nuclear-news

Heartbreaking tale of American deformed by nuclear radiation who was abandoned and viewed as a ‘monster’

By ELLYN LAPOINTE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM, 21 Feb 25

Tim Mason, 27, was abandoned by his soviet mother when he was just an
infant. He was born in Moscow, Russia in April 1997, 11 years after the
Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine. This nuclear meltdown began on April
26, 1986 and led to the largest release of radioactive material into the
environment in human history.

As a result of this tragic disaster, Mason’s
biological mother was exposed to high amounts of radiation while pregnant,
causing him to be born with only one limb. Mason’s left arm is fully formed
and functional, but his right arm and legs never finished growing, making
it very difficult for him to walk and perform other basic tasks without
assistance.

On the day he was born, his mother left him outside of an
orphanage with a note saying she did not want to raise ‘a monster.’ But
Mason’s life changed at age three, when he was adopted by Virginia Mason
from Arlington, Illinois. She said she knew she wanted to be his mother as
soon as she saw him.

Daily Mail 20th Feb 2025, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14417853/born-deformity-exposed-chernobyl-nuclear-radiation-purpose.html

February 23, 2025 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | PERSONAL STORIES, Russia