Dr. William Novick Addresses Gathering at United Nations
On April 27, 2004 eminent American pediatric cardiac surgeon Dr. William Novick addressed a gathering at the United Nations on the 18th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.
Recently, the United Nations World Health Organization has offered their support to Dr. Novick, who is launching a one-year national program in Libya to treat more than 400 Libyan children with heart defects.
On October 25, 2018 Dr. Novick will speak at the 2018 Miracle Makers Breakfast in the Delegates Dining Room at the United Nations.
Announcement regarding the April 2004 event:
International attention will be refocused on the Chernobyl nuclear accident this Tuesday April 27, as the UN marks the 18th anniversary of the accident with a screening of the Oscar-winning HBO documentary “Chernobyl Heart” at a special session at United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
April 26th is the anniversary of the disaster, which has devastated the lives of an estimated 7 million people living in the affected areas of Belarus, Western Russia and the Ukraine.
The documentary “Chernobyl Heart” examines the ongoing suffering of the children of Chernobyl-affected regions and the devastating impact the explosion continues to have on their lives. “Chernobyl Heart” was produced and directed by filmmaker Maryann De Leo.
Local press reports after the April 2004 event:
It's the children, the innocent children, who suffer the most today as a result of the worst nuclear accident in history – the 1986 reactor meltdown in Chernobyl, Ukraine. This is the message that filmmaker Maryann DeLeo sends to viewers in her Academy Award®-winning documentary Chernobyl Heart, and it comes through loud and clear. The HBO-produced film was screened yesterday evening for an audience of about 1,000 in the United Nations General Assembly headquarters in New York. The film though shocking and difficult to watch is a moving portrayal of a humanitarian organization's experiences in one of the countries most seriously affected by the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe.
The title of the film takes its name from a condition that has become known as “Chernobyl heart.” The syndrome, described in the film as holes in the heart, is found today in increasing numbers among those born in areas with exceptionally high radiation levels. The negative health effects from the radiation are varied and not limited to the heart – cancers, physical deformities and genetic mutations are also common. In this context, however, the Chernobyl heart syndrome – misdiagnosed as inoperable in one patient's case – acts as a paradigm illustrating an ailing system that can't seem to find viable solutions to the legacy of problems left by the Chernobyl accident.
Announcement regarding the October 2018 event:
Children from Russia with rare, often deadly, diseases have no one to turn to for help. Meet Dr. William Novick, one of the miracle makers who have changed these children’s lives through groundbreaking American medical care.
Invited guests will enjoy a complimentary breakfast as they hear Dr. Novick speak about his work saving children's lives. The 2018 Miracle Makers Breakfast is not a fundraising event.