The Chernobyl Children: Parting is such sweet sorrow

Editor's note: This is the fourth part of a series. The Daily News Transcript is reporting on the children of the Chernobyl Children Project during their stay in Massachusetts.

Seven-year-old Jack Price is used to a house full of boys: He has two older brothers. But for the last month, he has also had two sisters: Anhelina Tsimashenka, 12, and Krystina Tsitova, 8, from Belarus.

"It was nice to have sisters," Jack said, who likes karate and loves his pet rat. "Sometimes they were nice ... and sometimes they flipped me over."

"Just like real sisters," said his mom, Susan.

On Wednesday, Jack's extended family returned to normal size as the two girls - along with more than 60 other kids here in the Boston area as part of the Chernobyl Children Project USA - boarded a bus at St. John the Evangelist Church in Canton to take them to the plane that would fly them home.

Chernobyl Children Project USA brings kids to America who are suffering effects from the April 26, 1986, nuclear power plant disaster, considered to be the worst of its type. The kids stay with sponsor families, get treatment for medical problems and catch a glimpse of life in the United States.

Before getting on the bus, Anhelina and Krystina looked through a photo album, and Susan Price recalled their trip to New York, one of the highlights of their stay.

"It was their favorite thing," she said of Anhelina and Krystina. "We went to the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, and the Empire State Building." The only thing they didn't like, she added, was a ride in a rickshaw-like Pedi cab. "The zipping in between cars scared them."

"Last night was hard," said Robert Price, Jack's dad. "It just hit them all of a sudden. It was a very quiet, very poignant night. At some level, they might be excited about the transition, about the things they're bringing back. Both said they want to carry us back in their bags."

Robert and Susan Price will have a family meeting to decide if they will host Chernobyl children again next year. Jack said he'll vote yes.

"This experience went as well as you could hope. We were blessed with two very intelligent, sweet girls," Robert said.

Evan and Patrice Weststrate of Norwood hosted Maxim Shtyrkhunova, 9, and Nikita Kadochnikon, 10, of Klintsy, Russia. Due to a last-minute medical concern, the boys will not be leaving together: Nikita will stay a few more weeks, at least.

During an exam at Tufts Dental School, X-rays showed a benign tumor behind Nikita's front teeth. Surgeons removed the tumor, but Nikita will stay for a follow-up appointment and an orthopedic appointment that was delayed due to the surgery.

"I feel sad that Maxim is leaving and bad for Nikita," Patrice Weststrate said.

She said she did not want Nikita to feel left behind, though he said he was not sad to stay.

Maxim, on the other hand, had bouts of homesickness. Recently, though, he showed Evan and Patrice pictures of his family - including Thomas the cat - without getting sad.

The boys swam at the town pool and played street hockey with neighborhood boys, Evan said.

Evan and Patrice said Maxim, with sunglasses and wearing a red GAP sweatshirt, is high-spirited. "He always plays drums in the video game Rock Band," Patrice said. "He even broke the drum set because he was going at it so hard."

While he was here, a bone scan confirmed that Maxim does not have a growth deficiency. The late bloomer is going home with a big bottle of vitamins shaped like circus animals, Evan said.

The Weststrates said they hope to host again, depending on their work schedules, and they would also consider a visit to Belarus and Russia, now that they have several host kids to visit there.

Each host family said they exchanged contact information with the children, in hopes of keeping in touch.

After an announcement that it was time to go, parents and children exchanged a flurry of hugs, kisses and goodbyes outside.

Patrice tried to talk to Maxim in Russian, then found Irina Zinkevich, a translator from Belarus. "Can you say 'we will miss you,"' she asked Zinkevich, who bent down to talk to Maxim as Nikita looked on. Maxim had tears in his eyes.

Before boarding the bus, the entire group posed for one last photo. After Maxim got on the bus, he waved from the window. Evan reached up to touch the window where Maxim sat. Shortly afterward, Maxim put his head down and disappeared from view.

Anhelina and Krystina, among the last to board the bus, got hug after hug from Susan, Robert and Jack.

As the bus left, the crowd waved and held up signs. Then, the parking lot was quiet, with a few sniffles breaking the silence.

Among the teary-eyed was Nikita, who told Zinkevich that he was sad not to be leaving with everyone else. Zinkevich, a friendly woman in glasses, will stay with Jean-Marie Brookfield of Sharon for an extra week to translate for one of the girls who is staying to have surgery.

As Zinkevich talked with Nikita in the emptying parking lot, the host families discussed the children's departure.

"That wasn't easy," Robert said.

"No, it's awful every year," Patrice replied. "This is like the worst day."