13-time Paralympic champion Jessica Long will be looking to add to her medal tally at her fifth Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Long needs 22 more medals to equal Trischa Zorn’s Paralympic record. We are not going to let it go, but it is going to take her a monumental effort to reach 55 medals in total.
Long would not be at the Paralympics without the support of her adoptive parents. “I became who I am now because of my parents,” Jessica said. siberian times. “I can run, ride a bike, live a normal life like everyone else.”
Long’s adoptive parents, Beth and Steve Long, have supported Jessica on a journey that began in Siberia, Russia.
Jessica was adopted by her American parents Beth and Steve Long, after her Russian birth parents abandoned her.
Jessica with her father Steve Long
Jessica Long was born Tatiana Olegovna Kirillova in Bratsk, Russia on February 29, 1992 to Natalia and Oleg Valtyshev. Long was born prematurely with fibular hemimelia, a condition characterized by underdeveloped bones below the knee.
The hospital doctors forced Natalia and Oleg to hand over Jessica. The doctors were of the opinion that poor teenagers could not care for the disabled child. “I was alone in Siberia, without my mother and father,” Natalia said on Russian television.
“Where would I go with her, if I had taken her? The doctors told me to leave her behind, they said I couldn’t help her. I named her Tatiana, in honor of my older sister.
The decision, while painful, made sense. “Of course I was against leaving her in the hospital, but due to the circumstances we had to do it,” added Natalia. The couple hoped that once their financial situation improved, they would come back for Tatiana.
However, before that happened, Beth and Steve Long adopted her along with another Russian boy at the orphanage. Beth and Steve set out to help Jessica as quickly as possible. Steve said:
“We thought she was an orphan. And she had serious problems with her legs. We went to many professionals to solve this problem. We really wanted to help her as much as possible.”
Looking back, Natalia feels that adoption was the best option for Jessica. She told Russian television that she couldn’t have done what Beth and Steve did for Long. Jessica acknowledges that without Beth and Steve, she wouldn’t be the champion she is today. She said:
“My father does a lot for me, he supports me and he always did, especially when I was just starting to play sports and it was difficult for me. I became who I am now thanks to my parents.”
Long met his Russian family and expressed his joy at meeting his siblings.
Jessica with her biological family
After learning that he has family in Russia, Long traveled to his native Siberia to meet them. i’m not mad at her [Natalia]He said a lot. “I just want to meet her. I think we have a lot in common. I know that one day I will have a family and I will have children, and you know what, I would like to name my daughter Natalia, the name of my Russian mother who gave birth to me.
Natalia and Oleg got married and had three children. Jessica’s sister Nastya was also disabled, but Natalie and Oleg refused to give up a second child. Long couldn’t hide his joy from her when she met her birth parents and siblings. According siberian timesJessica said:
“I’m glad I came. I am not disappointed in anything. I met my sister Nastya and saw that I was very similar to her. Nastya is only a year younger than me. I gave her an elegant bracelet as a gift. It matches her hair perfectly. I also gave my mother a necklace and a Russian Bible for my father.”
Jessica will be lining up for the United States in Tokyo, but will have a Russian family in Siberia cheering her on. “Thank you for all the love and support from Russia,” Jessica tweeted after her success at the London Olympics.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn