It was his third birthday last Thursday and the excitement was intense for Alexei. He had a cake, balloons, presents, a game of football with his pal, Neil, and "drove" the DART from Howth to Sutton with his Dad. He is full of cheek and attitude - a typical three year old. But he is far from typical. On April 26th 1986, ten years before Alexei's birth, the world's worst accident happened at the Chernobyl nuclear power station, causing the horror that Adi Roche wrote about in her book Children of Chernobyl: "Every part of the life cycle has been damaged, from the unborn to the aged and everything in between. It's a legacy of misery to be passed on from generation to generation, among a people who have already paid too high a price".
Two birthdays
Alexei's Irish mother, Helen Barrett, claims that he has two birthdays, the first on January 8th 1996. On that date he came to Ireland from his home in Minsk for an operation on a tumour, which was growing out of his left eye socket. He had been born in a Minsk hospital to a young Belarussian woman who had officially abandoned him even before his birth. She had had a scan at seven months which had revealed the defects. It was too late for her to have an abortion, so she signed him into the hospital's care. She would not have been able to cope with a sick child. Alexei's tumour was the size of a golf ball and he had fingerlike growths coming from under his chin. He was also missing a rib on his left side. After a short while in hospital he was sent to an institution where he met Adi Roche of the Chernobyl Children's Project. It was clear that if Alexei was to survive he would need operations in a developed country, such as Ireland. So, Adi brought him here. Helen, Adi's sister, needed no persuasion to undertake to care for Alexei while he underwent his treatment at Temple Street hospital. Chris, her husband, and she remember him then as introverted and withdrawn. He was alert but not responsive because, she thinks, he was not used to getting oneto-one attention. Today his dynamic and confident little personality constantly thrills them both.
Successful operation
Alexei was just six months when he had his operation at Temple Street. The medical team had agreed to take on his case and operate, even though they were not sure whether the tumour was malignant or not. It was not and the operation was successful. Last summer Helen went to visit the institution where Alexei spent some months of his life. She saw the cot where he slept and was happy that this chapter of his little life was filled in for her. But what saddened her was the fact that a larger institution was required to deal with the ever-increasing rise in abandoned babies. The director, Dr Tamara, and her staff gave Alexi great care, love and attention, but they are under-staffed and under-quipped. There are now more children in orphanages in Belarus since the Chernobyl disaster than there were after the second World War. There is an ever-increasing sense of despair and hopelessness for these children.
About two and a half years ago Chris and Helen Barrett started the long process of officially adopting young Alexei Chmarlovski Barrett. He is one of five Belarussian children and their Irish parents who embarked on the long and difficult task. A lot of legal work had to be done between the Irish and Belarussian Governments so that agreement could be reached on adoption laws. Every document has to be translated into Russian and sent to the embassy in London. Two weeks ago the President of Belarus, Mr Alyaksandr Lukashenka, signed an agreement with the Government which sanctioned the adoptions.
Secure futures
The five couples are hugely relieved and, of course, delighted, for now their children's futures are secure. It is the first time that children from Chernobyl will be adopted by Irish families and the adoptions will go ahead within the next few months. Helen and Chris Barrett cannot remember life without Alexei. He became the first grandchild in Helen's family in 14 years and her parents, now in their eighties, are rejuvenated by him. He is sharp and healthy and, in September, will start in a playgroup, which is attached to Larkhill school where Helen teaches. He is a determined little fellow and comfortable with how he looks. Helen thinks he will handle any questions about his facial deformity with confidence. Alexei's birthday coincides every year with the arrival in Ireland of plane loads of children from Belarus and Western Russia, who come as part of the Children's Chernobyl Project. They come for a month to enjoy our clean air, eat our good food and just do things that our own children take for granted. Over 1,200 children are coming at the end of June and beginning of July to over 70 outreach groups scattered around Ireland. Irish families become the children's families for the month. Anyone who wants to become involved or help financially can contact the project at 8 Sidneyville, Bellevue Park, St Lukes, Cork. Phone 021 506411.