Crossing Flatbush Avenue - Larisa Borisova

My mother is an extraodinary women. At 27 years old, she agreed to move to the United States with my father and his family, leaving behind her own to better my future. In 1994, around the same time we came to live in Brooklyn, my mother was diagnosed with Hepititis C. This is her story.

I was born in Vladivostok Russia. When I was 16 years old my parents decided to move to Izmail, a city in Ukraine. About the same time I graduated High School, I met your father. We got married when I was 19 years old. I had you when I was 21. I started to hear great things about America from your Aunt who was already living here. It all happened very fast, and before I knew it, we were coming to America as refugees through a Jewish Organization. I remember sitting on the plane, crying for 10 hours straight. It did not register that I was leaving behind my parents, I was more upset at the fact that I would never see my friends again. I remember my first job, I was a house keeper. I did not need to know English to clean a house. I should of went to School and gotten an education but instead I chose to help out with the rent.

Around the Same year we came to the United States, I was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. How did I get this? Who do I blame? A blood transfusion? Improperly sterilized medical equipment? I had never heard of this virus before. How did my doctor back home miss this? " If you would of contracted this in the U.S. you could of sued " I would hear over and over again, I just wanted to get better. I'll never forget the painful treatments, the shots and pills; their side effects. After what seemed like years, my blood analysis came back healthy. My Hepatitis was finally cured. I had caught it at an early stage. I believe that moving to the United States not only benefited my family but it has in a way saved my life. Today I am healthier then ever.

If you ask me today if I would ever consider moving back to Ukraine my answer would be no. I love living in Brooklyn, it has been 15 years. There are days when I miss my mother and father terribly but make sure to call them as often as I can.