Belarus girl has grown into a young woman with her Island family

SUMMERSIDE - Tammy Jelley feels like she's losing one of her own.
And in a way, she is.
For the last eight summers, Jelley and husband Mike have welcomed Masha Rasskazova into their home. And then said goodbye when she went back to Belarus.
"Every year it gets harder," says Tammy. "People say, 'It should be easier, you have a child of your own now.'"
But Jelley hasn't found that to be true.
"People can't be replaced. She's special in our home."
Rasskazova, now 16, came through the Canadian Relief Fund for Chernobyl Victims in Belarus. The charity arranges for children from Belarus to visit and spend time in a cleaner, healthier environment. The former USSR republic and now country of Belarus was particularly vulnerable to radioactive contamination following the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986.
"The air is just not fresh," Rasskazova explains, sitting in the Jelley home in Summerside. "It's more dirty there than here."
Jelley, a hairdresser, learned about the program through a client.
And much has changed since Rasskazova's first visit.
"The first day she came, she couldn't even say our names," Jelley says. "And we couldn't say hers! We called her Marsha for days."
She's since learned English and become part of the Jelley family and their activities - shopping, travelling to Moncton or Halifax, having lunch at cafÉs, learning to do hair and going to an Avril Lavigne concert. In the meantime, she's grown from girl to young woman.
Jelley describes Rasskazova as strong and adventurous, explaining that from a young age she wanted to travel.
While the charity arranged her placement and travel here, the Jelleys raise funds for trip expenses. And for the last number of years, the Summerside Lions Club has donated to help defray travel costs.
A busy school year ahead, as she prepares for university, means this is her last official summer here.
While she's interested in hairdressing, Rasskazova says she'll likely look at becoming a doctor or nurse.
"My mom's wanting me to," she explains.
Rasskazova is scheduled to leave for Belarus on Monday.
The family doesn't want to think about saying goodbye and already plans more visits.
"I do want to see my friends, but I don't want to go 'cause I like it here." Rasskazova adds.
What will she miss most?
"My Canada parents - Tammy and Mike," she says, crying.