Liudmyla Shupeniuk is a well-known Ukrainian obstetrician-gynaecologist, TV presenter and expert on popular medical TV projects such as I’m Ashamed of My Body on STB TV channel;
She was born in Chernivtsi into a family of hereditary doctors. Liudmyla followed in her parents’ footsteps and, after graduating with honours from Chernivtsi Medical University, became a practicing obstetrician-gynaecologist.
Today, Liudmyla Shupeniuk is a doctor of the highest category with more than 27 years of experience. She works as a leading obstetrician-gynaecologist at two Kyiv clinics – Clinic Nova and an antenatal clinic;
In 2014, Liudmyla started working with television, becoming one of the leading experts of the project I’m Ashamed of My Body, along with her colleagues Kateryna Bezvershenko and Valerii Oslavskyi. This programme brought her great popularity among viewers.
Despite her popularity, Liudmyla admits that she still can’t get used to it, especially when her fellow doctors come up to her for an autograph;
In an interview, she said that she agreed to take part in the TV project to overcome her fear of public speaking;
Liudmyla is married to psychologist Orest Shupeniuk, who also frequently appears on Ukrainian television;
It is interesting that in addition to two doctors, their family now includes two psychologists – the husband and daughter Galina, who followed in her father’s footsteps.
Liudmyla Shupeniuk, a well-known obstetrician-gynaecologist and expert on the medical TV project I’m Ashamed of My Body (STB TV channel), has become a favourite with many viewers. In an interview, she told us why she still can’t get used to her fame and how two psychologists appeared in her family
“Over the years, immunity is developed, but some things are very painful”
– In one of your recent programmes, you burst into tears. It’s not often that we see you like this…
Indeed, this rarely happens, at least on camera. But we are all human beings, and the stories of the programme’s heroes cannot but touch us. I couldn’t hold back my tears while listening to the story of six-year-old Irina’s mother, who suffers from progeria. This is a rare genetic disease that causes organs to age very quickly. There are only a hundred people in the world with this diagnosis, and only one girl in Ukraine. And unfortunately, this disease is currently untreatable.
– When you agreed to take part in the project, did you think it would be so difficult emotionally?
My profession means that I often come across human tragedies. To be honest, even at the workplace, I don’t always manage to hold back tears. You are not a machine! Over the years, of course, you develop some kind of immunity, but some things still hit you hard.
– Do you follow the fate of the heroes of the programmes?
We correspond with some of them on social media. But not with all the project participants. Most often, patients themselves do not see the need for this. Or they don’t want to be disturbed.
– You are often asked, but still: which patient impressed you personally?
Of course, 26-year-old Karina Rubleva is a woman who was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer and pregnancy at the same time. This story left no one indifferent! “I have never seen such a tumour as long as I have been a doctor. I experienced a huge internal tension when I touched the stone breasts of such a young woman. In those moments, I was torn apart by despair: she was not living somewhere in the desert, she was a nurse by profession, she had a loved one. How could this be allowed to happen? It was a shock for me! Well, she was afraid to go for the research herself, but her family? Why didn’t they convince her?
– In your opinion, why do Ukrainians procrastinate when it comes to visiting doctors?
I recently came across an interesting study. It turns out that people’s top fears are fear of public speaking, followed by fear of going to the doctor, and fear of death. It seems to me that if doctors and patients developed friendly relations, if they met just to talk and get checked, everything would be different. Women would definitely visit gynaecologists much more often. Returning to Karina’s story: she had a tumour before we met, and was sent to the oncology centre for a consultation, but she didn’t go for nine months because she was afraid. She hoped that everything would pass… What if she hadn’t come to our project? To be honest, she came to us too late, and her situation was not easy. She underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and everything seemed to go well, but such advanced cancer is very difficult to cure. The woman has two children: an older girl and the one she gave birth to with us. It seems to me that everyone who has watched the stories about her and feels that they need to see a doctor will definitely not put it off. And this is one of the missions of our project.
– In which story are you most pleased with the outcome?
In general, I am satisfied with the results of all patients who have come to us. And in particular… This story has not yet been told, it will only be shown. A young woman with a miscarriage applied to us for the project. She had already had four miscarriages, and her fifth pregnancy was ectopic. And fortunately, Lyuda recently gave birth successfully with our help. For me, the most rewarding thing in my profession is a normal pregnancy and the birth of a healthy child. That’s probably why I went into midwifery. No other medical field gives you the opportunity to see the results of your work so quickly.
“I am always on the side of women, because life is unfair to us: from painful periods to childbirth, and “
– В інтерв’ю ви часто говорите, що “ваша доля була вирішена”, адже в сім’ї – всі медики…
Мої батьки – лікарі. Тато пізніше перейшов на наукову роботу, займався ендокринологією. Сестра – дитячий гастроентеролог. Акушер-гінеколог я одна в сім’ї. Як на мене, це найпозитивніше, що є в медицині. Крім того, за всієї моєї любові до чоловіків, я завжди на боці жінок і десь у душі феміністка. Мені завжди хотілося їм допомогти. Адже життя буває до нас справедливим: починаючи від болісних місячних, закінчуючи пологами.
– Доля вашої доньки Галі теж вирішена?
Ні. Питання про те, чи піти їй у медицину, звісно, вдома порушувалося. Але в цій професії, щоб стати хорошим фахівцем, потрібні роки й роки навчання, а потім – практики. І необхідно продовжувати вчитися все життя. Мені здається, вона не була готова так довго чекати. Ми поговорили, все розібрали, і вона вирішила йти татовими стопами. Тепер у нас у сім’ї два психологи.
– Психологія і медицина добре одна одну доповнюють. Перші лікують душу, другі – тіло. Говорите вдома про роботу?
Ви абсолютно праві – це два боки однієї медалі. Третя частина будь-якої хвороби – проблеми психологічного характеру, не медичного. Ми багато говоримо про це з чоловіком. Нерідко він допомагає мені ухвалювати правильні рішення в роботі.
– На сімейних урочистостях заходить мова про медицину?
Тільки про це й говоримо! Сестра зараз захопилася паразитологією. І їй донька постійно нагадує: “Мамо, знову ти про глисти за столом?!” А ми всі реагуємо на це спокійно: цікаво ж! Ніколи не забуду, як ми колективом одного разу відзначали якесь торжество. І весь вечір обговорювали хвороби! А потім раптом чоловік одного лікаря ввічливо попросив: “А давайте тепер поговоримо про лампочки!” Виявилося, він електрик. І ось тоді ми зрозуміли, що треба іноді й відпочивати від роботи.
“Tick, show me what I signed up for!”
– Do your relatives watch your programmes?
My mother is my most ardent supporter. She cares more about the fate of the characters than all of us put together! She’s also very interested in how I look in the frame. Then she says to me: “Here you were a little tired, and here you look good!” or “Your hairstyle looks better in the latest episodes!” My whole family watches the programme. We have a tradition – every Thursday, my husband, daughter and I sit down in front of the TV. But it is not easy for Galya to watch the scenes of surgeries. She says: “Mum, if it wasn’t for your programme, I wouldn’t watch it!”
– Have you seen foreign analogues of the program?
After signing the contract with the TV channel, I came home and asked my daughter: “Halochka, show me what I signed up for.” Then we watched a few programmes. Of course, it’s dynamic and interesting, but it looks more like a TV show. I think one of the keys to the success of our project is that its hosts are not actors. Everything here is real. More life, I believe. I am also an incredible patriot of our medicine. I see the progress my colleagues are making. And I am glad that I have the opportunity to talk about it. We need to talk about this so that people don’t think that only abroad there are good specialists. There were several difficult cases in the project, and we were rejected by clinics abroad. But ours took us on!
– What fears and phobias did you overcome with the help of the project?
It’s hard to believe now, but I was very afraid to speak in front of an audience. I used to do student theatre and KVN, but I didn’t do much public speaking. In many ways, I agreed to take part in the project to prove to myself that I could not be self-conscious in front of the cameras. After all, until you do it, you don’t understand whether you can or not. I went and did it! It was a victory for me. And when they called me and said they were inviting me to the second season, I was incredibly happy!
From time to time, I have a fear of incompetence. I have never encountered so many diagnoses that I saw on the project in my regular work. Sometimes people come with diseases that I’ve only read about in a book. You look up articles on the Internet, search for what is being written in the world. This, by the way, is a great incentive to develop in different directions.
– One of the features of your project is the educational medical experiments that you conduct in public places. What episode was unexpected?
For all three of us, it was a very difficult experiment when we taught people how to go to the toilet on Obolonska embankment. My part was about how to wipe your bum properly. And just imagine, a reputable doctor with experience and a huge number of patients needs to talk to strangers about things that you don’t discuss even in a narrow circle of relatives. It was very difficult to step over myself. And people’s reactions were different. Some responded happily, while others could snort. Now we are used to any reaction. And you know, sometimes I look at people who react harshly to our offers to participate with pity. You have to be so closed and constrained to not be able to talk about a topic related to health!
– Do you meet with your colleagues Valery Oslavsky and Kateryna Bezvershenko outside of work?
We have a very good team! We are friends, and this is also an asset of the project, for which I am very grateful. We meet both Katya and Valera outside of work, we can go out together. But, unfortunately, this is extremely rare. If I come to Odesa, Valera will always meet me and take me in. We go to training seminars together with Katushka.
“I definitely have to go somewhere every three months“
– How do you like to spend your free time?
I must go somewhere every three months! It can be a scientific conference or a family holiday. On weekends, I always visit my parents. Thank God, they are alive and well and not far away – 40 kilometres from Kyiv. By the way, they moved after my sister and me from Chernivtsi. They said that if their two daughters are there, why would we stay here? Now they are in their 80s, but at that time they were 68 years old. They sold everything and bought a house near Kyiv. And dad still got a job! Despite their venerable age, they are young inside. They celebrate their birthdays in the mountains or on the Dniester – they also follow us. Sometimes they sigh with a fake sigh – my mother is reluctant to leave her comfort zone, but then, when the whole family gathers for a trip, they really come alive.
– How do you feel about the fact that people often come up to you for an autograph on the street now?
I still can’t get used to it! Especially when colleagues come to me. I am the same doctor as they are, maybe I just have more publicity. That’s all. When doctors approach me with a request: “Can I take a picture with you?”, I feel a little embarrassed. In general, fans are different, sometimes unexpected in their manifestations. For example, when I come to rest with my family and a person comes up to me and starts talking about his illness, it’s unpleasant. Or I’m without make-up, tired, in a bad mood, and they start taking pictures of me without asking… But in general, I meet more positive people. I generally treat people very well.
– Even after fraudsters sell various “miracle cures” on the Internet on your behalf?
This, of course, makes me angry! You earn your credibility throughout your life. Long before the project, we (Lyudmyla’s colleagues also became the “faces of medicines” against fraudsters. – ) were successful doctors, we were trusted and trusted – and here someone is using our names for profit! It’s impossible to influence these people. Our channel tried, but failed. When patients come to me and say: “You told me about it on the Internet, I bought…”, I feel so uncomfortable. I have to justify myself once again: “I have nothing to do with it”.
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