David Beckham — the former professional soccer player and one of the most recognizable athletes in the world — handed over his Instagram on Sunday to a Ukrainian doctor as a way to highlight how doctors have been providing care for people amid Ukraine’s war with Russia.
Details: Beckham, who has been a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, handed the account over to Dr. Iryna, who works as the head of a perinatal center in Kharkiv, according to USA Today.
- The takeover has allowed medical professionals to see “the conditions under which she and her colleagues are working,” per CNN.
What he said: “Head over to my story highlights to learn more about the amazing work Iryna and health workers like her are doing to save lives in Ukraine,” Beckham said in an Instagram post.
Context: Dr. Iryna — who is only identified by her first name — said she works around the clock as her team risks their lives to provide medical care.
What she said: “On the first day of the war, all pregnant women and mothers were evacuated to the basement. It was a terrible three hours that we spent together,” she wrote on an Instagram story on Beckham’s account, per CNN.
- “Unfortunately, we can’t take babies who are in intensive care to the basement because they rely on lifesaving equipment.”
- “We are probably risking our lives, but we don’t think about it at all,” she added, per Reuters. “We love our work.”