In April 1986, life in their village of Ilyichi seemed unshakable: Vera Gavrilovna worked as a cook at the school, her husband, Pyotr Ivanovich, was a turner at the collective farm. The family had their own well-appointed house, the couple were raising two children, and making plans for the future, unaware that their familiar world would soon burn in the invisible flame of radiation.

Vera Gavrilovna recalls the first days after the accident with a heavy sense of uncertainty. "At first," she says, "we didn't suspect the misfortune that had befallen our home; we lived our usual lives. Ordinary village chores, the spring sun – it seemed nothing could disturb this peace. Anxiety settled in my soul when columns of heavy machinery began to move along the road, raising dust. It was then that I realized that something terrible had happened…"

The children were evacuated first, taken to one of the camps in the Gomel region, then to the Minsk region, from where their uncle, Vasily Ivanovich Grib, later took them to Drozd. His family, fleeing misfortune, found a new haven here. Vera Gavrilovna and her husband remained in Ilyichi. She continued to work in the canteen, now feeding police officers who were on duty there.

"Our village was evacuated to the 30-kilometer zone on June 10," says Vera Gavrilovna. "We lived in a new place, but my husband still went to work at our collective farm, where fodder was being prepared. I often visited the village with him to weed flowers and kill bugs on the potatoes, thinking we would return soon." At that time, everyone believed it would be temporary, that everything would be fixed, and people would return to their homes.

The family reunited in Drozdov only by autumn. Soon they received an apartment, the children went to school, and the parents – to work. The nature of the Beshenkovichi region and the sincerity of the local residents helped them to finally put down roots. And what seemed like a temporary shelter became a home forever.

In Drozdov, Vera Gavrilovna, who, like her late husband, has the status of a liquidator of the Chernobyl NPP accident, headed the local post office for 33 years, including five years after retirement. Petr Ivanovich worked as a turner in the collective farm and an operator at the treatment facilities. Both rightfully earned the sincere respect of the local residents.

But work was only part of her service to people. Despite her illnesses and age, Vera Gavrilovna does not lose her optimism and remains the soul of the Drozdov rural club, being an active participant in amateur arts. For the past March 8, for example, together with local artists, she traveled to villages to delight the residents of remote areas with songs, and is now preparing for Victory Day.

An avid flower grower, she still grows seedlings today to decorate the street near her house, keeps a garden and a small farm. There is no one to go to in the Gomel region anymore – her relatives are gone, and her health does not allow for long trips, but the woman is not discouraged.

"I love people and life," she says. "It's pleasant to do good to others. And song helps to live, lifts the spirits, that's what I draw strength from."

Today her world is her family: children and four grandchildren. Her son Ivan and daughter Marina live and work in Beshenkovichi, have become her pride and support in this land, and the Beshenkovichi region is a truly native place where the love for people and the inexhaustible energy of this remarkable woman continue to give light and warmth to those around her.

"Zarya"