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By Tom Majeski; Pioneer Press | TWIN CITIES
St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2002
America saved her life, and now Victoria Ivchenko wants to say thanks to her
Twin Cities benefactors and repay as much of the debt as she can.
Ivchenko was only 5½ years old on April 26, 1986, the day the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant exploded, sending a deadly cloud of radioactivity over
her neighborhood in Kiev, 37 miles downwind from the leaking reactor.
Soviet officials did not tell residents about the explosion or warn them
about the invisible cloud of radioactivity engulfing them, so Ivchenko and
the other children continued to play outside. On May 1, everyone showed up
for a big celebration, soaking up additional rays of sunshine and
radioactivity.
The exposure turned Ivchenko's skin bright red and attacked her immune
system. She kept getting sick and developed kidney problems and severe
allergies. Doctors told her mother that she either had leukemia or was going
to get it.
But unlike the thousands of other exposed children in the region, Ivchenko
had a gift for writing heart-rending poetry about dying children and how
only their mothers mourn them.
She had two books published, one when she was 7 and the other when she was
8. Because of her writing talent, she was awarded a scholarship from the
Gorbachev government.
"When she was 2 years 8 months old, she was writing good poetry - full
sentences and good meaning and no mistakes," said her mother, Helyna.
"People were shocked."
The poetry caught the attention of Nina Bulavitsky, a Minneapolis woman of
Ukrainian descent, who decided that a child with such talent should receive
special care in the United States.
By pulling the right strings, Bulavitsky and the Ukrainian community were
able to bring Ivchenko to the Twin Cities in 1992. She was 11 at the time.
"If I would have stayed there, I wouldn't be here right now," Ivchenko said.
"I would just like to thank everyone for saving my life. The American
community, American hospitals and the Ukrainian community here saved my
life."
Although she continues to struggle with serious health problems related to
her damaged immune system, Ivchenko was able to skip the seventh grade and
graduate at age 16 from South High School in Minneapolis.
She then enrolled in the University of Minnesota and graduated recently with
a bachelor of science degree in nursing.
She and her mother and new stepfather recently purchased a house in White
Bear Lake. At the end of the month, Ivchenko's 31-year-old sister, Irina,
and 10-year-old niece will arrive from Kiev.
"I'm very excited that my sister is coming," Ivchenko said. "Obviously,
we're going to have to support her until she can get a job."
When she was 14, Ivchenko flew home for a visit. "I was just shocked,'' she
said.
"I love my country, but the economy is very bad. We try to do as much as we
can; we send money home and support Christian charities.
"No one wants to talk about Chernobyl. They are living it and don't want to
focus on it. One of my friends had a baby and the baby is sick. Everyone is
having problems. They don't have the health care and if they do it is very
expensive."
Since late September, Ivchenko has been working as a nurse in St. Paul's
United Hospital.
When she arrived in the Twin Cities 10 years ago, she was treated at
Children's Hospitals and Clinics, which is located on the United Hospital
campus.
"I feel like I made a full circle and I'm back," Ivchenko said. "I'm getting
wonderful experience and I love it. I remember being in the hospital when I
was little and it makes me feel very good."
Ivchenko wants to eventually earn a master's degree as a nurse practitioner
in geriatrics, which may take three years. "I want to take care of older
people," she explained. Her ultimate goal is to earn a Ph.D. and then teach.
"It's my chance to give back what was given to me when I came," Ivchenko
said.
"How many people helped me just out of the goodness of their hearts? I will
give a little back - not as much as I got but as much as I can. I love what
I'm doing and I have a good deal here."
PIONEER PRESS: Tom Majeski, who covers medical news, can be reached at
tmajeski@pioneerpress.com or (651) 228-5583.
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/4399162.htm
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