ANNA GABRIEL

Anna Gabriel foi a primeira nena á que Chernobyl Children International levou a Irlanda despois do accidente nuclear de Chernóbil, como parte do Acordo de Adopción entre Irlanda e Belarús de 1998.

Naceu en 1992 en Belarús con discapacidades físicas; era un bebé moi pequeno, e estaba completamente xorda, pois tiña orellas pero faltábanlle os canais auditivos. Tiña soamente un ril, as dúas pernas gravemente deformadas, e dous polgares extra en cada man. Enviárona directamente a un orfanato, porque en Belarús non teñen recursos para coidar dun neno con discapacidades.

Chernobyl Children International viaxou en 1992 a Belarús, e en Minsk visitaron o orfanato para bebés grande, lóbrego, inhumano e abandonado onde estaba ela, e alí a coñeceron, vendo que ademais das súas discapacidades tamén sufría falta de coidados e carencias sociais severas.

Cando tiña tres anos, os médicos e as enfermeiras dixéronlle a Adi Roche, directora executiva voluntaria de Chernobyl Children International, que cando cumprira catro anos levaríana a un asilo mental que non estaba en boas condicións, e que alí non podería sobrevivir de ningunha forma. Así que entre os médicos, as enfermeiras, e Adi Roche, sacárona do orfanato e levárona a Irlanda cun visado médico.

O 6 de xaneiro de 1996 Adi Roche levou a Anna a Irlanda. No aeroporto de Shannon, nun día frío de inverno, coñeceu á súa nova familia irlandesa, os Gabriel, de Bandon (municipio de Cork), que a estaban agardando cos brazos abertos. Tamén pasou a recibir a protección da súa madriña, Ali Hewson, unha das directoras de Chernobyl Children International, e parella de Bono de U2. Ali sempre estivo alí para ela, sempre lembra o seu aniversario, e dálle entradas cando U2 tocan en Dublín.

Robert e Helen Gabriel, que teñen outras tres fillas, Maria, Rosemary e Clodagh, involucráranse en 1995 con Chernobyl Children International, como parte dun grupo de Bandon que acollía a nenos de Belarús nas vacacións, para descanso e recuperación. Un día atopáronse con Adi nun acto para recadar fondos para unha ambulancia, e ela estaba un pouco nerviosa. Ensinoulles unha foto de Anna, díxolles que estaban a punto de enviala a unha institución para adultos, e eles vinculáronse no momento. Adi explicoulles que ía ter que sacala de Belarús e levala a Irlanda.

A súa familia buscou solucións para todas as súas discapacidades. Anna someteuse a arduas avaliacións médicas, e pasou longos períodos no hospital. Os Gabriel conseguíronlle un aparato auditivo que mellorou a súa audición máis alá das expectativas, de forma que puido aprende-la lingua, ir ao colexio, e recibir tratamento de logopedia; e dende entón non para de falar.

Os seus pais dixeron que non querían enviala de volta a Belarús e iniciaron unha longa batalla legal para adoptala. Previamente ao Acordo de Adopción entre Irlanda e Belarús, durante un período de catro anos, Chernobyl Children International abriu os canais de comunicación e burocracia e iniciou negociacións para abrir adopcións. Durante tres anos, a vida de Anna permaneceu no limbo, cun futuro incerto, pero resistiu o longo período de espera con grande coraxe.

Estivo confinada a unha cadeira de rodas ata que tivo trece anos. A esa idade empezou a escola secundaria en Bandon. Nesa época só medía un metro e catro centímetros e pensaba que nunca sería tan alta coma os seus amigos. Pero iso cambiou cando visitou a un cirurxián ortopédico que axustou dúas pernas protésicas para ela, dende as súas cadeiras ata os dedos dos pés. Así que aprendeu a camiñar de novo e finalmente puido ser tan alta como quixo, e hoxe mide un metro e sesenta centímetros.

Encántalle nadar, navegar, socializar, bailar e ir a tomar café cos amigos, pero sobre todo conducir.

En 2017 graduouse en administración de empresas polo Instituto de Tecnoloxía de Cork. Fixo as prácticas como técnico de contabilidade na Federación Irlandesa de Cría de Gando en Bandon e despois ofrecéronlle un emprego a tempo completo. Tamén a recoñeceron como membro de Técnicos de Contabilidade Irlanda e en 2018 foi distinguida na súa cea anual, onde recibiu unha ovación en pé por relatar todas as súas experiencias.

Anna buscou á súa nai biolóxica e puido atoparse con ela coa axuda de Chernobyl Children International cando tiña 19 anos. Viaxou a Irlanda e estivo alí unha semana cun tradutor. Coñecéronse no aeroporto, e a súa nai achegouse chorando. Anna díxolle que entendía por que a dera en adopción. Durante esa semana falaron e ensinoulle onde fora á escola e a súa universidade, e levouna no coche pola zona. Seguen en contacto con postais de Nadal e aniversarios.

Anna di que se non fora pola xenerosidade de Adi Roche, que a sacou da miseria xusto a tempo, e a positividade da súa familia de Bandon, non podería ter construído unha nova vida para si mesma. Hoxe, é unha extraordinaria embaixadora para os nenos vítimas e superviventes que viven na rexión de Belarús afectada por Chernóbil.

Anna Gabriel was the first child that Chernobyl Children International took to Ireland after the Chernobyl nuclear accident, as part of the 1998 Irish-Belarusian Adoption Agreement.

She was born in 1992 in Belarus with physical disabilities; she was a very small baby, and was completely deaf, since she had ears but lacked the auditory canals. She had only one kidney, her both legs were severely deformed, and she had two extra thumbs in each hand. They sent her directly to an orphanage, because in Belarus they do not have the resources to take care of a child with disabilities.

Chernobyl Children International traveled to Belarus in 1992, and in Minsk they visited the large, bleak, inhuman and abandoned baby orphanage where she was, and they met her there, seeing that in addition to her disabilities she also suffered from severe neglect and social deprivation.

When she was three years old, doctors and nurses told Adi Roche, voluntary CEO of Chernobyl Children International, that when she turned four she would be taken to a mental asylum that wasn't in good condition, and that she could not survive there in any way. So between the doctors, the nurses, and Adi Roche, they took her out of the orphanage and took her to Ireland with a medical visa.

On 6 January 1996 Adi Roche took Anna to Ireland. At Shannon Airport, on a cold winter's day, she met her new Irish family, the Gabriel family, from Bandon, County Cork, who were waiting for her with open arms. She also went on to receive protection from his godmother, Ali Hewson, one of the directors of Chernobyl Children International, and partner of Bono of U2. Ali has always been there for her, always remembers her birthday, and gives her tickets when U2 plays in Dublin.

Robert and Helen Gabriel, who have three other daughters, Maria, Rosemary and Clodagh, became involved in 1995 with Chernobyl Children International, as part of a Bandon group that welcomed Belarusian children on holiday, for rest and recuperation. One day they met Adi at an event to raise funds for an ambulance, and she was a little nervous. She showed them a photograph of Anna, she told them they were about to send her to an adult institution, and they bonded there and then. Adi explained to them that she was going to have to take her out of Belarus and take her to Ireland.

Her family sought solutions to all her disabilities. Anna underwent arduous medical assesments, and spent long periods in hospital. The Gabriels got her a hearing aid that improved her hearing beyond expectations, so she was able to learn the language, go to school, and receive speech therapy treatment; and since then she hasn't stopped talking.

Her parents said they did not want to send her back to Belarus and started a long legal battle to adopt her. Prior to the Adoption Agreement between Ireland and Belarus, for a period of four years, Chernobyl Children International opened the channels of communication and bureaucracy and began negotiations to open adoptions. For three years, Anna's life remained in limbo, with an uncertain future, but she endured the long waiting period with great courage.

She was confined to a wheelchair until she was thirteen. At that age she began high school in Bandon. At that time she was only one meter and four centimeters tall and thought she would never be as tall as her friends. But that changed when she visited an orthopaedic surgeon who adjusted two prosthetic legs for her, from her hips to her toes. So she learned to walk again and was finally able to be as tall as she wanted, and today she is one meter and sixty centimeters tall.

She loves to swim, sail, socialize, dance and go for a coffee with friends, but mostly driving.

In 2017 she graduated in business administration from Cork Institute of Technology. She did her placement as an accounting technician at the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation in Bandon and was then offered a full-time job. She was also conferred as a member of Accounting Technicians Ireland and in 2018 she was honoured at their annual dinner, where she received a standing ovation for telling all her experiences.

Anna tracked down her birth mother and was able to meet her with the help of Chernobyl Children International when she was 19 years old. She traveled to Ireland and was there for a week with a translator. They met at the airport, and her mother came up to her crying. Anna told her she understood why she had given her up for adoption. During that week they talked and she showed her where she had gone to school and her university, and she drove her around the area. They keep in touch with Christmas and birthday cards.

Anna says that if it hadn’t been for Adi Roche’s generosity, who plucked her out of misery just in time, and the positivity of her Bandon family, she couldn’t have built a new life for herself. Today, she is an extraordinary ambassador for child victims and survivors living in the Chernobyl-affected region of Belarus.