Lena
and Anya Kostuchenko
Lena Kostuchenko, 39 and her daughter Anya, 19.
Chernobyl zone evacuees in Kiev.
I was five months’ pregnant when the accident
occurred.
My husband and I were spending
the weekend at my mother’s house in Kopachi,
a village just south of the power station.
We woke up Saturday morning
decided to go Chernobyl,
it is the nearest town
to buy maternity clothes.
At the bus stop we saw many fire engines
and troop
carriers on the main road – we waited and waited
no bus came – a policeman told us there would be
no buses – there had been an accident. There had been
small accidents before, so we did not worry. We worked
in the garden
all day Sunday I had to go
and work in Pripyat again
there were no buses – we set off
on foot – I began to feel very ill
my husband helped me home
then walked to Pripyat alone.
He got back, the town had been evacuated
I was out of bed – outside a policeman
finally told me the truth.
There was high radiation and pregnant women
should get out at all costs.
I did not even know what radiation was.
We drove to Ivanki
two days later I was
in the hospital doctors threw away
my clothes and decontaminated me
in a cold shower there were many
pregnant women there the doctors
said we would all have abortions
or induced births – they did
some abortions quickly then changed
their mind and we would give birth
after all we went to Chop then to Mykolaylev
near the Black Sea. In each new town
I threw away my clothes – they were contaminated
by my own radioactive body.
Anya was born
two months early – she was big
a five and a half pound baby
with unformed nails and colored yellow
incubated – I was not allowed
to see her for eight days. Later in Kiev
specialists hospitalized her
on sight – you could not then
say it was on account of Chernobyl.
It could be anything
except Chernobyl much later
a hematology professor told me
I had been very unlucky
I was in the wrong place
at the wrong time.
Anya is my houseplant.
She has a very rare
blood disease and almost no
immunity in 2004 she caught
meningitis and was in a coma
for three days – it was told it was all over
But she rose like Christ from the bed.
In the 1990s a law was passed
promising benefits to Chernobyl
invalids, but nothing to children
invalids. Together with other parents
I formed Flowers in the Wormwood
We successfully lobbied for the law
to be changed.
There exists
the tendency to play down
the problem
of Chernobyl
if possible
to forget it.
Once
The 20th anniversary has passed
I think
the state
will begin
to withdraw
its support.
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