This mother’s story seems to be taken from a movie script. After 30 years, she found out that the girl she raised was not hers. The biological daughter ended up in a family with two troubled parents: an alcoholic mother and a murderous father.
On January 29, 1987, Zoya Tuganova gave birth to a baby girl in a Soviet kindergarten. A few days later, the mother and daughter, whom she named Katya, were discharged. Zoya raised her little one in an exemplary way. Katya always had everything she wanted, she received a good education, and her mother brought her to the best doctors when she had a health problem.
Although they had a very nice relationship, the two felt that something was wrong with them. First, there was no resemblance between Katya and her peers. After the girl turned 30, she wanted to see if Zoya was really her biological mother, and the 69-year-old helped her.
What the two found out is truly shocking: in maternity, Katya was confused with another girl, born at the same time, Luciya.
Luciya’s life was a nightmare. She was raised by Elvira, Katya’s biological mother. Shortly after Luiya got home, Elvira’s husband started beating her and blaming her for cheating on him. He did not recognize Luciya as his child and killed a neighbor he believed to be his wife’s lover. He ended up in prison, and Elvira fell in love with alcohol. Luciya lived a hard life, in indescribable poverty. Meanwhile, Elvira died and her daughter ended up in an orphanage.
Now Luciya is married and the mother of three children. She is a housewife and her husband works where he can. The difference between her and Katya is enormous: Katya is a graduate of a prestigious university, a beautiful young woman, and self-confident. Instead, Luciya is shy, uneducated, and poor.
The 69-year-old woman is now trying to establish a connection with her biological daughter and grandchildren, in order to recover all the lost time. Although she finds out that she is not her real daughter, Zoya still loves Katya and says that she will always consider her child.