With Dr. D – I've taken the liberty of calling our heroine – we will talk about choices, vocation, inspiration, and causes.
It's a whole journey and experience.
It was in the depths of medicine and complex puzzles to solve. It was in poetry, where even a seemingly routine professional conference can become inspiration for a verse.
As a multifaceted and multilayered personality, Dr. Diana Hristova is a guest in the „Interesting“ segment with an unconventional interview.
It's very difficult to summarize all of her interests. But should you?
Let's reveal it little by little.
An interview-journey between medicine, poetry, the Rhodope Mountains, France, and children's smiles.
Her answers are clear, precise, and wise. Sometimes they sound like aphorisms.
Why did you choose medicine?
Question: Why did you choose medicine? Poetry is inherent in you—in your thoughts, feelings, and your sense of life.
Dr. Diana Hristova:
„I had two dreams - music and medicine. I chose medicine so I wouldn't feel helpless in the face of suffering.“
Another surprise – the music.
Although what am I wondering? Poetry is also music. You have to feel the rhythm of the word and be able to weave it into harmony.
Question: Have you ever played a musical instrument?
Dr. Diana Hristova:
„Unfortunately, I don't play any instrument, but I used to sing at all school and city celebrations. My musical sense helps me recognize breathing problems even without a stethoscope.“
For allergology and children's trust
Question: What led you to allergy and immunology?
Dr. Diana Hristova:
„Many unknowns in allergology itself.“
Question: Why are young patients special?
Dr. Diana Hristova:
„Each of us shapes children's worldviews in some way, and we are obligated not to undermine children's trust in any way.“
Volunteer in COVID ward
Question: Why did you volunteer to work in the COVID ward right from the beginning?
Dr. Diana Hristova:
„At the peak of the epidemic, there was a need for volunteer doctors. It's no secret that few people dared to approach virus carriers.
An unusual situation is a test of professionalism, humanity, and morality.“
When did you start writing poetry?
Question: When did you start writing in rhyme?
Dr. Diana Hristova:
„I don't remember when the „Green Notebook“ dates back to, in which I was supposed to beautifully copy my childhood quatrains.“
Question: What can inspire you?
Dr. Diana Hristova:
„The nuances, the details that provoke thought. The unusual in the ordinary.“
Question: Happiness, and suffering?
Dr. Diana Hristova:
„Disappointment and suffering, rather, seek answers. Happiness simply expresses itself.“
Question: Do emotions get in the way of a doctor's daily life?
Dr. Diana Hristova:
„Yes and no. That's the doctor-patient relationship.“
The Rhodopes as an inspiration
I have selected a few poems related to Dr. D.'s physical and spiritual journeys.
They do not have a specific geographical location, but the magnetism of the Rhodopes and the sanctuary of Tatul are clearly present between the lines.
„In the Rhodopes, you feel free and spiritually uplifted,“ shares the young woman.
I can
I can, when I want to.,
to be a force in calm water
and when I feel most pressured,
to keep the flowers in my soul.
I can dance with a whirlwind
the harsh truth,
Carried by the rhythm, with bare feet,
And keep my heart silently whole,
The light in a smile, the warmth in a voice.
And believe me, I can, if I just ask.,
to water a life with just a drop of water,
to melt ice with independent love
and to seek the good in every spark.
I'm tiptoeing
I'm tiptoeing.,
It's quiet, you'll hear
How the heart beats in the chest.
When you wake up,
will quickly invade
a swarm of unfulfilled dreams.
Sleep so the story doesn't end.
I will come in a dream,
After you, the night
the day it broke,
Will you send me
with the first dawn.
Lyon, France and the meeting of the Saône and Rhône Rivers
Question: Remind us of the trip to France, after which you wrote poems on the plane.
Dr. Diana Hristova:
„Stars“ was created on the plane on the way to Lyon.
Stars
The stars come down to earth at night.
Amidst the thousands of star homes,
in the windows, nestled in the dark,
they pour their colors warm.
And shiny nets entangle
in a dense weave a trickle of light,
wandering on scattered spiderwebs
from the street lamps the light.
The day is breaking. The earth is dressing itself
in a light dress, daily whiteness,
and the sun peeks out, smiling,
The night scatters on stardust.
Lyon is the city where the Saône and Rhône rivers meet.
Dr. Dee shares:
„According to legend, Ron was a mythical man – strong, fast, and willful, while Sona embodied the gentle and good-natured woman. The two rivers merge in Lyon. After their initial contact, they attempt to separate, but soon come together again as one.“
Sona and Rona
When Rona meets Son
and intertwines fingers with her hands,
in a clenched fist meet with splashing sprays
They lead them from other worlds.
And winds chase each other, galloping in flight
on their way to their riverbanks,
not yet tamed, they do not allow
the caress of a foreign heart.
The city quiets down, night descends
and sinks into darkness at your feet,
in the next moment of an unusual argument
The rivers offer you their hands.
They run side by side, they love each other dearly
in a warm embrace, on wings,
with gentle words they vow to something,
Blue blood runs in their veins.
For forgiveness and freedom
I personally really liked the poem „Forgiveness.“.
The accompanying photo is striking – a fragile young woman in full combat gear next to a tree with leafy green branches.
Forgiveness
From today, tomorrow and the days to come blend together,
Forgiveness makes you free.
and the coals within you will grow cold,
You will no longer destroy spontaneously.
Anger is a mystery of those,
that eat away at you without a trace,
Ready to snuggle up to anyone
moth, living in darkness.
Sorry, tears will wash away
the suffocating heavy sadness,
The executioner and the victim are one, and they hide,
but in time they swap their order.
To overcome yourself. To forgive. To move forward without the burden of anger.
All themes that resonate equally strongly in poetry and in life.
„A Tale of Allergens“ – A Little Book with a Big Cause
Dr. Diana Hristova's latest project is a children's book. „A Tale of Allergens – Rhyming Words for Elusive Microbes“, brilliantly illustrated by artist Paco Vasilev.
One important fact, which the author herself would hardly emphasize:
The first edition was self-funded and given to children who visited her office.
As a mother of an already grown allergic child and someone who knows this topic well, I can only applaud such a cause.
How did the idea come about?
Dr. Diana Hristova:
„My little patients challenged me to come up with role-playing games to conduct the testing. To my surprise, they remembered everything and on their next visit, they would start telling stories themselves and ask me, „Will you draw me again?“
How to overcome fear?
Question: How to overcome fear in children and adults alike?
Dr. Diana Hristova:
„By preventing it in childhood and not allowing it to grow and take root.“
Question: Where do you draw inspiration from?
Dr. Diana Hristova:
„From reality.“
Question: And now where to?
Dr. Diana Hristova:
„A new fairy tale for children.“
I'm giving myself boldly
I was thinking of ending the interview when I read the poem „I Give of Myself Boldly.“.
It was as if Dr. Dee herself stood before me.
And when the pieces run out?
Will probably create new ones.
I'm giving myself boldly
I give of myself bravely,
I'm tearing pieces of my soul away
and I step on the thread skillfully
on the path to my dawn.
What will my hands take,
stretched in my fate,
in fist clenched both
another serving of food.
But the foreign fire dies out,
if you don't have spark,
Heatwave, terrible,
when language is mute.
What will you gather in your palms?
Shards, broken without connection.
You have walked on foreign paths,
lost in some reverie.
What will my hands take,
Did you trespass in the foreign temple?
Take, ask, have,
I will create again from the pieces.
Thank you very much for gifting me a piece of yourself and your time.
The honor is mine.
I am happy that I know you.
I have hope for Bulgaria, which sometimes fades, it doesn't even smolder.
But when you meet someone like Dr. Diana Hristova – a doctor, poet, volunteer, and person with a cause – you start to believe that there is a tomorrow.
Take care of yourself and your neighbor.
See more about Dr. Diana Hristova here
