When I joined the Slavic Full Gospel Church in 2000, I sang in the choir. The best tenor in our group sat right behind me and sang in my ears- how nice! He had been among that group of 300 folks who refused to move from Chernobyl following the disaster. He drank the water. He ate fish from the pond. And he had One Heck of a stomach!
Once, I drove him and his wife to a Ukrainian Pentecostal Church in Vermont for a regional meeting. I think we stopped at every rest stop on the Interstate on the way over. He'd go inside in agony and come out relieved. But when I asked him "Are you all right?" he replied that he felt thankful to be alive. He managed to live a fairly full life, including raising a family of 4 children - all of whom were healthy and normal. He told me that his stomach often felt as if there were a washing machine whirling around inside!
He said that he was a regular visitor at the Syracuse University Crouse (teaching) Hospital. Once he had landed there, the researchers seemed to feel he was sort of like having a pterodactyl come to stay with a group of ornithologists! They did what they could for him. - Since he was one of the few living survivors of Chernobyl, they'd ask him to come in semi-annually, just to observation his situation.
It's been a decade since I saw him last, but he did survive at least 20 years after the disaster! From what I've read in scientific journals, Chernobyl has been a "heads Up!" for those in the nuclear power business from then on. I know my brother and his family lived upwind of Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. After Chernobyl, the State came in and moved the few small communities of residents there to another location - several miles away, up in the hills.
We do "Learn From Experience" - but sometimes it can be costly!
Chernobyl! 1986 YES!
When I joined the Slavic Full Gospel Church in 2000, I sang in the choir. The best tenor in our group sat right behind me and sang in my ears- how nice! He had been among that group of 300 folks who refused to move from Chernobyl following the disaster. He drank the water. He ate fish from the pond. And he had One Heck of a stomach!
Once, I drove him and his wife to a Ukrainian Pentecostal Church in Vermont for a regional meeting. I think we stopped at every rest stop on the Interstate on the way over. He'd go inside in agony and come out relieved. But when I asked him "Are you all right?" he replied that he felt thankful to be alive. He managed to live a fairly full life, including raising a family of 4 children - all of whom were healthy and normal. He told me that his stomach often felt as if there were a washing machine whirling around inside!
He said that he was a regular visitor at the Syracuse University Crouse (teaching) Hospital. Once he had landed there, the researchers seemed to feel he was sort of like having a pterodactyl come to stay with a group of ornithologists! They did what they could for him. - Since he was one of the few living survivors of Chernobyl, they'd ask him to come in semi-annually, just to observation his situation.
It's been a decade since I saw him last, but he did survive at least 20 years after the disaster! From what I've read in scientific journals, Chernobyl has been a "heads Up!" for those in the nuclear power business from then on. I know my brother and his family lived upwind of Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. After Chernobyl, the State came in and moved the few small communities of residents there to another location - several miles away, up in the hills.
We do "Learn From Experience" - but sometimes it can be costly!