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Anna Offered New Hope

It’s a long way from Belarus to Bandon in Co Cork, Ireland but that is the journey that brave Anna Gabriel has made. A victim of the Chernobyl disaster, she has multiple health complications including some quite serious physical disabilities. While she is able to walk, her legs have not developed normally. She also only has one kidney and is hard of hearing.

Anna has overcome her disabilities and now lives a full and happy life with her adoptive family, the Gabriel’s in Ireland. But it was not always so. Anna began life in an abandoned baby’s home in Belarus. In the home her prospects were limited and there was little hope that she would lead a long and happy life. She was identified by the Chernobyl Children’s Project International who in turn introduced Anna to the Gabriel family. The Gabriel family knew instantly that they wanted Anna to be a big part of their lives.

After a long adoption process she finally flew into Shannon airport in January 1996 to be with the Gabriel family and begin her new life. Along with Alexei Barrett she was the first child to be adopted under a special agreement between Ireland and Belarus which was brokered by CCPI. Because of her complicated medical condition she continued to receive ongoing medical treatment and all this treatment has really paid off for Anna. Anna was recently fitted with hydraulic legs and can now walk and lead a normal and healthy life in Ireland with her loving family.