The information space about Poland is dominated by news of conflicts with Ukrainians, but there are also opposite cases. A Ukrainian woman who felt unwell after a tram ride received help from two unknown Polish women and paramedics. This story shows that attitudes toward Ukrainians in Poland cannot be reduced to loud political statements or isolated conflicts.
What happened in the tram
A Ukrainian woman living in Poland told about an incident that happened to her after a tram ride. Due to heat, lack of air conditioning, and motion sickness from the transport, she felt very unwell after the ride. At first, she hoped to get off at the next stop, rest a bit, and feel better. But the situation turned out to be more serious: very quickly, numbness in her limbs appeared, her hands cramped so badly that she couldn’t straighten them, and this was accompanied by nausea, pain, and intense fear.
In such a condition, especially in a foreign country, a person can become very frightened. But the girl was not left alone.
Reaction of random passersby
Two Polish women noticed her. They could have walked past — a stranger feeling unwell is a situation many don’t want to get involved in. But the women decided to help: they called an ambulance and stayed with the Ukrainian woman. They sat beside her, talked to her, tried to distract her from pain and fear, and waited with her for the paramedics. One of the Polish women even left her phone number so that the Ukrainian woman could write to her after it was all over and let her know that everything was fine.
Help from the paramedics
When the ambulance arrived, the paramedic checked her vitals and began to figure out what had happened. According to the Ukrainian woman, communication with the medical staff was in English, as she doesn’t speak Polish. The language barrier created no problems: the paramedic calmly asked the necessary questions, checked her condition, and explained what was happening. After checking and clarifying symptoms, the woman was not left alone — she was told what to do next and advised to rest and recover.
What impressed the Ukrainian woman most was the behavior of the people who helped her on the street. According to her, at that moment she practically forgot about pain and fear because there were people beside her who simply offered their support.
Why such stories matter
Negative stories about conflicts between Ukrainians and Poles spread much faster than positive ones. One conflict can spread across the internet within hours, while dozens of ordinary cases where a Pole helped a Ukrainian or vice versa go unnoticed.
In any society, there are different kinds of people: kind, indifferent, aggressive, those who support foreigners, and those who are categorically against migration. Therefore, it is incorrect to claim that all Poles are hostile toward Ukrainians, just as it is incorrect to say that all Ukrainians feel the same way about Poles. The behavior of two unknown Polish women in this situation shows that humanity does not disappear because of nationality.
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