IRINA SLUTSKAYA

[ballerinagrl]

Hi,

I don't have it confirmed that this is fact, but a friend who is a sports journalist with Reuters News Agency, emailed me last night to say that Irina has decided that as her mother is so ill she will not, this year, compete in Worlds. She has apparently given this information to several leading news agencies.

Thought I should let people know. I kind of still hope she does compete next week, but I guess if her mother is as seriously ill as the agencies are saying, it's understandable she would want to spend what time there is with her.

Best, Liliya

[ballerinagrl]

Having read back through past posts (been away for 6 weeks, dancing in Thailand), I notice this information has long been public! I wish posting had the DELETE facility, as I feel foolish now! <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/embarassed.gif ALT=":o"> I'll spend some time this weekend reading back through all the posts I missed. Glad to be back at this excellent forum.

Nevertheless, having only just been notified, I'm kind of shocked. Irina didn't used to be a favourite skater of mine, but I've come to respect her increasingly, and I do think it's a terrible shame she won't be at Worlds. Having said that, the depth in the ladies field is still darn amazing. It has to be the deepest field in at least the best part of a decade, so I'm greatly looking forward to it, and wish my schedule had allowed me to be there live!

APOLOGIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/embarassed.gif ALT=":o">

[lottafs]

Don't worry bout it. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes.

And yes, Irina's mom is ill, but I wish for her the best of luck to recovery. I was wanting to see Irina at Worlds also.

[sk8ing lady2001]

ITA, lottafs.

[mathman444]

Worlds won't be the same without her, that's for sure.

BTW, you can always "edit" your posts and change or delete the contents.

Mathman

[CuteGreekGoddess]

<span style="color:blue;font-family:comic sans ms;font-size:x-small;"><strong>
I agree mathman :(
I am going to miss her </strong></span>

[rgirl181]

I only wish the worst mistake I ever made in posting was to post something I didn't know had already been put up Nice of you to apologize, Ballerinagrl, but knowing what it's like to be on the road, it's completely understandable. Most importantly, no harm done. Also, I liked what you said about having increasing respect for Irina. Being pretty much the perennial second-place finisher and having such an athletic style, I think sometimes easy to forget what a phenomenal skater Irina is. She was a phenom at 16, hit the skids at 18, made a comeback at 20, and made age 23 the year she won Olympic silver and World gold. Like her skating or not, she's an skater who has proved her staying power and ability to grow. I'm so sorry this season never came together for her and that, to top it all off, her mother became seriously ill. Irina is such a bright light for me in figure skating and I will certainly miss her at Worlds.
Rgirl

[Excidra2001]

Rgirl,

How sweet of you to say those kind words about Irina. I too feel the same way about Irina. I have been following her career since 98 Olympics but became a HUGE fan when she made one of the greatest comebacks in figure skating history.

[MinnMan]

Your post was the first I learned that Irina was not skating.
Therefore, I thank you for the post. I do not look at most
posts, unless I have an interest in the subject, Therefore
duplicating a post is not bad. So, Thanks for the post.

I too am a big Irina fan. I think she has a great personality.
I had a chance to talk to her at the World contest in Minneapolis.
She is charming. I asked if she read English and she told me
she did. A few minutes later somone handed her a note in
English and she read the first few lines. Then sh looked at me
ans said, "see, I read English".

I have that and several other good memories about Irina.

MinnMan ============== John

[Show 42]

Irina always brings an air of excitement with her when she competes. She's one of those skaters who makes the other gals work harder.......she raises the level of competition up to meet her high standards.....she will be missed but I hope we will see her skate in the future.....42

[Kasey]

It's really sad, the article I read said her mother is on dialysis...that is usally something that worsens, that you don't get over. I don't really care for Irina as a skater, or what I've read/heard about her as a person...but I'll be thinking good thoughts for her, her mom and her family.

Kasey

[heyang]

Just wanted to clarify. Dialysis does not worsen - it is an external treatment that serves the function of the kidneys. My father survived on dialysis for over 15 years. Sometimes dialysis is temporary treatment (ie if pregnant woman kidneys need extra help during gestation.)

Kidney failure is a permanent condition unless a transplant can be found.

While I'm not sure of the exact nature of Irina's mother's illness, I wish them all well. She will be missed at World's.

[Piel]

Could Irina be a match?

Piel

[rgirl181]

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>She's one of those skaters who makes the other gals work harder.......she raises the level of competition up to meet her high standards.....[/quote] Show,
Love your quote and ITA. Even though Irina was erratic in hitting her 3/3s in competition, the fact that she might hit them raised the technical and/or artistic level for everyone else. And even without a 3/3, Irina's speed, the height on her jumps, and her spins made for an awesome arsenal when she was at her best. She also really improved her presentation, which I think a US skater named Michelle helped prompt:D But that's one of the things that was great about Michelle and Irina competing: They had different strengths, so they pushed each other to be better in areas they might not have been as strong in otherwise. A wonderful rivalry in the best sense--and a friendly one at that.
Rgirl

[heyang]

If a transplant is required, Irina could be tested for suitability. The most likely match is a sibling since the genetic foundation is the same source. Offspring and parents are possible matches, but less likely than siblings. Even then, it can be hit or miss and sometimes a complete stranger can be the best match.

A person does not even fully utilize 1 kidney - so, it is possible for someone to donate a kidney while still alive. Woman do utilize their kidney function more while pregnant. Since one does not know what impact pregnancy will have to a woman's body and the precise healthiness of one's kidneys, a woman who plans to have children could risk having to undergo dialysis while pregnant and/or in the future after donating a kidney. Since Irina has expressed the desire to have children and if she is a match, she will have to weigh all of the risks - perhaps her mother can wait for Irina to have a child before a transplant is absolutely needed; she may be able to survive with dialysis for several years (assuming that it is 'only' kidney failure.)

Typically, most parents do not want their children to donate their organs because they are concerned that their children may need the organ themselves in the future.