Bab·y·lon
"Refers to a place of captivity and the power structures that keeps them there."
"Refers to a place of captivity and the power structures that keeps them there."
THE OBAMA WHITE HOUSE
Kathy Sinai's advocacy to the U.S. President's office on behalf of Atomic Veterans and their families led to President Obama issuing a directive that help be offered to Victoria.
The following 2016 text string exposed a new reality...
The following 2016 text string exposed a new reality...
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I read a bit of Victoria’s story and was absolutely shocked, I had never heard anything like it, still haven’t.
Reading other wild stories on social media, I found truth was really stranger than fiction in our nuclear community. I’d heard that President Obama had an outreach of reading and answering a few emails or letters a month. I decided, why not me? I wrote the White House various emails every week on behalf of 3 people I didn’t know, a few months in I had a shock. I’d began helping strangers on Facebook in 2015, after attempts to help my father’s radiation exposure claim after he’d lost half a lung, yet still wasn’t qualifying under RECA. |
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My first thought was OMG, I don’t know this person.
I had picked their story off Facebook, I’m going to sound like an insane stalker! What I didn’t realize was I had not only chosen a stranger on Facebook, but Victoria was a well-established fine artist in complex cancer treatments laying in a hospital bed at Stanford Medical Center. |
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It was the beginning of our synergetic friendship, a God moment if you will.
We have had many of those since. |
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In the end...
The White House had mailed Kathy official recognition and documentation of her communication, yet having spent decades of denials towards my parents, I warned Kathy not to get her hopes up but thanked her for all she had done. Her pro-activism within the Children of Atomic Veterans community got my attention. And while I expressed my skepticism in Mr. Bell's ability to get me any assistance, I optimistically wished him luck. The commarderie turned into a kinship with Kathy durning the weeks and months it took for us to get a response from Mr. Bell stating;
"I' m sorry. I can not find any program or initiave to fit you in."
And dropped like a Hot Potato.
"I' m sorry. I can not find any program or initiave to fit you in."
And dropped like a Hot Potato.
THEIR FAILURES BECAME OUR MOTIVATION.
STILL GLOWING
Kathy Sinai; cofounder StillGlowing.org
We are the rare and hopefully last human beings, directly and generationally affected by the above-ground testing and use of nuclear weapons.
Kathy Sinai; cofounder StillGlowing.org
We are the rare and hopefully last human beings, directly and generationally affected by the above-ground testing and use of nuclear weapons.
My father was a 17-year-old at the Pacific Proving Grounds in 1958. He witnessed men being scrubbed with wire brushes and felt the fear, anger, and panic of his commanders when an open porthole was reported below deck during a test. For decades, he feared government retaliation if he spoke up. The secrecy was ingrained in him—the weight of silence, the fear of losing his benefits, the unspoken rule to never question authority. I advocated for years for others because my dad was too afraid for me to do it for him.
When I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, my father could not bear to acknowledge it. Confronting it meant confronting the truth he had been forced to bury. He was diagnosed with OCD and PTSD, and last April, he passed away from four cancers, losing him in just 28 days.
Our voices, our genetics, our trauma—these unite us as a global community. The private and veterans' medical sectors must recognize our conditions, and funding is essential to ensure we are heard. We need acknowledgement and understanding. iglow has taken the first steps, forging partnerships to bring light to our struggle. For four years, StillGlowing searched for a genetic company willing to work with us. Again and again, we heard "hot potato"—institutions feared the implications of aligning with our cause. Then, we met a biologist on social media, someone who also suffered from rare illnesses. He understood the frustration of our story and wanted to help.
It has been difficult to help people understand that the denial of our experiences is, in itself, a trauma. Dr. Danieli reached out to our community, offering the Danieli Inventory—a validated tool and 'Gold Standard' for assessing the impacts of multigenerational trauma. We spent almost a year working with multiple nuclear-affected communities to quantify our trauma. We need this alongside genetic research to build treatment protocols and better understand our global family’s history and future.
We are one generation removed from the silence and secrets carried by our parents. Our lived experience of illness and trauma span almost 80 years.
Over the years it has become clear, our global, nuclear-exposed community shares many secrets, fears, and physical anomalies. Our struggle remains the same—we have been denied access to the scientific truth about our own bodies and emotions. Our medical history has been classified. Our lived truth has been denied.
Victoria was conceived after her father's 34 nuclear exposures, including Operations IVY and Bravo. Deemed presumptive for genetic damage, she was treated as a high-risk pregnancy at San Diego Naval Base’s Balboa Hospital. At age 12 (1968), The Gold Team at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital revealed her future genetic risks. She was shown photos of Marshallese babies born with radiation-related genetic issues told she must never have children. Without her consent, she was placed on birth control by the U.S. Navy. Her family was required to use exclusive Naval medical facilities due to her father’s "Q Clearance" and kaleidoscope of cancers—for research purposes and his treatment needs.
By 23, a full hysterectomy was required. She has survived the same cancer as her father, undergoing multiple surgeries and near-death experiences. With clearance now expired, at age 62, she is able to channel her forced silence and emotions into her art. She and I founded StillGlowing, after President Obama's intervention was unable to facilitate assistance following an answered email campaign. . .
When I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, my father could not bear to acknowledge it. Confronting it meant confronting the truth he had been forced to bury. He was diagnosed with OCD and PTSD, and last April, he passed away from four cancers, losing him in just 28 days.
Our voices, our genetics, our trauma—these unite us as a global community. The private and veterans' medical sectors must recognize our conditions, and funding is essential to ensure we are heard. We need acknowledgement and understanding. iglow has taken the first steps, forging partnerships to bring light to our struggle. For four years, StillGlowing searched for a genetic company willing to work with us. Again and again, we heard "hot potato"—institutions feared the implications of aligning with our cause. Then, we met a biologist on social media, someone who also suffered from rare illnesses. He understood the frustration of our story and wanted to help.
It has been difficult to help people understand that the denial of our experiences is, in itself, a trauma. Dr. Danieli reached out to our community, offering the Danieli Inventory—a validated tool and 'Gold Standard' for assessing the impacts of multigenerational trauma. We spent almost a year working with multiple nuclear-affected communities to quantify our trauma. We need this alongside genetic research to build treatment protocols and better understand our global family’s history and future.
We are one generation removed from the silence and secrets carried by our parents. Our lived experience of illness and trauma span almost 80 years.
Over the years it has become clear, our global, nuclear-exposed community shares many secrets, fears, and physical anomalies. Our struggle remains the same—we have been denied access to the scientific truth about our own bodies and emotions. Our medical history has been classified. Our lived truth has been denied.
Victoria was conceived after her father's 34 nuclear exposures, including Operations IVY and Bravo. Deemed presumptive for genetic damage, she was treated as a high-risk pregnancy at San Diego Naval Base’s Balboa Hospital. At age 12 (1968), The Gold Team at Oak Knoll Naval Hospital revealed her future genetic risks. She was shown photos of Marshallese babies born with radiation-related genetic issues told she must never have children. Without her consent, she was placed on birth control by the U.S. Navy. Her family was required to use exclusive Naval medical facilities due to her father’s "Q Clearance" and kaleidoscope of cancers—for research purposes and his treatment needs.
By 23, a full hysterectomy was required. She has survived the same cancer as her father, undergoing multiple surgeries and near-death experiences. With clearance now expired, at age 62, she is able to channel her forced silence and emotions into her art. She and I founded StillGlowing, after President Obama's intervention was unable to facilitate assistance following an answered email campaign. . .
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© 2017-2025 Victoria Moore, Victoria Moore Fine Art, and/or assigns. All rights reserved.
No rights to use on any support are given or implied to the viewer. All rights of ownership and use remain with the copyright owner.
Reproduction online without written permissions is expressly restricted.
No rights to use on any support are given or implied to the viewer. All rights of ownership and use remain with the copyright owner.
Reproduction online without written permissions is expressly restricted.
