Surviving an unplanned, traumatic adoption of a dying child kept in a frozen, hostile region of northeastern Siberia, author Bela Wolf unfolds how she prevailed throughout a lengthy, threatening process to provide health, life, and love to a twice-abandoned child.
Crossing the borders of contradicting cultures, she shares in She Was Left Alone the events prior and leading to one of her most treasured moments in life.
The birth of a beautiful, healthy son was incredibly wonderful for the author. But the stress of the difficult pregnancy, the baby’s poor sleeping habits, and the couple’s age made the author and her husband decide to not have any more children. But the desire to care for more unwittingly led them to adoption, a nerve-racking process that started as an unexpected meeting of a child on a local beach in New York. The adoption process, however, was not easy.
Although adoptions of Russian children by Americans are commonplace, this was not the case in the town where the author’s daughter was born. Surprisingly, contrary to standard procedures, the author had to go through the process far under the radar for she was the first American ever received in the area.
After a tormenting rigid process, a little girl was begrudgingly, angrily handed over to an overwhelmed exhausted woman, left alone there by her husband . But the challenges did not stop upon adopting Karine. Through vivid narration, Wolf relives how, with faith and love, they were able to cope when their new child was diagnosed with heart and kidney problems, and later dental infections that had nearly taken her life. Poignantly crafted and highly inspiring, She Was Left Alone is a moving true story that defies distance and tradition while offering an eye-opening look into the fascinating culture of Siberia.
The birth of a beautiful, healthy son was incredibly wonderful for the author. But the stress of the difficult pregnancy, the baby’s poor sleeping habits, and the couple’s age made the author and her husband decide to not have any more children. But the desire to care for more unwittingly led them to adoption, a nerve-racking process that started as an unexpected meeting of a child on a local beach in New York. The adoption process, however, was not easy.
Although adoptions of Russian children by Americans are commonplace, this was not the case in the town where the author’s daughter was born. Surprisingly, contrary to standard procedures, the author had to go through the process far under the radar for she was the first American ever received in the area.
After a tormenting rigid process, a little girl was begrudgingly, angrily handed over to an overwhelmed exhausted woman, left alone there by her husband . But the challenges did not stop upon adopting Karine. Through vivid narration, Wolf relives how, with faith and love, they were able to cope when their new child was diagnosed with heart and kidney problems, and later dental infections that had nearly taken her life. Poignantly crafted and highly inspiring, She Was Left Alone is a moving true story that defies distance and tradition while offering an eye-opening look into the fascinating culture of Siberia.
