Chornobyl survivor reunited with birth mother decades after disaster thanks to Irish charity

Adopted in Ireland after Chornobyl, Anna Gabriel shares story of disability, resilience and an emotional reunion with her birth mother

Anna Gabriel with a framed picture of a time when as a child she and her parents met former President of Ireland Mary Robinson during her visit to Bandon in 1996. Picture: Noel Sweeney

After attempting to locate the whereabouts of the baby daughter she had given up in the aftermath of the Chornobyl disaster, Anna Gabriel’s mother was initially directed to the site of a graveyard.

As the world marks 40 years since the explosion at reactor No 4 that led to decades of human disaster, Chornobyl survivor Anna is glad to have been able to offer her birth mother some closure.