Background

Sofiya was born in 1958 in Leningrad. In 1968, her father, who had served in the military, died, and her mother died later that same year. After that year, she often felt that if she had known more or been older, things might have been different. Orphaned at a young age, she was taken in by an orphanage where religious caretakers worked unofficially in the city. This place became her one part of her mind, her soul and the director of the orphanage became a central authority figure in her life, almost like a father for her. In the following years, Sofiya helped with daily tasks inside the orphanage, such as cooking, taking care of the farm, and repairing winter clothes. Although she was initially only curious, she observed carefully and developed a strong interest in the orphanage infirmary. Over time, she learned how to prepare basic medical supplies when needed, which opened not just a new world for her, one way to keep someone alive made her want to stay close to that room just like her feeling whit her mother, one way to keep her alive. Her formal education was basic and strict, focused on reading, mathematics, and science, much of her personal growth happened outside formal lessons. When panic came, she learned that staying busy helped. If her hands were working, her mind stayed quieter, at least for some time. She spent long hours reading any material she could find in the orphanage library, especially books related to biology and natural sciences. This allowed her, under supervision, to occasionally assist in the infirmary, not whit patients, just to see how to looks how everything Works at that place. During her secondary education within the state system, she continued developing basic clinical observation skills. Although anxiety remained present, she developed a growing sense of duty toward others. in her mind her medical vocation and her view of medicine not only was a profession, but as a way to confront and control her guilt for losing her parents. In 1976, Sofiya entered First Saint Petersburg State Medical University, then located in Leningrad. Although she performed well academically, her time at university was demanding. She had to adapt to constant pressure, long hospital rotations, and strict expectations of discipline and compliance. Managing her anxiety was difficult, and she learned to keep it private. This reinforced her reserved and methodical character and strengthened her sense of responsibility toward patients, one way to do catharsis, focusing on rules, routines, and patients helped her avoid thinking too much about what she could not change. During her clinical rotations in state hospitals, resource scarcity was common. She was forced to improvise, prioritize cases, and work with limited supplies. These conditions reinforced her understanding of medicine and to appreciate the little moments, to learn how to see small changes in patients, because sometimes that was all she had to work with. She completed her studies in 1982. During this period, she confirmed her interest in internal medicine, drawn to complex cases and the need to understand patients as a whole. She was later placed at the University of Louisville Hospital as part of supervised clinical work, where she practiced with a limited medical license. During her first year, she began studying English and gradually became more involved in community based care. She chose to remain in the United States, as she had already begun pursuing further training in internal medicine before the collapse of the USSR. During this time, Sofiya was in process of preparing and taking the NBME, but she had not finished all the requirements for full medical license. She began to show interest in cardiology and that is her new purpose, Sofiya found a way to work underground with patients who didn't want to go to hospitals, as a private physician to pay for the cost of medical studies and Works for her because she needs to cover the high cost of exams and validations, Sofiya started working in a very discreet way as a private physician for specific clients who did not trust hospitals or public institutions. In early 1992, whit money problems, uncertainty, and the pressure of one of the clinical exams, the NBME, but the process was slow and expensive, Sofiya still purchased a Silver Meridian ticket on a credit card, well in advance of departure. She planned the trip as a short vacation, combining long bus travel with a train journey, using the time to rest, reflect, and mentally recover through landscape painting. In early 1993, she travelled by bus from Louisville to Los Angeles to board the train, convincing herself it would be a brief leave before fully committing to her future in the United States. The Silver Meridian felt excessive and even irresponsible, but for her it represented one moment of peace. She accepted the consequences, telling herself that in the end, everyone needs one moment of calm.