AF family gives two Chernobyl children health, hope

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Melissa Hancock
  • 1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) --  On April 26, 1986, the world’s worst nuclear power accident occurred at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union, now the Ukraine.

Plant workers noticed something drastically wrong with a reactor and began an emergency shutdown -- a procedure that only takes 20 seconds. Unfortunately, that was 13 seconds too long. Seven seconds after they started the shutdown, an explosion ripped through the control room, killing 30 people and sending 190 tons of radioactive uranium and graphite into the atmosphere.

More than 9 million people -- including 3 to 4 million children -- continue to struggle with the health affects of what United Nations officials call “the greatest environmental catastrophe in the history of humanity.”

For the children affected, there is hope. Many nonprofit organizations in the United States and Europe provide respite and relief to children affected by the disaster. The number of programs is growing.

Tech. Sgt. Mike Kelly and his family have always had an open-door policy at their house; that is one of the reasons he did not think twice when he heard about the chance to help children affected by contamination from the Chernobyl accident.

“A church member approached me on the subject while I was volunteering one Sunday,” said Sergeant Kelly, a 1st Component Maintenance Squadron jet propulsion craftsman here. “I thought it would be a great (opportunity) and would give my children insight on how other people live. I’ve traveled to several countries where I’ve seen thousands of unfortunate children and the conditions they live in -- I just couldn’t say no.”

After a long chat with a host family involved in one of the programs, the Kellys decided to become involved in the program themselves.

“Mike came home from church and mentioned the idea to me,” said Brenda Kelly, Sergeant Kelly’s wife of 25 years. “I said, 'sure.'”

This particular program was being offered through a local church that would pay the cost for a child to come to America. To qualify for the program, there were several rules: The host family would agree to have the child examined at a local doctor's and dentist's office, they would treat the child as their own, and they would promise to send the child home after the six-week visit.

These children face an increased risk of cancer, thyroid disease and many psychological diseases. Bringing them to a noncontaminated area can add two years to their life, program officials said. Breathing fresh air, eating noncontaminated food and drinking water can do wonders for a child’s immunity -- giving him or her a chance for a normal life.

In the summer of 1998, Sergeant Kelly’s family met 8-year-old Irena at the airport. She was tiny with blonde hair and was dressed in her best sweat suit. She was very shy and nervous, he said.

Because the Kelly family knew little Russian and the girl did not speak English, they said they relied on a “blue book” to communicate. The book contained Russian phrases and words translated into English.

“Whenever we went somewhere I would always say, ‘Did we remember the blue book?’” said Mrs. Kelly. “It went everywhere with us.”

They said their first experience as a host family was full of surprises, some good, one bad. They knew saying goodbye would be sad, but nothing could have prepared them for it.

“It was a horrifying experience,” Mrs. Kelly said. “She was begging us to not send her back. I wanted to run away with her but Mike wouldn’t let me. I vowed I’d never be the one to take her to the airport.”

In their second year of the program, the Kellys said they did not know if they could get Irena again. They requested her and fortunately, she returned. She felt more comfortable around them this time. She began telling stories of her family back home.

After hearing Irena’s stories of how poverty stricken her family was, the Kellys began discussing bringing another child from Irena’s family over to stay.

“There wasn’t a big discussion about bringing another child,” Mrs. Kelly said. “We thought, ‘What’s one more child?’”

What Mrs. Kelly did not know was that she would be getting Irena’s brother -- the boy that Sergeant Kelly never had -- Edgor.

“Edgor is a pistol,” said Mrs. Kelly. “The first night he was here, we all sat down to eat as a family. When dinner was over, the children got up to do dishes, but Edgor said he had a stomachache; so we told him to go lie down. When the children were done with the chores, they went to play, and Edgor wanted to go, too. We explained to him he couldn’t because he was sick. The tears started right then.”

That is when Mrs. Kelly found out boys in Russia play while the girls do the chores -- just one of many differences she learned about during the children’s stay.

“Once we took the kids to McDonalds,” she said. “My daughter put ketchup on her fries. Edgor got upset and wanted her to lick the ketchup up. He thought she was being wasteful.”

Things like ketchup and fruit are scarce in the children’s country, Mrs. Kelly said. The smallest things to Americans, like salt, are like diamonds to them.

There are even differences in everyday occurrences, like bathing.

“We had to make (Irena) drain the tub,” said Mrs. Kelly. “Where she is from, they don’t waste water.”

Every time the six weeks is up, the family must say goodbye to the children.

“We don’t give thought to the children leaving until the night before,” Mrs. Kelly said. “Then we pack a duffel bag with as much as we are allowed and tape it for security reasons.”

The truth is that if the Kellys did not secure the bag, the contents might not make it back to the children’s home. The family sends $100 in new $1 bills home with each of the children. Mrs. Kelly sews the money into a homemade pocket in each of the child’s undershirts.

“We have to tell Edgor not to say anything,” Mrs. Kelly said. “People will steal the money and gifts from the children if they know they have them.”

The Kellys said they hope they can continue to sponsor Irena, now 15, and Edgor, 12, until they are of legal age.

“The whole experience has brought our family closer together,” Mrs. Kelly said. “It helps our kids to appreciate what they have even more. The things we do when Irena and Edgor are here have become our family’s traditions. These children are now like our own.” (Courtesy of Air Combat Command News Service)