MUDr. Jana Dominika Bohušová

“At that time I was fighting in my own little territory. I was thus saying to mothers that they should not eat oranges from Cuba when they were breastfeeding their babies, because the oranges were preserved with disinfectants and the babies suffered from a rash. I was therefore summoned to a committee of the whole department of gynecology and obstetrics. They held a meeting because of me and they started criticizing me, asking how I dared to have such an aversion against Cuba. It was in relation to the week when the struggle was ongoing and when it began to be apparent that the regime would hold no longer. I thus had to stand there on my own and resist their attacks. I was on duty during those days, I worked on 17th, 18th and 19th, it was a weekend, and on 19th, the boss of the obstetrics department called me and he started berating me a lot. There was only him and me in there. I already had some news since Friday, because some students who were from Frýdek and who studied in Prague came to me and they came on Friday and they told me what was happening, and during this whole shift I was with them in my mind and I sacrificed everything and I was happy that I had received the news personally, because the girl student had come to say hello to me and that was nice. On Friday I was summoned by the head doctor of the gynecology and obstetrics department who scolded me. It was for the Cuban oranges, and then for some other reasons, and I could already see that the revolution was in progress and that I was able to be completely calm as I sat down. I rested my body against the chair and I thought: ‘Wow, he really has the guts, even at this moment…’ I thought this only silently for myself and I have not felt any fear at all, because I already knew that it was hopeless for the regime. It was only the last tremor of communism.”

“Well, she [Růženka] thus became my godmother during the sacrament of confirmation. But at that time, in spring 1977, she suffered from angina pectoris and it was quite serious, because it was already after Charter 77 and she was one of the signatories… the confirmation ceremony took place in autumn, but the situation was getting worse since spring, they were going to see her and checking if she had any visitors and so on, and we were going to her, but she kept asking us not to come so frequently so that we would not put ourselves at risk. But I somehow managed to sneak in, and so I continued visiting her nonetheless. Even if just by myself; we were no longer going to her in groups, but I was going alone. I asked her to serve as my godmother and to allow me to have her name. One mother with her daughter were going there at the same time as well, and they were precious friends. This Jana Antonová was thus my surrogate godmother. My surrogate godmother is still alive. Růženka sent her as her deputy.”