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PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1998.
Chernobyl child breathes fresh air in Huron
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
Imagine that every breath you
take, every bite you eat, every drink
you sip, could be shortening your
life.
For nine-year-old Maksim, this is
the reality of life in the Gomel
Region, of Belarus. As one of the
participants in the Trace of Cher-
"clean territory" in the hopes of
reducing the levels of radiation in
their system.
"Happily, the children now here
were born after the accident, but
there is still a great fear of the con-
squences of low-dose radiation,
which have been not well studied.
There is a great deal of fear for this
and future generations," said
Valeri.
"Some families find it hard to
send their child so far away, but
they understand it is a necessity for
their health."
Five years ago, Canadian fami-
lies began hosting children from
Minsk and other cities. A group of
20 children between the ages of
eight and 11 are currently in
Huron.
The children selected for the pro-
grain are from poor or large fami-
lies. Typically they are orphaned or
are being raised by a single parent,
said Valeri.
They arrived July 14 and will
depart Aug. 23.
The Hoftyzers involvement
began when a cousin of Bemice's
hosted a child. "It was a very posi-
tive experience," she said, so decid-
ed to investigate.
An intense screening process fol-
lowed, with reports made to the
OPP and the Children's Aid Soci-
ety. The Hoftyzers were inter-
viewed and three letters of
reference were submitted by
acquaintances stating that the fami-
ly could provide the type of emo-
tional and physical sustenance a
child would be needing.
"At first it seemed like a lot, but
if it were my child going, I realized
that I would want to know they
were going to be well taken care
of," says Bernice.
Families are asked their prefer-
ence for age and gender, though
Bernice says, they were told there
vyould be no guarantees. With two
boys and two girls of their own,
ages 10, nine, six and three, Mak-
sim has blended perfectly.
So much so, that despite the fact
Maksim upon arrival, knew not a
word of English, none of the chil-
dren seem to notice a language bar-
rier.
"I will hear him say something in
Russian to Darryl and he seems to
understand," says Bernice.
Maksim, a beautiful child, with
rich brown eyes, dimples and a
ready smile says, through Lysov, "I
understand a little bit." And when
words don't work, gestures do, he
adds.
Part of the program also request-
ed that the Hoftyzers consult their
dentist to see if he would donate
services during Maksim's stay.
Valeri says, "Because of the quality
of water and poor nutrition many of
these children need a lot of dental
work."
"The dentists have been very co-
operative," adds Bernice.
While the Hoftyzers are responsi-
ble for most of Maksim's recre-
ation, there are regular get
togethers with the other Chernobyl
children visiting in the county.
"Once a week they have a pot luck
to bring the hosts and the children
together. It really helps because for
one afternoon Maksim can relax
and talk to people who speak the
same language," says Bernice.
Between playing with Lego, a
pastime he has found particularly
entertaining, and attending Bible
school and birthday parties with the
Hoftyzer children,Maksim has not
suffered any bouts of homesick-
ness. "He telephones to assure his
family that everything is fine," says
Valeri.
"He seems very content," says
Bernice. "He's an easy-going boy,
happy. And he eats, considering his
size, surprisingly well."
With his once pale skin tanned,
his complexion now glowing, Ber-
nice can already see Maksim is
benefitting from his visit. He has
made new friends and is delighted
to be seeing this "beautiful coun-
try."
A healthy stay
A Trace of Chernobyl fund representative, Valeri Lysov, visits the Hoftyzer farm outside
Londesboro last week. One of the fund's children, Maksim, beside Valeri, is here to enjoy
Huron County's clean air in the hopes of reducing any damages from low-dosage radiation,
resulting from the 1986 nuclear disaster in his home country. With him are the Hoftyzer
children, in front, from left: Michelle, Darryl, Krista. Not pictured is three-year-old Robert.
nobyl program, Maksim arrived in
Huron County for a one month,
"health-improvement" visit. He is
staying with Bernice and Gerard
Hoftyzer and family at RR1, Lon-
desboro.
Representative Valeri Lysov,
explained that since the April 26,
1986 accident at the Chernobyl
nuclear power station, the idea has
been to have children spend time in
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