Child of Chornobyl reunites with second 'mother' in Petitcodiac

A New York city police officer placed a department armband at the foot of the RCMP memorial statue in Moncton Wednesday as she visited the province that she considered to be her second home for many years.

While Zhana Krot, 26, said she is proud to be a member of the New York Police Department, she did have dreams of being in the RCMP.

Krot was a child of Chornobyl who spent her summers in Petitcodiac from the age of eight with Leeann Maye.

She said she had hoped to become a Canadian.

Krot was born four years after the Nuclear Reactor No. 4 exploded in Chornobyl on April 26, 1986,resulting in the almost total destruction of the reactor.

Because her home was 30 kilometres from the disaster site she was one of hundreds of children sent to Canada for a break from their radioactive home.

Sent to Canada

Krot's mother, Alla, was involved with sending other children to neighbouring countries, but it wasn`t until a child dropped out at the last minute, that she sent her daughterto Canada.

Krot said sheremembers the day she stepped off the plane in Montreal.

"I was trying to hold on to all the other kids that came with meand I was like, 'Who are we looking for?'" she said.

Mayewas waiting for her.

"I was looking for this little girl with long hair," said Maye, who is ahairdresser.

"And she had short hair, about an inch all over her head."

Krot laughed at the memory.

"I had a boy cut, like above my ear. And everyone was telling her, 'Oh your girl is going to be so lucky, you'll do her hair, you're going to braid her hairand there's this boy coming out," she said.

'Into our hearts'

Maye said shedidn`t have children at the timeand was fundraising with the Riverviewgroup to bring the children from Chornobylwhen she decided she would sponsor a child.

Krot spentevery summerfor the next sevenyears with Maye and her family.

"She came into our house and our hearts," said Mayeadding Krotlearned to swim, ate fruit and vegetables not available in Belarus, and breathed clean air.

"Every time there was a change of season, I would get really sick. I had nosebleeds since I was a little girl, 'til now." saidKrot.

"Even in Canada I had nosebleeds, but here it's less, the climate is different, the water's different, the fruits, the vegetables, I got a lot of here. In Belarus we didn't have we were poor. Vegetables would be like cucumbers or tomatoes, pretty basic."

Hard to leave

As she grew into a teen, Krot found it harder to return to Belarus.

"Everything looked grey, people were miserable, people were upset, it was upsetting," she said.

But when she applied for citizenship, she was turned down.

Maye and Krot think it was part of a post-Sept. 11feeling. Bothsaid it was aquiet ride back to Petitcodiacthat day.

Any challenge, she would do it. She would take any challenge on. She was very persistent and stubborn.- Leeann Maye

"I was crying. We were definitely upset. It was a quiet moment in the car, driving back. Because I had to go home.We were definitely very upset," said Krot.

Years later, both Krotand her mother, Alla, were able to immigrate to the United States.

Krot said learningEnglish and learning to swimturned out to be crucial skills.

"Because I took swimming lessons, every year, I was able to become a lifeguard in New York, because when we first came to New York, in 2007, I didn't have a job, my mother didn't have a job, so we had to survive somehow," she said.

Survived, and thrived

In New York, Krotstudied and obtained herBachelorin Criminal Justice, with a minor in law and police studies and joined the NYPD.

Maye flew to New York to watchthe little girl she took in 19 years ago, become a police officer.

"Any challenge, she would do it. She would take any challenge on. She was very persistent and stubborn," said Maye.

"She wanted to stay in Canada, and become a Canadian citizenand be anRCMPofficer. But that didn't happen. However, I guess she got, maybe, second best," Mayesaid.