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Irish nurse’s appeal for Chernobyl victim
 By
Elaine Sheridan
An Irish nurse in Kent has become a shining beacon of hope for a young
Ukrainian victim of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Two years ago psychiatric-nurse Mary Kilgallen heard of the plight of
Tanya Alyeksyeyerva and vowed to do something about it.
She got in touch with the family in the Ukraine and started her quest
to get Tanya medical help in Britain.
Mary, who originally hails from Castlebar in Co. Mayo, said: “When
I heard about Tanya I just had to act, and quickly. I rallied around and
canvassed surgeons and doctors to see what they could do. I wrote countless
letters and got some positive replies.”
And now thanks to Mary’s fundraising and campaigning efforts the
young girl has been given a better quality of life.
At a glance Tanya Alyeksyeyerva looks just like any other seven-year-old
girl. But look more closely and you’ll notice that she was born
with defects so serious that doctors gave little hope of her surviving.
Tanya was originally taken away from her parents at birth because it was
believed that she would die.
But against all the odds she survived despite being born with only one
leg and without a rectum, pelvis or bladder.
Her devastating disfigurement is thought to be the legacy of the radiation
from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster near her family’s home in Ukraine.
But following surgery here in Britain, Tanya is now more independent.
She no longer needs to wear a nappy and she uses a pair of crutches to
get from place-to-place. Since returning home in January she has also
been able to attend a regular school with her friends.
But medics will never be able to fit Tanya with a prosthetic leg and the
youngster desperately needs a motorised-wheelchair.
Mary is now trying to raise the much-needed funds for that wheelchair
while also trying to help two more children born with similar defects.
Taking time-out from her busy schedule of writing letters and canvassing
for assistance with these new projects, she said: “Any financial
help would be greatly received. I’ve always said if you’ve
got a pound in your pocket then you can always do something.”
Tanya’s life-changing surgery was made possible by the generosity
of a number of doctors and healthcare organisations.
After seeing photos of Tanya paediatric urologist Peter Cuckow from Great
Ormond Street Hospital agreed that he would try to help.
And London’s Portland Hospital donated its operating theatre for
free.
Tanya made a number of trips to Britain to undergo the life-changing operations
and each time nurse Mary sponsored Tanya and her family to fly to London.
While in Britain Mary paid for everything the family needed including
food, clothes, rent, medical supplies and day- to-day living expenses.
Still to this day Grandmother Mary — as she is fondly referred to
as — is the sole provider for the Ukrainian family and will continue
to do so in the future.
She said: “I don’t want any praise for this. I am just lending
a hand to a little girl who deserves a better quality of life.
“It is tragic that hundreds of children still have to live in these
conditions because of Chernobyl. I want to raise awareness of the serious
situation that haunts the lives of thousands of people affected by it.”
n If you would like to donate to or help Mary’s Chernobyl campaign
contact Elaine at The Irish Post on 020 8735 9403.
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