David Beckham lets Ukrainian doctor take over his Instagram to highlight life-saving work

David Beckham handed his Instagram account with 71 million followers to a doctor in Ukraine to highlight the "amazing work" done by medical professionals in a basement because of the attack by Russia. The soccer star has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2005 and the takeover was arranged by the organization. Beckham let Dr. Iryna, head of a perinatal center in Kharkiv take over his account to show the dire conditions under which the medical professionals were working with pregnant women, new mothers, and children. Dr. Iryna shared images and video clips from the perinatal center in Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine, reported CNN.

She revealed they were forced to work from the basement for a bit after the patients were shifted there on the first day of the war. Dr. Iryna said they were risking their lives as they worked 24/7 to care for their patients and children. Moving isn't an option for the medical staff and it's not one they are considering either. "We love our work," said Dr. Iryna, who has nothing but the highest words reserved for her colleague who toils with her to keep the most vulnerable safe. 

"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 recalled. "Unfortunately, we can't take babies who are in intensive care to the basement because they rely on life-saving equipment," she wrote besides photographs of newborns attached to oxygen generators in the intensive care unit. In one clip a young mother named Yana could be seen holding her son, Mykhailo. The baby was born with breathing problems and was being cared for by the staff at the perinatal center.

Dr. Iryna said the first few days of the attack were chaotic because everyone was panicking and wondering how they could continue working in such an environment. Now they're more prepared and trying to focus their energy on patients. "The first days were the most difficult. We had to learn how to work with bombings and strikes. My workday is 24/7 now, I'm here all day," said Iryna. She has been forced to take on so many roles in the wake of the attack. "Now, I'm not only the head of the center, but I continue to work as a pediatric anesthesiologist. I unload cargo, I work on logistics and offer emotional support," she said. 

David Beckham, the former Manchester United footballer, has launched an emergency appeal to raise money for those affected by the attack on Ukraine. Beckham is helping raise money through his 7 fund for UNICEF. He also urged his supporters to donate money to UNICEF, which is helping to provide families with access to clean water and food, ensure child protection services continue, and assess the refugee situation in neighboring countries. "Thanks to your donations, the oxygen generators they have received are helping newborns survive in appalling conditions," said Beckham. "Please continue to support these incredible people and charities like UNICEF in any way that you can. Together we can really make a difference." The footballer also said he and his wife, Victoria had made personally donated to the fund as well.

Some of the other sport stars who have donated to Ukraine include Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova and Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina. Tennis legend Roger Federer donated $500,000 donation through his foundation "to establish access to continued schooling for Ukrainian children," reported Fox News. "My family and I are horrified seeing pictures from Ukraine and heartbroken for the innocent people who have been so terribly affected. We stand for peace," said Federer. "We will provide assistance to children from Ukraine who need care, about six million Ukrainian children are currently out of school. We know it's a very critical time to provide access to education and would like to support them to deal with this extremely traumatic experience."

Russia's attack on Ukraine is a developing story, and we’ll update as we learn more. Information is swiftly changing and Upworthy is committed to providing the most recent and verified updates in our articles and reportage. However, considering the frequency in developments, some of the information/data in this article may have changed since the time of publication.