Texas woman is grateful couple, now living in Urbanna, adopted her at 11 from Russian orphanage
by Tom Chillemi –
The first third of Katya Gobush’s life was tough. However, she was transformed through the love of Ms. Gari Lister and Matt Gobush — now of Urbanna — who adopted her.
The Thanksgiving holiday is a time to reflect on the good things most people have and to remember that not all have been so fortunate.
Born in Russia, Katya was taken away from her birth parents when she was 2 and her brother was 4. She was told they were alcoholics and abusive. Katya was placed in three different orphanages, the last one being in Tverskaya Oblast, a two-hour drive from Moscow, where she lived from the time she was 8 until she was adopted at 11.
“The whole [adoption] experience was awesome but scary at the same time,” said Katya. “I went from living in the orphanage where I had no family and no rules to having a family and the whole idea behind family.”
Adoption changed her life dramatically. “I went from not having anyone to having a loving family. It was not easy especially when I was a teenager. But I am super thankful for the opportunities here. If I would have stayed in Russia I would have had no future or who knows if I would even be alive.”
Katya’s rescue started when she was hosted by Matt and Gari. “My mom and I have the same birthdays, so my mom thought it was meant to be,” Katya explained. “She also had a dream of adopting a little girl and here I am.”
Finally, Katya had someone to call Mama and Papa. “I am very thankful to my Mama and Papa. They are hard working and loving parents. I know adopting an older child was especially not easy. They never gave up on me and they thought of me a lot.”
Katya, now 29, lives in Dallas, but is thinking of moving to Urbanna. She is the loving mother of two handsome boys, Nicky, 4, and 1-year-old Dmitri.
Thankfulness
Asked what advice she has for those who feel they are missing something, Katya replied, “Always be grateful for what you have. Always appreciate things that are given to you even if they are not the latest or the newest. In the orphanage I had nothing to call mine. We had to share everything.”
Katya said she is a happy person and a lot of that is due to her mom and father. “Without their help and support I would have been a complete mess. I see how strong my mom is and having six kids is not easy but she always has a smile on her face. That makes me happy because it’s not easy. She never gave up on us.”
Lister and Gobush have adopted six girls from eastern Europe.
Gari Lister has been recognized nationally as an “Angel in Adoption” for her lifetime achievements in caring and advocating for adopted children and their parents.
Lessons
Katya said the most important things in life are “to work hard, never to give up especially on your family no matter what the situation, and forgiveness.”
Katya learned forgiveness from her Mama. “I learned it the hard way. From age 17 to my early 20s I was going down a wrong path. I burned all my bridges with my family and felt like I had no one. My parents never gave up on me, they didn’t disown me and forgave me,” she said.
“Just because I did something bad it did not make me a bad person and I can always do better and learn from the experience. Now that I have kids of my own, I know that later in life they are not going to be 100% perfect. Learning to forgive and move past hard moments is key.”
