There's room for everyone in a loving heart. We met a mother of many children from the Dzerzhinsky district.
News Topic: A large and close-knit family can overcome any difficulties, especially when its foundation is built on years-old feelings and complete mutual understanding. Olga Asmalovskaya, a mother of five wonderful children, a pediatrician at Dzerzhinsky Hospital, a loving wife, and a homemaker, is convinced of this. On the eve of Women's Day, BELTA correspondents visited the agro-town of Stankovo and learned what inspires women to true heroism, worthy of a medal.
A person needs a person.
Olga Asmalovskaya, at the age of eight, moved to the Grodno Region to live with her grandmother, who had taken in an orphaned girl.
"The village of Berezovka became my second home. And my second language was Belarusian, which I even used for my exams. I remember the time I spent there, as well as my grandmother, with great fondness," Olga shared. The graduate chose medical school for her undergraduate studies, and since she has always loved children, she chose pediatrics as her specialty.
"Children are easy to approach; they are pure and straightforward. And I've always loved that. Even as a teenager, I enjoyed babysitting children, so my career choice was conscious. And my practical experience only confirmed that I was moving in the right direction," she noted.
Traditionally, senior medical students work part-time in hospitals, serving as orderlies or nurses. Olga was no exception, especially since she couldn't count on anyone's financial support.
"I worked in the cardiology department of the 'nine.' My zeal was enormous: IVs, injections—I performed any procedure with joy. I also ran to the lab where Boris worked as a junior research fellow. He was a graduate of the Sakharov Institute, an immunologist, and he immediately captivated me with the level of his knowledge. Transplantology was just emerging back then, and listening to stories about it was very interesting. That's how we connected in medicine," Olga said. Boris recalled that just two days later, he proposed, both jokingly and seriously, noticing in her all the qualities he needed in a future wife. "We certainly weren't bored," he noted. Olga added: "If people have nothing to talk about, if they don't develop, don't read books, don't strive for something, then nothing good can come of it. But when both move forward, inspiring and supporting each other along the way, then together you can move mountains."
"We divide difficulties by two..."
Boris brought his young wife, who became a mother in their fifth year, to his parents' apartment, where his sister's family also lived. At the time, it seemed that happiness would help overcome the cramped conditions, the daily grind, and the hardships. However, after their father's death, Boris and Olga were forced to make the decision to find their own place.
"We didn't have much money. My sister gave us a certain amount for a share of an apartment in the capital, but it wasn't possible to buy anything else in the city with that amount. We were looking for a place so that my husband could commute to MINSK for work from the new home. To buy an apartment of the size we needed in Stankovo, we also had to take out a loan ," Olga recalls. They moved into an old house, built in the 1930s without any renovations. There were leaky windows, the floor creaked, and they had to spend the winter with two children.
"We lived in a small room, which was easier to heat, and planned a renovation. It dragged on for ten years. While I was raising the children, Boris had to work alone. And doctors don't have such high salaries. But we always shared all the difficulties," she shared. "
The eyes may be afraid, but the hands are doing it. So Boris did everything in his apartment with his own hands, bringing his wife's sometimes challenging ideas to life. And now the children have good conditions for studying and recreation.
"We've furnished the apartment, now we're working on the house. As a needy family with many children, we were allocated a plot of land in Dzerzhinsk. Although we're not rural by nature, we boldly took on the project. The house will be small, but cozy, and definitely have two bathrooms, so there won't be a line in the morning," the mother of many children said.
She added that with a husband like Boris, she's not afraid to take on new projects and dreams, because he does everything possible to ensure both his wife and their heirs are happy.
"I'll conjure up a girl for you..."
"Our Yaromir was born in October. It was cold outside, but the day was clear. And although we had some name ideas, heaven itself told us what to call him. He even smiled like the sun, bringing joy to everyone," the mother of many children recalled. For Svyatoslav, now 12, Olga's husband chose the name, and she also loved it. "When our third son was born, my husband said we'd keep having children until we had a daughter. The boys were really looking forward to a little sister. Even during pregnancy, my eldest son, waving his hands over his belly, joked about conjuring a girl for me. So you can imagine the emotions that followed the birth of our Stefania. During maternity leave, which was very calm and productive, I simply enjoyed motherhood, baking a lot, making the house comfortable, and our daughter, even though she's still tiny, seemed to help me. She's still our little housewife: she's always eager to feed everyone, tidy up, and rearrange things in the closet," Olga shares. Lukyan is a year and a half old, but according to his mother, he's already a real personality. "You need to talk to him, explain everything, then you'll get the desired result," Olga says. According to her, the children are growing up creative, playing music, enjoying sports, and actively exploring their potential, something their parents help them with in every way possible.
"For a child to be born, a miracle must occur. Too many circumstances must come together—time, conditions, factors. And yet, many families are unable to conceive even one child. Therefore, the opportunity to have multiple children should be viewed as a gift from God," the mother noted. "How could I leave them without help..."
After moving to the Dzerzhinsky district, Olga traded the capital's hospital for a district one.
"When I was pregnant with Stefania, I worked practically until the birth. The situation repeated itself with Lukyan. After the birth of my son, I almost immediately went back to work, leaving my husband with a supply of breast MILK for the baby. He stayed with him during rest periods after shifts," Olga said.
She also added that she loves her job. "In a big city, it's easier to find a specialist for a consultation. I'm the only pediatric ENT DOCTOR at our hospital. My patients are children who have developed various complications after illnesses. In this case, special therapy is needed . How could I leave them without help..."
Incidentally, the medical family's "first aid" also extends to everyday life. All the bruised knees of children in the area are the Asmalovskys' concern. Knowing they'll receive expert advice, adult neighbors also turn to them. There's room for everyone in a loving heart.
Elena Kharevich,
photo by Vitaly Pivovarchik,
BELTA.
A person needs a person.
Olga Asmalovskaya, at the age of eight, moved to the Grodno Region to live with her grandmother, who had taken in an orphaned girl.
"The village of Berezovka became my second home. And my second language was Belarusian, which I even used for my exams. I remember the time I spent there, as well as my grandmother, with great fondness," Olga shared. The graduate chose medical school for her undergraduate studies, and since she has always loved children, she chose pediatrics as her specialty.
"Children are easy to approach; they are pure and straightforward. And I've always loved that. Even as a teenager, I enjoyed babysitting children, so my career choice was conscious. And my practical experience only confirmed that I was moving in the right direction," she noted.
Traditionally, senior medical students work part-time in hospitals, serving as orderlies or nurses. Olga was no exception, especially since she couldn't count on anyone's financial support.
"I worked in the cardiology department of the 'nine.' My zeal was enormous: IVs, injections—I performed any procedure with joy. I also ran to the lab where Boris worked as a junior research fellow. He was a graduate of the Sakharov Institute, an immunologist, and he immediately captivated me with the level of his knowledge. Transplantology was just emerging back then, and listening to stories about it was very interesting. That's how we connected in medicine," Olga said. Boris recalled that just two days later, he proposed, both jokingly and seriously, noticing in her all the qualities he needed in a future wife. "We certainly weren't bored," he noted. Olga added: "If people have nothing to talk about, if they don't develop, don't read books, don't strive for something, then nothing good can come of it. But when both move forward, inspiring and supporting each other along the way, then together you can move mountains."
"We divide difficulties by two..."
Boris brought his young wife, who became a mother in their fifth year, to his parents' apartment, where his sister's family also lived. At the time, it seemed that happiness would help overcome the cramped conditions, the daily grind, and the hardships. However, after their father's death, Boris and Olga were forced to make the decision to find their own place.
"We didn't have much money. My sister gave us a certain amount for a share of an apartment in the capital, but it wasn't possible to buy anything else in the city with that amount. We were looking for a place so that my husband could commute to MINSK for work from the new home. To buy an apartment of the size we needed in Stankovo, we also had to take out a loan ," Olga recalls. They moved into an old house, built in the 1930s without any renovations. There were leaky windows, the floor creaked, and they had to spend the winter with two children.
"We lived in a small room, which was easier to heat, and planned a renovation. It dragged on for ten years. While I was raising the children, Boris had to work alone. And doctors don't have such high salaries. But we always shared all the difficulties," she shared. "
The eyes may be afraid, but the hands are doing it. So Boris did everything in his apartment with his own hands, bringing his wife's sometimes challenging ideas to life. And now the children have good conditions for studying and recreation.
"We've furnished the apartment, now we're working on the house. As a needy family with many children, we were allocated a plot of land in Dzerzhinsk. Although we're not rural by nature, we boldly took on the project. The house will be small, but cozy, and definitely have two bathrooms, so there won't be a line in the morning," the mother of many children said.
She added that with a husband like Boris, she's not afraid to take on new projects and dreams, because he does everything possible to ensure both his wife and their heirs are happy.
"I'll conjure up a girl for you..."
"Our Yaromir was born in October. It was cold outside, but the day was clear. And although we had some name ideas, heaven itself told us what to call him. He even smiled like the sun, bringing joy to everyone," the mother of many children recalled. For Svyatoslav, now 12, Olga's husband chose the name, and she also loved it. "When our third son was born, my husband said we'd keep having children until we had a daughter. The boys were really looking forward to a little sister. Even during pregnancy, my eldest son, waving his hands over his belly, joked about conjuring a girl for me. So you can imagine the emotions that followed the birth of our Stefania. During maternity leave, which was very calm and productive, I simply enjoyed motherhood, baking a lot, making the house comfortable, and our daughter, even though she's still tiny, seemed to help me. She's still our little housewife: she's always eager to feed everyone, tidy up, and rearrange things in the closet," Olga shares. Lukyan is a year and a half old, but according to his mother, he's already a real personality. "You need to talk to him, explain everything, then you'll get the desired result," Olga says. According to her, the children are growing up creative, playing music, enjoying sports, and actively exploring their potential, something their parents help them with in every way possible.
"For a child to be born, a miracle must occur. Too many circumstances must come together—time, conditions, factors. And yet, many families are unable to conceive even one child. Therefore, the opportunity to have multiple children should be viewed as a gift from God," the mother noted. "How could I leave them without help..."
After moving to the Dzerzhinsky district, Olga traded the capital's hospital for a district one.
"When I was pregnant with Stefania, I worked practically until the birth. The situation repeated itself with Lukyan. After the birth of my son, I almost immediately went back to work, leaving my husband with a supply of breast MILK for the baby. He stayed with him during rest periods after shifts," Olga said.
She also added that she loves her job. "In a big city, it's easier to find a specialist for a consultation. I'm the only pediatric ENT DOCTOR at our hospital. My patients are children who have developed various complications after illnesses. In this case, special therapy is needed . How could I leave them without help..."
Incidentally, the medical family's "first aid" also extends to everyday life. All the bruised knees of children in the area are the Asmalovskys' concern. Knowing they'll receive expert advice, adult neighbors also turn to them. There's room for everyone in a loving heart.
Elena Kharevich,
photo by Vitaly Pivovarchik,
BELTA.