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'The few descriptions of Irkutsk had spoken of it as the Paris of Siberia'
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A Siberian orphan tracks down his mother who rejected him so she could emigrate to Germany

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12 September 2012

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Determined: Vitaliy Geringer, 16, has never stopped a search for his mother Larisa

He persuaded a teacher at the only home he has known - Orphanage Number 1 in Omsk - to help him find her in Germany, and now - after meeting the son she had not seen since giving birth to him - she has won back her parental rights and they are re-united. 

Lubov Korotich, the orphanage teacher, said: 'Vitalik had never met his mother but he was not angry, not at all. All the time he was dreaming of meeting her one day. 

'Perhaps it is true - if you strongly want something to happen, it happens'.

As he grew up, Vitaliy knew very little about his mother. He had a conviction, though, that she did not easily make the decision to give him up. 

All that was known about her was that she had emigrated to Germany in 1995, the year he was born. Two years ago he persuaded his carers to help him find a mother who he was sure would be happy to see him. 

'It turned out that my friend who lives in Germany came across a woman in her neighbourhood with the family name Geringer,' said Lubov. 'We did some checks and bravely called her number one day. 

'It was indeed the mother of our Vitalik. We cried a lot, both of us. Larisa told me her life story. She had married in Germany and given birth to two more sons. 

'The youngest son was born with infantile cerebral paralysis, so she does not work and must take care of him. 

'She really regretted what she did in her young years, and was dreaming too of seeing her son.'

It emerged that Larisa - an ethnic German Siberian - had always craved when she was younger return to her roots in Germany where she hoped to marry and have a family. As she collected the necessary documents and permissions in 1995, she found she was pregnant by her then boyfriend. 

She told teacher Lubov how she wanted the baby to be born, bought clothes and considered giving up the idea of going to Germany.

As Vitaliy was born, she said she quarrelled with her boyfriend and at the same time the final permit permitting her to move to Germany came through.

'The doctors also told me that my child was weak and unlikely to survive,' she said. 

She made the 'agonising' decision to leave her baby, giving up her parental rights and making him an orphan, and to go ahead with her plan to emigrate. 

It was only when Lubov heard Larisa say that she regretted her behaviour in giving him up - and was dreaming of seeing him again - that she let Vitaliy talk to his mother. 

'Mama said she thought about me every day when she was in Germany. The doctors had told her I would not live long,' he said. 'She promised me to come to Omsk as soon as possible.'

She kept her word and came to Siberia last year to meet her son. Vitaliy said: 'I quickly recognised her... we are friends now, we soon got on good terms. I feel I have known  her for a thousand years.'

Larisa stayed for two weeks with Lubov, spending time with her son. She began collecting documents again: this time to get back her parental rights, which she has successfully done, and next to do the necessary paperwork so that Vitaliy can go and live with her in her family in Germany.

This is now nearly complete. 

Comments (2)

How do you find your natural mother? I have been trying to for awhile, i am from siberia russia and only know so little of my real parents. I was adopted years ago. i dont know what to do.
Jana A., U.S
16/12/2013 01:46
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well done for not giving up, you are a strong man. Best luck to you and your mother, and may everything in your life be just great.
A. from US,
16/09/2012 02:41
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