The Inspired Intermedia digital book collection
Issue link: https://inspired.uberflip.com/i/1543795
Part Four: The Volftsuns in America 141 a van with a wheelchair li for his sister. Iosif and Lyubov were so proud of what Lev had accomplished in his short time in America. Iosif was delighted to be ee and to go about his life without fear. He began to pray at Rochester synagogues and became more observant. Life was easier in so many ways; every day was a revelation. President Ronald Reagan was in office. Supermarket shelves were filled with all kinds of food. Such abundance! Working telephones and computers. The ability to travel easily without questions. The Volsuns enjoyed life in America in every way and anticipated their first big American holiday together, Thanksgiving. Iosif, Lev, and Lyubov planned to drive om Rochester to Boston to spend the holiday with the family of Lyubov's niece, Esfira Grinev. Aer they packed up the van, Lyubov said that she felt dizzy when she bent down. On the way out of town, they decided to stop by the office of one of Lev's iends, who was a doctor. Aer examining her, he ordered an X-ray, which bore bad news. Lyubov was admitted to the hospital immediately and the family cancelled their trip to Boston. The diagnosis: lung cancer. Le: Zhenya, Lyubov, and Rosa in Israel, 1981. Below: Iosif, Lyubov, Rosa, Abel, Zhenya, and Yeva in Rochester, New York, 1982. Before she had le Israel several months earlier, Lyubov had started coughing. Her older sister Rosa Kiderman, who was with her and Zhenya, said she did not like the sound of the coughing, but Lyubov brushed off her concerns. But maybe Lyubov knew that her time on earth was limited, and perhaps that's why she had insisted on continuing to the United States to be with Lev rather than moving to Israel. Iosif was stunned. Lyubov had always lived a very healthy lifestyle. He had been the smoker, not her. Lyubov also ate well and exercised regularly. She looked much younger than her 53 years. But Lyubov was never one for self- pity. She faced her condition with bravery and insisted on looking aer everyone else as long as her strength permitted. Meanwhile Iosif studied English and, with his usual aptitude for languages, learned quickly. Iosif was offered a job with the State of New York, administering federal rent subsidies for poor people. It was a good job, but he turned it down to be with his beloved Lyubov. She said, "I'm not sure how long I'll be alive, Iosif. Please be with me."