He was only eight years old but Slava Dolganovski remembers his last trip to North Bay like it was yesterday.
“As an artist, I have a visual memory so I remember a lot of things,” said Slava.
“I remember people, I remember other people's houses, their friends, and other Chernobyl children. I even went to a restaurant in North Bay and I remember the taste from then.”
Slava was one of a handful of Belarussian children that were part of the Children of Chernobyl program came to North Bay in the summers of 1997, 1998 and 1999.
Slava came to North Bay twice, once by himself, the other with his brother.
During both visits, Slava stayed with the Allard family.
Despite 20 years since the last visit, Slava promised to return.
"He told us, ’I’ll be back,’ just like Arnold Schwartzenegger’s Terminator character,” recalled Brian Allard.
Slava, is now married and works as a tattoo artist in Bershama, Israel not far from the Gaza Strip.
Now 28, he still remembers how upset he was when he found out that he would not be returning to Canada again as part of the program.
The Allard’s were also disappointed.
“They were saying three years was enough for one particular child, which we could not really understand at the time but they had their reasons,” said Brian Allard.
But that decision hit Slava much harder. In fact, he went into a six-month depression and was nearly hospitalized because of it.
“I remember the time when my Mom told me I would not be able to come to Canada and I used to blame myself that I did something bad there,” said Slava.
“When it was Christmas and we all asked for something from Santa, I always asked my Mom for another trip to Canada.”
For a few years after, Slava and the Allards grew apart sending intermittent letters between each other, but once Skype became a reality, the families connected again and the plan began for Slava to return to North Bay once again.
The reunion included Cindy and Brian Allard’s now grown-up children, including daughter Shantelle and son Shawn, who traveled from Vancouver to attend this special event.
Brian Allard says when he saw Slava at the airport it became emotional.
“The hugs were pretty tight and they were very long,” said Allard, holding back his tears recalling the special moment.
Slava says it was like a dream coming back to North Bay.
“I’ve wished all my life that I could come back,” he said.
“I guess it is the biggest present of my life and I got here and they are still alive and I can hug them and kiss them.”
While the reunion was very special the two families hope the next visit will not be in another 20 years. In fact, Slava says one day he hopes he can find a way to bring his daughter and his wife over to live in Canada permanently.
Slava says there is a special bond that has been created with him and the Allard family.
“There is a difference between all the places we have been and when we had been in Canada,” said Slava, noting that he visited Ireland and Italy as part of the Children of Chernobyl program after the Canadian visits.
“When you are a child you can really feel when people want to help you. We stayed at millionaires houses, but this family was not like that, they just did it from the heart.
“You feel real love. I felt like they loved me like their own child.”
