One woman's inspirational story of adoption after the Chernobyl disaster, learning to walk again, and having Ali Hewson as godmother.

ANNA Gabriel is sharing the remarkable story of her adoption from Belarus as a baby to mark four decades since the devastating explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

Anna was rescued from the No 1 Home for Abandoned Babies in Minsk in 1996, and formally adopted by the Gabriel family in Bandon three years later.

As the world marks 40 years this month since the seismic explosion at the nuclear power plant, Anna has related her tale of resilience to The Southern Star.

She was just three and a half years old when she first arrived in Ireland. Her adoption was organised by Adi Roche, CEO of Chernobyl Children International (CCI), and Ali Hewson, philanthropist and wife of U2 star Bono.

Anna was given up to an orphanage at birth as she had physical disabilities due to radiation from Chernobyl, even though she was born six years after the disaster.

‘The system in Belarus was ruthless. If you had any signs of anything that is wrong with you, you were actually classified as a reject child, and you were automatically put into the orphanage,’ she said

Adi and Ali first encountered Anna when she was just six months old.

Anna in the No 1 Orphanage as an infant.

‘I think they took a shine to me…so they kept coming back to me, looking at me and checking on me.’

Under the orphanage system, a child with disabilities would usually be moved into a mental asylum once they reached four years of age.

One of Anna’s nurses, Tamara, made Adi and Ali aware of the situation.

‘She had a fear for me that I would not survive in the mental asylum if I didn’t get any intervention… so Ali found out and did her magic. She found a lovely family in Bandon and said ‘Look, we’ve a little girl, here’s a photo, would you like to take her?’

Anna arrived in Ireland in January 1996. Robert and Helen Gabriel, alongside their daughters Marion, Rosemary and Clodagh, welcomed her into the family with open arms.

‘They looked after me medically and made sure that I had the life of any four-year-old. I kept proving on a daily basis that I was able to overcome any challenges that came my way, and to be honest I was so young that anything that was given to me, I just latched on with both hands and ran with it!’

Anna was born without hearing and after consultation with a specialist, it was discovered that she did in fact have hearing ‘locked inside.’ 

She was fitted with bone conductor hearing devices, attached via a simple hairband and positioned where ear canals would normally be, and now hears everything.

‘It was a wonderful, magical device, because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to talk, I wouldn’t be able to listen to music, I wouldn’t be communicating as well as I am now.’

Within six months of arriving in Ireland, Anna had learned how to communicate fully in English. 

‘I suppose it’s because I’m such a bubbly, chatty person that all I just sucked it in like a sponge.’

Anna was also born without full legs; instead, she has thigh muscle with no leg bones and small feet at the end.

Offered the option of double amputation, Anna chose instead to keep her limbs and pursue specialised prosthetics. She had to learn how to walk again, and said the prosthetics felt like wearing ‘ten-inch high heels’.

Anna with Adi Roche and Ali Hewson as she learned to walk again with prosthetics.

Despite these challenges, Anna describes her upbringing in West Cork as a normal childhood. She attended both primary and secondary school in Bandon, and was able to learn to drive with an adapted car, giving her further independence in life.

Anna said she doesn’t remember any of her life in Belarus, which she feels is for the better. 

‘My family, they’re very positive. We’re always smiling and joking and I always had great friends around me, so there was nothing to be negative about.’

Anna studied in CIT, now MTU, for three years and graduated with a degree in business administration. Since then, she has worked with the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) in Bandon.

Anna with her proud parents Robert and Helen Gabriel

She started out as a receptionist, however the company saw the potential in Anna, and put her on a graduate programme.

She studied at night alongside working full time, and is now a qualified accounting technician, and still works with the ICBF in their Ballincollig office.

After her adoption, Anna and the Gabriel family stayed involved with CCI, helping out with summer programmes which brought children from affected areas to Ireland for the summer, and arranging lorry convoys with goods to send back to Belarus and other countries.

‘What they’ve done for me is absolutely phenomenal, so if there’s anything I could do to return it back, I would do absolutely everything in my power. Even if that means just sharing my story.’

Anna is still in good contact with Adi Roche, and with Ali Hewson, who is her godmother.

‘It just happened that my dad turned around and he said ‘Look, between you and Adi, you both brought this special little girl in my life. Would you do the honours of being her godmother?’ And she said absolutely.’

Anna describes Ali as ‘absolutely phenomenal’. She always reaches out for Anna’s birthday and at Christmas, and the pair have a great catch-up any time they see each other at events.

‘Ali is just so down-to-earth. I never ever saw Ali as being Bono’s wife,’ Anna said. ‘Yes, she has a bit of a celebrity title on her, but to me, I just love being in her presence. I just love her as a human being.’

Anna’s positive energy is palpable. She maintains an incredibly joyous attitude despite all of the challenges she has had to overcome in life.

She remains incredibly thankful to Chernobyl Children’s International for giving her a new start in life, and to her family for providing her with such a good upbringing.

‘I am a Chernobyl woman, I am proud of saying that but Ireland is my life and Ireland is my home.’

40th Anniversary

AN Post has unveiled a new postmark marking the 40th anniversary of the disaster on April 26th 1986 at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.

Adi Roche, voluntary CEO of Chernobyl Children International, said: ‘This year marks a sombre milestone that feels both a lifetime ago and as immediate as a heartbeat: the fortieth anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. 

‘This is why it is so special that every corner of Ireland and beyond will once again be united by Chernobyl, through this special postmark. We are very grateful to An Post for giving us the opportunity to remind people that Chernobyl is forever.

‘This anniversary is not just a memorial for a disaster; it is a celebration of a miraculous Irish intervention. It has been a truly extraordinary example of a country being moved by the impulses of its heart.’

 The special postmark is the first in a series of special 40th anniversary events including a commemoration ceremony held last weekend, an art exhibition at Cork City Library for the month of April, and landmark banners at Cork’s Connolly Hall and Dublin’s Libertiy Hall from April 20th for two weeks.

Further details on events and how to support CCI’s ongoing work at www.chernobyl-international.com.