that you're just suddenly leaving your home. I'm very fortunate, um, this morning I've come away on a, uh, 4-day break with one of my own children. Now, we had to get up at 4 AM to get to the airport to get our flight. Now, I mean, it took us practically a day yesterday just to pack one cabin bag to go on holiday and make sure that we've got all our documents and things. And to be quite honest, we could end up here and not really bring anything and we'd probably be fine. And we know that we've stopped off on the way and we've been able to buy food. So I just cannot imagine that if you are somebody who's living with a family in somewhere in Ukraine where this war does seem to be um, well, pretty— just, it's just beyond, beyond what you'd ever think. We've gone through COVID. I mean, the trauma and the, the loss of life and the change to lives that that's done. And now to have, um, you know, this fighting, um, going on and the way that I don't know, politicians behave not always the, the best thing. I mean, we've had a few things in the UK that we really don't need to focus on right now. There are far more important things. So you've got people like Billy who, you know, just had money for the plane ticket and flew himself one way to, to the US. I mean, I know his family are extremely proud of Billy and everything that he's achieved. He's a remarkable guy. He's been through an awful lot, but he's an absolutely such a loving soul, and he has an amazing family. And I feel very lucky that I've ever— that I met Billy. Um, so things that happened to me that weren't good I've ended up meeting people. Billy is, is one of a few examples of that, and I'm actually also in contact with his mum. So it feels like, um, you know, I— all I've done, or felt I've been able to do, um, in my situation, um, and us as a family, is to to, you know, donate financially to organizations where we feel that, um, the humanitarian aid that is required is going to get to the right centers, to the right people. But I think as Billy was saying, I mean, we are going to— this is an ongoing thing, and it's probably going to be increasing in number, the amount of, um, aid— food, medicines, clothes— just your basic needs. Is it— we're going to need more of it, not less of it, to help these people. And also in the receiving countries who are taking them in, like the, the family that I know who've taken in a couple from Ukraine who, who were just too scared to come out of their, their room for 2 days because of what they've been through and what they've seen and what they've left behind. Other conversations that I've, I've had with, um, Billy are about people who have joined the Ukrainian army and, and gone to help and to fight and to train because they are weapons trained. Billy's not going to be going to use weapons and things. He's not, he's not trained to do that. But the, the people that he has been talking to who've been in the military for years, they have just seen the most, uh, shocking horrific acts, um, that have happened to, to human beings during this time. And yes, they've documented it with phones and things. And the, the media does have to screen, uh, what is shown. Um, I actually did— in my family, um, I have two members of my family. One was a war correspondent and one was a videotape editor, and they've— they're no longer doing that. They're retired. But what they've seen and how they've talked about it and how they've coped with what they've seen and how they've gone through it and, you know, made— they run out of electricity, so somebody managed to rig up some, some fairy lights. Um, there's things like that. There's animals that are hurt, they go and get them to the vet. You know, the press help in ways like that, but the press are often given a bit of a safer passage. There's a slightly, um, you know, respected— they have press clearly written on them. But I think at the moment, um, that's not the case at this time, certainly in a lot of places. And one of my friends who actually is currently a news reporter, uh, their organization have assessed the situation. Obviously it's changing all the time, but at the moment it is considered that it is too high a risk to actually send more reporters in at this stage. So we certainly don't want to complicate things. Um, so I just, you know, my, my job is, um, I work with children. I was a teacher for, for many, many years, and I, I specialized in early years, so children from the age of sort of 3 to 5, and just knowing how sometimes they would feel anxious just about joining a new nursery and, you know, saying goodbye to their parents who they knew were going to pick them up in 2 or 3 hours' time and probably have a nice snack in the car and, or maybe a nice playdate or something, and story, bath, and bed. And to think that what's going on now with, um, you know, Ukraine has quite its own— 90% of the population are still there living in basements or underground stations. I think if you're lucky enough there, then you can get onto an actual train carriage and have an area there and try and sleep. And there are obviously the facilities for hygiene and washing are very limited. So I, I think it's, um, really very, very difficult for, for most people. I'm certainly finding it difficult to actually comprehend how people are, are doing this, but Humans are, are resilient, and humans do care, and they are able to, to organize themselves pretty well. And I think we're seeing— and I, I hope that you've enjoyed the broadcast with Billy today. I, I really wanted to do it. He Timing-wise, his time zone is slightly different to where I am at the moment, so, um, he was telling me what his schedule was today. Obviously that is a priority. He's now got to leave. He's driving, um, food and medicine in a big truck tomorrow. He's not driving the truck, but he's one of the support party within that, um, and he's going to be driving, you know, that extremely needed and important aid to the areas where it's needed. So that's why he's, he's gone to get himself organized. I don't want to put any pressure on somebody in a situation where they are, are needed and helping. So, um, I hope this recording comes out all right as well so that you can you could actually hear Billy, because, um, he's only got access to, to certain sort of, uh, communication where he is, because that's, uh, obviously talking to me is not really his highest priority, although it, it's been an absolute pleasure to, to reconnect, and I am extremely proud of him. So this weekend we've got this, um, a bank holiday weekend. Um, it almost seems, you know, sort of wrong that we're, you know, I'm away with my daughter and it's lovely. It's so peaceful. It's quality time. Well, that's what I'm saying. She might say different. Um, we've only done day one. And, um, and just to think, if you were born in another country like Ukraine, you know, you could have lost your, your home and your family, um, in a— not knowing, knowing where people are, being displaced and seeing sort of atrocities and just not knowing what's going on and having no say or part of what is happening to the place where you live. I mean, my, my home is certainly, you know, the most important place to me and my family on the planet. So to, to be made to leave that, um, well, no, I can't imagine it at all. So, um, let's just hope that we can forge a way to, to find a— I don't know if result's the right word, but to try and get these people so that they are safe, they know they're cared for, and that they will be cared for in the long term as well. Because I know that Billy was saying there's a lot of doctors there who are helping, and they do have psychologists But with trauma, if you're in a situation where the normal human response is to fight, flight, or freeze— so sort of physically fight, which a lot of people are having to do, or, um, flight, so, so leave and maybe go to a refugee center, or freeze and just live in that panic But with repeated trauma, you know, my mind was abused. My— I couldn't fight, flight, or freeze. I did freeze. I froze for a long time. But after that, it became too much that then I dissociated. So my mind took itself away, and that is something that's very difficult to to get diagnosed and get help with. So I would— my personal opinion is that these people, um, children and mothers and elderly, are going to be very, very traumatized, um, where you had to dissociate to get through lots of different obstacles physically and mentally to get to safety with their family. And I, I hope now that, you know, things— conditions like complex PTSD, where other countries in the world do do better with it, there's been more funding for it, more research done, um, that, that maybe now as a world we can start to share that, because there is, um, a lot of, you know, un— Unhealed trauma is, is something that's extremely difficult to live with, and I hope that these people from Ukraine and the countries that they, they are going to, um, can help them to, to settle and rebuild some lives and, um, hopefully rebuild their country. So that they can return to their home in sometime in the future and to have help from the global community with this. So I'm Eva May. I hope that if you listened to my broadcast last week, so from the 2nd of May, where I recorded with LKJ, so Lady Kendall Jagger, who has the Free Your Mind series, so Mind Healing Image High. But we, we broadcast together, we did one together which, um, has went out from Monday the 2nd of May for a week. So my slot, 7 o'clock and 7 GMT, and hers is 8 and 8. And we just wanted you to sort of hear that the women's radio station, we are actually, um, in touch with each other, and we do all share and understand each other's sort of reasons and our series. And we thought that that would be good for us to actually speak together and record it, because we, we do communicate. Um, so I hope that you found that one too, and I hope that everybody, um, is, is well. I hope you're finding my series helpful. My next week's, uh, recording will be— it's something that's quite dear to my heart. It's by the— I'm speaking with some people who are involved, um, senior psychologists from the Truth Project UK, which is the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse which the UK government asked to be conducted. And I took part in it as one of just over 6,000 people, so I don't know anyone else who did it. But there are— for this, uh, everybody was invited if you wanted to go, but I pulled out once and then I went back in and thought, yes, I'm going to do this. I was worried about the impact it would have on me talking about my trauma in that way. It's not always helpful for me to actually talk about it, but there's a, there's a lot of data that's been gathered and to find, um, what's helpful in many, many areas. So that's who I will be speaking to next week, and I hope that, um, you know, some of the findings and the data that we can share and the discussion around it will just help, um, support people who, who are suffering have and, and will suffer from trauma in the future, and that we can have better outcomes. Because it's taken me 33 years to actually get to a place that can actually support me with my dissociative identity disorder. So I'd like to thank you very much for, for listening to this one, and you know, to Billy, who's, you know, been talking to us live from Poland, just so, 10 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, and, um, he, he's going to be moving food tomorrow.