Sadly I missed the field trip and like all of you have been caught up in all the finals, and just found time to do an extra post. But, seeing as how many posts have "beat me to it" on this topic and are similar to one another, I think I'll try to tinker around with something no one has covered yet.
Vova Malifienko was a Ukrainian youth who came to the USA in 1990 seeking treatment for his leukemia. He was able to come to the United States from the Ukraine thanks to Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall gang which is a camp for sick kids. While here he met a doctor who gave him a cancer treatment who put his leukemia into remission. The other seven kids who were with him were forced back to the Ukraine and ended up dying due to poor medical treatment.
He was faced with the same prospect, but appealed to the government to grant him permanent residency, and thankfully was allowed to stay. "Vova demonstrates the qualities all American value," said Senator Frank Lautenberg, Democrat from New Jersey.
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The personal element of Chernobyl survivors is what is the most saddening of all of the disaster's aspects. It is great that Vova was given residency in the United States given his complex medical condition. A touching work worth reading if you have time is "Voices of Chernobyl" by Svetlana Alexeivich, which talks about some of the victims and their families and their devastating stories; many results of the USSR's lack of action and secrecy regarding the days immediately following the disaster. It has won several awards, and while it is very difficult to read at times, is worth the time if you are interested in the disaster.
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