Ilona and Mendy
Born in Kiev, Ilona and her older sister, Svetta, were raised by their grandmother. Their father passed away soon after the Chernobyl disaster, and their mother has been very sick and unable to care for them. Svetta was 12 years old when she was rescued on CCOC’s 51st flight. After being under CCOC’s care for about four months, she begged to be reunited with her younger sister, Ilona. It was at that point that six year old Ilona was rescued on CCOC’s 52nd flight, reuniting her with Svetta.
The two girls have had very minimal contact with their mother, as she resisted all communication with them. As a result, Ilona felt a sense of abandonment and so over the years, CCOC has provided her psychological counseling to assist her in rebuilding her self-esteem. With this professional help, and with CCOC’s loving care, she learned to cope with her situation and has become a much stronger and mature person. We are proud to say that Ilona has blossomed into a confident young woman. After graduating high school with Honors, Ilona studied to become a makeup artist and has established a career in this field. In addition, she is now pursuing a career as an Executive Assistant.
Ilona recently wed Mendy, who is studying to become and electrical engineer. Mazel tov Ilona and Mendy on this special occasion.
Paulina and Tiran
Paulina was rescued on CCOC’s 39th rescue mission at the very young age of 12. Paulina’s father passed away when she was an infant, and her mother died 10 days after Paulina was rescued. Paulina’s mother realized her fragile state of health and wanted to ensure that her only child would be taken care of properly, just as any mother would want.
Paulina was diagnosed with severe and serious growths on her jaw which doctors attributed to her exposure to the radiation in Chernobyl. Paulina has had five surgeries since she was rescued by CCOC. Today, we are happy to say that these medical issues have been treated and cured.
CCOC’s devoted staff took special care of young Paulina to help her grow into a mature, capable and happy young adult. She graduated with Honors and went on to serve in the Israeli army. Today, Paulina is a working professional for a tech company.
CCOC helped Paulina achieve and fulfill her dreams; in fact, she recently married the love of her life, Tiran, to start a family of their own. Tiran is a very nice young man who was born and raised in Israel and also works in successful high tech company there. We wish Paulina and Tiran many more happy occasions together!
