Main article categories:

Her parents abandoned her when she was a baby.. 20 years later she amazed the whole world


Facebook

Email

Twitter

Google+

Pinterest
More..
Share This Article:
no shares yet!

Some life stories are more exciting than others. They may start in a gloomy way - but many times, thanks to hope, faith and determination - they reach places that no one thought would be possible.

And this is one of those stories - stories that end in a miracle, and it all started in 1992 in Siberia, Russia.

It was in February 29, 1992, in a small village near Bratsk, Russia, a baby girl was born. Her parents named her Tatiana.

The girl, who was then named Tatiana, suffered from a birth defect called the Mammillary Fibula.

This means that she was missing her tibia bones, as well as her ankles, heels, and other bones in her legs. As a result, the chances of her being able to walk were nil.

I like this

Both of Tatiana's parents were very young, only 17 and 18 years old at the time, and they were convinced that they were not able to take care of their daughter.

So instead, they left the poor baby in an orphanage in Siberia.

There, in absolute hell, Tatiana spent her first years of life.

I like this

But one day everything changed.

An American couple, Beth and Steve Long, saw a photo of Tatiana in an international adoption database, and after hearing about her tragic story, they decided to take action.

They traveled to the other side of the world, and adopted the 13-month-old baby.

I like this

They brought her back to Baltimore, United States, where she was given a new home, a new life and a loving family.

She was named Jessica and immediately received the best medical care possible.

Five months later, when Jessica was 18 months old, doctors had to amputate both of her legs - and she learned to walk with prostheses.

I like this

Jessica learned to walk very quickly. Her competitive spirit was very strong, and despite her physical limitations, Jessica developed an interest in sports.

She learned to swim in her grandparents' pool.

I like this

Very quickly swimming became Jessica's passion.

She improved day by day, and in 2004, she became the youngest American athlete ever to take part in the Paralympic Games, which were held that year in Athens, Greece.

Despite being the youngest of all competitors, she won three gold medals!

I like this

Jessica Long's success didn't stop there. She collected more and more medals, broke world records, and very quickly became one of the best swimmers in the world.

In 2012, when Jessica competed in the Paralympic Games in London, Natalia and Oleg Valtisheva watched her compete from their home in Russia.

But they had no idea that the star swimmer was actually their biological daughter.

I like this

And that too was about to change.

After Jessica's success in London, Russian journalists heard about her story. They knew that Jessica wanted to meet her biological parents and began research work to locate them.

After some time, it turned out that her parents live in Bratsk. And after contacting them they agreed to meet with Jessica.

I like this

20 years after they parted ways, Jessica was reunited with her biological mother and father, and her three siblings.

It was an emotional encounter that neither of them will ever forget.

"I met my Russian family. I love them more than I can describe. My heart is now full", Jessica wrote on Twitter.

I like this

When she was little, no one imagined that she would become an Olympic athlete sweeping medal after medal, but she did it against all odds.

Jessica proved that anything is possible, and she came full circle when she met her biological family.

"It was a journey I will never forget. The picture says it all.. I just love it", Jessica wrote.

I like this

Hope is the last thing to disappear, as Jessica Long proved. What a great inspiration!

tags:

Related articles:
Recommended:
Share on Facebook Share via WhatsApp Share via Viber Share by Email
Facebook WhatsApp Viber Email
Subscription to our news list
Email:
Full name (optional):
Frequency:
Prefered Categories:
All
Health
Hot
Omg
Diy
Weird
News
Odd
Animals
Art
Upon subscribing, an activation link will be sent to the email address you entered here. We do this to ensure that the address is valid and is regularly checked by you, so once you have received this email, click the activation link in it and you will be then added to our daily updates subscription list.

There will also be a link included in every update sent with an option to come back and change your preferences, or even unsubscribe when you want.
x
Stay updated with our news list!
x
Get updates on new articles on the subjects that interest you when they are published. You can easily unsubscribe at any time.