Branch of Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund established in Central Maine (12/31/00)

Branch of Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund established in Central Maine

by Bohdan M. Slabyj

BREWER, Maine - The Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund Inc. (CCRF) was established in 1990 in response to the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear disaster. Since then the organization has financed 26 airlifts and nine sea shipments, delivering 1,300 tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine valued at over $45 million.

The CCRF provides cancer medication and post-operative drugs for hundreds of children with leukemia and thyroid cancer. It organizes training conferences, internships and advanced seminars for hundreds of Ukrainian doctors in the fields of pediatrics, oncology, surgery, clinical biochemistry and neonatal intensive care.

The CCRF-Central Maine Chapter was established in August of this year with the encouragement of Alex Kuzma, executive director of the CCRF's national office.

CCRF assistance includes inviting pediatricians from Ukraine to visit hospitals in the United States. This past summer contact was established with four pediatric hospitals in Chernivtsi. Dr. Mykola Khoma, a surgeon, is the first pediatrician from Chernivtsi to visit Bangor, Maine.

This visit was made possible through the efforts of Olga Fedoriw and Peter Hryhorowych, who collected funds to cover the cost of the visit. Dr. Katherine Lane was instrumental in getting the medical community as well as the community in general to participate. Dr. Stephen Amato, chief of pediatrics at Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC), has assisted Dr. Khoma in making contacts with other clinicians and pediatric specialty clinics, such as oncology and genetics.

Area churches were very supportive of the project and St. Joseph's Church of Brewer offered its facility for holding regular meetings.

Dr. Khoma arrived on October 23 this year and has so far spent most of his time at EMMC, observing operations by Dr. Thomas W. McGill, a pediatric surgeon. Dr. Khoma is also scheduled to observe different aspects of pediatric medicine in Bangor area clinics and will share his experience with colleagues in Chernivtsi. He was recently invited to address members of the Bangor area Kiwanis Club.

The lack of equipment and medication in Ukraine has become more apparent to Dr. Khoma since observing medical practice in Maine. Since Bangor is a relatively small city compared to Chernivtsi (population 280,000), efforts are being made to have Dr. Khoma visit Floating Hospital for Children in Boston.

Funds to support the Maine Chapter's acquisition of needed medication and/or second-hand equipment for pediatric hospitals in Chernivtsi can be sent to the "Chernivtsi Project" at the CCRF National Office, 272 Old Short Hills Road., Short Hills, NJ 07078, or to the CCRF Central Maine Chapter, 43 Robinhood Drive Brewer, ME 04412. All donations are tax-deductible.

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