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THE STORY OF JOHN LAHUTSKY John Lahutsky, 21, was born prematurely at 6 months, weighing just two pounds. At 18 months, he was placed by his birth mother in the Russian orphanage system, which considered him an “incurable” due to his cerebral palsy. His “Baby House” offered him no education or physical therapy. From the time he entered the facility until he was 5 years old, he was never taken outside the walls of the building. Despite the horrendous treatment he received, he always looked after his best friend in the unit, Andrei, even teaching Andrei how to talk after picking up Russian from the few nurses that treated him with decency. Andrei was adopted in 1997, but John had to wait until 1999 before being adopted by Paula Lahutsky of Bethlehem Township, Penn., who read about him in a church newsletter. John recently wrote a book, The Boy from Baby House 10, which details his experiences in the Russian orphanage system. His hope is that by telling his story, he can prevent the abuses he suffered from happening to others. |
