Fast confession – Vendula Pizingerová and Her Adventurous Marriage: Let’s See What It’s Like to Be Buried under an Avalanche
We discussed charity, puberty and family with the director of Kapka Naděje (a Drop of Hope)
Vendula Svobodová Pizingerová is always very busy. Her foundation, a Drop of Hope, which helps patients with leukemia, takes up most of her time. But she also needs to keep pace with her young husband Josef and son Kuba. As a family they experience incredible adventures. That’s why when the president of a Drop of Hope foundation does find time for an interview, it’s really worth it. In spite of all the difficulties in her life, Vendula is very entertaining. In her interview for Luxury Prague Life she told us not only about her work, but also discussed her private trips, where sometimes even her life was on the line.
Vendula, how would you rate 2017 as a year?
I think it was fine; I heard a lot of criticism about the past year from various people, saying that it was catastrophic, but for me it was fine – I think it was fine. Of course there were some unpleasantries at work, but that’s to be expected.
You organized a large fundraising concert in December…
… that was really straining, at the end of the year, yes. That was the first time we organized such a large event at the end of the year. It was a bit more stressful than usual – people are more sensitive, they have much more work to do. So it was all done in a more tense atmosphere, but in the end everything worked out.
Whenever you have such a big event, you always wear a beautiful dress…
Sure, because if I were to always wear the same no-name piece, then the media would have quite a go at me. And if I were to always wear something different, then I’d also be degraded about it. (laughter)
This time I chose a dress from a rental office. And I must admit that they were beautiful. The second were from Táňa Kovaříková, that’s an emotional thing for me now, with her I can have a dress made just based on a phone call. We’ve worked together for about twenty years now.
And jewelry?
That’s something I resolve via rental – I need to be really careful about those, I keep them in a safe afterwards. But they were also beautiful! With diamonds. I of course also own some jewelry, but definitely no pieces like that.
How much did you manage to collect?
It was 13.5 million.
Was it more than in past years?
No; I think that in 2005 we managed to collect 22 million on live TV.
Why are the numbers going down?
They’re not – that year was special. It was part of the highly popular “Vyvolení” TV show and had a completely different viewership. The people that year, they were in the mindset of that reality show. And the show was extremely popular – which naturally had a direct impact on the number of sent gift messages (DMS).
How do you plan to spend that money?
More equipment for hospitals all over the Czech Republic. I’m really looking forward to that. We also get some support from IKEM, which recruits bone marrow donors and processes bone marrow samples for further donations.
I know that whenever you’re giving the closing speech, you always need to include some specific word into that speech because of a bet with your husband…
First it was “jízda” (ride), nobody noticed that, that was good. Two years ago it was “insect” (žoužel). That required some preparation with the screenwriter Libor Bouček, and of course you also need to tell the producer. But I always tell them on the day of the rehearsal. They’re always surprised… anyway, insect was good, back then there were some ads from the Fort Boyard TV show which had insects falling onto me, and I used that. And last year it was kettle (kotlík) – three times.
My husband, first he came up with a cat in a kettle, but I told him that I really can’t use that. So it got changed to three times kettle. And I could work with that.
What did you win?
For the insect, I won that my husband registered into the list of bone marrow donors. This year it was something personal, after all we do need to think about ourselves too from time to time.
It’s clear that you see a lot of life stories every year – some with a good ending, some with a bad one. Could you tell us about one story from last year that really got to you?
There are really a lot of stories. We continue working with children who undergo treatment or a bone marrow transplant. I remember that sometime in 2002 or 2003 we were filming a shot for the Drop in Lucerna, Prague. We had three hosts – me, Karel Černoch and an eight-year-old boy who was cured of leukemia. I remembered that boy, called him, and invited him to this latest concert. He came with his mom, dad and with his girlfriend, who he lives with. He’s twenty, living his life, and doing well for himself. And it’s a nice feeling when you see it all live, in front of you.
That’s indeed beautiful. You yourself have a twelve-year-old boy, Kuba. You had him participate in these events already when he was smaller. But now he’s entering puberty… does he still want to help you?
He has a positive opinion of what I do. Recently they had a school sale, he forgot his money at home and called me to bring him a thousand crowns. And I was like “what does he need that much money for?”, but he told me to take it from his savings, that it doesn’t matter that it’s that much. I kept insisting that it’s too much for a school sale, but then he said matter-of-factly that it’s for sick kids. And so I shut up, took the thousand crowns and brought the money to him in school. It’s nice to see that he has it in him. But otherwise, of course, as far as puberty goes everything’s embarrassing and awkward. (laughter)
So even you …
Exactly, me too.
But I think that you simply can’t be embarrassing. From the moment you married your young husband you’ve been incredibly active.
Sure, but let me give you an example. I’m bringing Kuba to school and he’s telling me: “I know, mom, you’re not like the other moms, you look different. But I think you’re like Lucie Bílá – and you know she’s seventy!” (laughter)
That’s basically the way a kid sees things. I remember, when we were twelve, anyone who was thirty was considered old. So that’s how Kuba sees it. But then he says that there are also some moms who play tanks, and those are allegedly also ok. I don’t play tanks, of course – I don’t have time for that, and I also don’t know why I should be shooting someone in a game. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time.
I get that.
I do like cards, from time to time I play Mau Mau, I even had an old phone app for that, but now it doesn’t work on my new phone. We also tend to play a variant of monopoly at home from time to time. But nobody wants to play quizzes with me, because I always win.
But you travel a lot as a family. For instance, in December you used to go to exotic countries…
Indeed, we were to Thailand once and also in New Zealand once… that was a difficult trip. We spent Christmas Eve in the valley where the Lord of the Rings was shot. There were waterfalls, and when we left our sleeping bags in the morning, we were greeted with a beautiful view. Christmas dinner consisted of conserved dried stroganoff beef. New Zealand has these gigantic green-grey parrots who eat plastic, windshield wipers or things from the car. Kuba was covered with a sort of blanket with plastic connecting files, and they wanted to eat that. Kuba didn’t believe us when we told him, he thought we were making fun of him. It was a two-day hike, we didn’t take the tourist route, that’s boring. So we went along a river for two days, through wetlands and shales and forests and stones and I don’t know what else. In those shales, I nearly fell into the river… at that moment I remember all those movies, how the protagonist is falling right as someone is reaching for their hand (laughter). You’re carrying this heavy backpack and know that you need to cross the river, and you also know that if the water goes above your knees then it could drag you away.
I was recently saying how dangerous it all was and my husband, he said that it wasn’t really all that dangerous. But me, I’ll be remembering that until the end of my days. And that’s “it”, that’s the great feeling you get if you survive all that.
This story is a great lead to what I want to ask next – what are the advantages of having a younger husband?
First of all I’d like to say that he’s still a manly guy. It doesn’t matter how old he is, he’s manly. But of course my husband also has a lot of vitality and is into sports. So from time to time it encourages me to do some activity. On the other hand, if you’re only doing stuff because of someone else, then you might end up regretting it. But that’s nonsense. What I do is try to somehow swim through it all.
But it’s really great when you look at people, at various situations. I’ve had my share of experiences, for instance in work. For example, I’d say: “Ok, I won’t push that much for my point of view, I won’t argue that much, I’ll back off this time.” But then I hear out my young husband, who often has a completely different opinion, and I remember how I was when I was thirty – also always going full steam ahead, pushing head-first into walls, and the results were often better. So in the end I do my best to combine.
In addition, he has a good judgment as far as people are concerned. He’s also incredibly hardworking, and so he helps create a solid family foundation for us. In this sense I’m definitely satisfied. And as a bonus he also has a great relationship with Jakub. Their newest “thing” is that they ride on dirt bikes – motorcycles without a license plate which can’t be used on roads but are used for traversing the terrain, doing jumps, you end up having mud everywhere and so forth…
I guess you’re really enthusiastic about that, right? (laughter)
I do, in fact I come with them – just to be there in case something were to happen.
Do you have your own bike?
No, I just watch. And then I wash their muddy clothes with a high-pressure hose – a normal washing machine wouldn’t do it!
I thought it’d be just a question of time before you also join in, but then I remember that you always seem to have a broken bone here or there…
In fact I haven’t had anything broken for a long time. But I did have a torn sinew – a stone fell on my hand in the Tatra mountains. (laughter)
But I’m not really talented for motorcycles. I got my motorcycle driving license about four years ago, and it ended with a roughed up face. Somehow I’m not the right technical type as far as motorcycles are concerned – whenever I lean over on a motorcycle, I feel like I’m going to fall. I know that there are physical laws in place that make sure you won’t, but I still have it in my head and really can’t get it out of there. After that fall I tried riding one more time, but was so afraid that I decided it really doesn’t make sense for me. You’re not supposed to do those things if you’re afraid.
What are your plans or visions for this year?
I want the Drop to work, I want new projects and to contact new, young people. That’s what I care about. My job is important for me. And of course I want Kuba to be happy, healthy, to have good grades and to find the things he likes in life. For now that’s probably those motorcycles, because when he recently got off of his on Saturday, he said it was the happiest day of his life.
Other than that, he likes playing the piano. Just recently his teacher wrote me a note saying that he’s very talented, but not very diligent. (laughter) So I guess I should make sure he practices at least two or three times a week. He hears the music but doesn’t want to learn the notes, he considers that to be a waste of time. But he basically needs to learn them.
Regarding music … are you planning another concert in the near future?
Yes, in March we’ll have the Karel Svoboda 80 concert within the Febiofest. I’m really curious how it’ll all work out, we’re doing it all last-minute. Right now we’re looking for the right venue, and since the concert is planned for a Saturday it seems most venues are already reserved.
Are you planning any trips in the near future?
Not right now, but as a Christmas gift my husband gave me a vacation in Santorini, Greece. I like Greece. We’re also going to an avalanche training program in 14 days.
What’s that?
That’s a training program where they’ll bury you in an avalanche. My husband recently called that he already bought a shovel and a beeper. In fact, I don’t know what’s a beeper.
I don’t think I follow…
You basically travel to the Krkonoše mountains, there they bury you in an avalanche and they teach you how to dig yourself out.
I see… and I guess you must be looking forward to that?
I’m not sure anymore, the closer the date is… but my new director of the Drop foundation, Jan Fischer, says he has some sort of jacket with an avalanche chip and that I can borrow it. (laughter)
