Sunday, April 22, 2001
Mahoning Valley residents learned firsthand about the difficulties of living near the site of the world's greatest nuclear disaster.
By LAURIE FISHER
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
For the past two summers, Denis Vasilevich adapted easily to his host American family. The 12-year-old boy from Minsk, Belarus, swam at a local pool, watched the Mahoning Valley Scrappers and even accompanied the Tena Gerdes family of Liberty on a camping vacation in Hocking Hills State Park.
Several weeks ago, Denis and his mother, Lena, were able to reciprocate the hospitality.
They introduced part of Denis' American family to the hardships and joys of life in Belarus.
Gerdes, her 11-year-old daughter, Abby, and Gerdes' sister Mona Nichols and her 12-year-old-son, John, both of Connersville, Ind., traveled more than 30 hours by plane to spend 11 days in the former Soviet republic.
The Gerdes and Nichols families were part of a 49-person delegation from the local charitable organization Children of Chernobyl.
The idea of visiting Denis in Belarus came up last summer, Gerdes explained.
"Denis and Abby thought it would be a good idea. My sister Mona wanted to go if a trip was planned during a break from her job as a schoolteacher," she said.
Gerdes said she was concerned about the trip. "The health care is poor, so you worry what if someone gets sick. You worry about safety. Although that was never an issue once we were there, we had no idea what to expect."
One of Valley visitors: Denis is one of about 160 children from the Children of Chernobyl who have had extended visits to the Mahoning Valley.
The children are from rural and metropolitan areas of Belarus who live in or have been evacuated from radioactive land contaminated by the 1986 nuclear accident in Chernobyl.
Many are malnourished, immune-deficient and suffer from radiation poisoning symptoms.
Although the site of the Chernobyl disaster was in Ukraine, Belarus received 70 percent of the radiation fallout. The idea of the visit to the United States is to expose the children to fresh air, health care, good food, and to get them away from the continuous radiation exposure.
Denis wasn't born until after the accident, but he has medical problems resulting from the contamination, Gerdes said.
Some members of the American delegation were housed with their children or interpreters in small villages. Several nurses volunteered professional services at orphanages and hospitals.
Denis' mother: The Gerdeses and Nicholses stayed in Minsk in Denis' apartment building designated for handicapped residents.
Denis, who speaks English, told the Gerdes family that his mother had extremely limited use of her malformed arms and legs. Gerdes said, however, that she did not realize the entire apartment building was filled with people with various handicaps.
"Lena was born with only arms to her elbows. One leg ends before her knee and the other is shorter," Gerdes explained. "She gets around the apartment on a wooden dolly. But, in some respects, she is not handicapped in any way. They serve coffee and use utensils. Lena made waffle-type cookies. She ironed and used the telephone."
The Gerdeses marveled at the resilience of their Belarussian friends. Their apartments were modest and they manage with basic items compared with American standards.
Even if the families had more funds, many items that Americans take for granted aren't available on store shelves, Gerdes noted.
First impressions: When Denis arrived with his friend Vasa to escort the visitors to Denis' apartment, the Gerdeses and Nicholses were a little nervous, Gerdes recalled.
"The Belarussian citizens really don't smile a lot. It is not in the culture to smile. Life is hard. Minsk has 2 million people. Most of the city was destroyed in World War II. Everyone lives in a high rise [apartment building]. We didn't see houses at all."
Gerdes and her daughter thought Vasa appeared scary. When Gerdes went to introduce herself and shake his hand, she discovered he didn't have any. But then he used his arm to scoop up their 70-pound bags filled with medical supplies and gifts collected from local community groups and churches.
They learned Vasa's hands were maimed during the war with Afghanistan. His wife, Tanya, is a paraplegic. "She was in a wheelchair and yet they waited on us. They didn't want us to do anything, although we did," Gerdes said.
Vasa, the father of two small children, became their "guardian angel" for the duration of the visit, Gerdes said.
Gifts of medicine, toys: Highlights of the trip included visiting other residents in the building to distribute medicine and passing out toys to children in several orphanages.
Abby developed a special fondness for a young girl named Elisha and gave her one of the largest dolls. She also distributed plant seeds to senior citizens, who were particularly pleased with their gifts.
Abby, a fifth-grader at Montessori School of Mahoning Valley, learned lessons in foreign money exchange and the value of flexibility. She taught her new friends the nuances of Gameboy and they gave her tips on soccer and pool.
A different world: A few Americans were a little squeamish at the Belarussian standards for hygiene.
"One night I go to put the dishes away and there's the chicken thawing out for the next evening hanging in the cupboard," Gerdes said.
"In one week, life was so intense. It is amazing how close you get to people. By the end of the week, we were all joking and translating through gestures and eye contact. They were so gracious," Gerdes said.