Meet
Alexei Barrett and Anna Gabriel
Alexei Barrett, aged 9, is a happy, confident boy who loves football and his life in Ireland.
Alexei before his operation |
Alexei is one of a generation of children from the Chernobyl-affected regions whose life has been altered by the nuclear disaster. He was born with a tumor the size of a tennis ball instead of his left eye. He wasn't expected to live, and was to spend his short life in an orphanage.
In 1996, CCPI flew Alexei from Belarus to Temple Street Hospital in Dublin, where Irish plastic surgeon Michael Early removed the tumor. The surgery saved his life. Alexei now lives with Chris and Len Barrett in Dublin. |
The miracle continued in October 2004, when Alexei Barrett received a surgery to prepare his orbital socket for a future prosthetic device -- a decision that he made on his own. Alexei's future is bright and he looks forward to facing his pre-teen years with a more "typical" appearance.
LIke Alexei, Anna has multiple health complications including some quite serious physical disabilities, including legs that have not developed normally, and a missing kidney.
When CCPI met her, she was living in an abandoned babies home in Belarus. When she was introduced to the Gabriel family in County Cork, they knew they wanted Anna to be a big part of their lives.
In 1996, Anna Gabriel and Alexei Barrett were the first children to be adopted though a special agreement between Ireland and Belarus, brokered by the Chernobyl Children's Project. Today they live happy lives with their new families. Anna and Alexei are reminders to everyone who meets them, now important it is to offer hope and a chance at a better life to all children who suffer serious medical conditions or live in institutions.
Anna at her first holycommunion
in Ireland
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Alexei holds the Chernobyl Heart oscar
from hospital bed
Anna in Belarus |
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