8. The Long Shadow
From Assume Nothing by BBC Radio Ulster
April 8, 2026 · 13 min · Season 32 · Episode 8
About this episode
The episode follows a girl born with disabilities in Belarus after a nuclear disaster, exploring her journey from neglect to hope as she seeks to uncover her past.
A baby is born with disabilities in the wake of the world’s worst nuclear disaster. She grows up neglected and in fear in an orphanage in Belarus, until she is taken on a radiation holiday to Ireland. A new life with hope and possibility unfolds before her. But the mystery of what happened in her early life has cast a shadow over her life. And she’s determined to solve it.
Topics covered
- nuclear disaster
- disabilities
- orphanage
- radiation holiday
- identity
- mystery
Keywords
- nuclear disaster
- Belarus
- orphanage
- radiation holiday
- disabilities
- identity
- mystery
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Belarus, Ireland
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