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Larisa OvsepyanMother of many children
Country:
 Armenia |
Content:
Multichild Mother
Larisa Ovsepyan was an Armenian filmmaker and author of several documentaries. She dedicated her life to adopting 19 children from different countries around the world and giving them the most important thing in the world - a family.
Early Life and Career
Larisa Ovsepyan was born into a wealthy Armenian family in Yerevan, Armenia. From a young age, she developed an interest in cinema and enrolled in university to study cinematography, with a particular focus on creating documentaries. Her interest was not coincidental; through film, she wanted to draw attention to the injustices she often witnessed in her homeland and make a positive change. After graduating from university, Larisa began working at a film studio and quickly climbed the career ladder.
During this time, she met her husband, and they soon married and started their life together in a small apartment in Yerevan. They believed that their happiness was complete, and they eagerly awaited the arrival of their own children. However, tragedy struck when Larisa's husband passed away only six months into their marriage. She was forced to move back in with her mother and made a firm decision never to remarry. She dedicated herself to her work and helped her friends and sisters take care of their children, knowing that she would never have her own.
Adoption Journey
Years passed, and one day while playing with her niece, Larisa realized that she could adopt a child and live a happy life. In Soviet Armenia, there was no need for orphanages as babies were rarely abandoned. To adopt her first son, Larisa traveled to Lithuania, where she had friends. At the first orphanage she visited, she met a woman who was giving her newborn baby up for adoption. The child, named Airo Ovsepyan (originally named Kolya Mukhin), immediately became Larisa's son, and they returned to Yerevan together.
Over the years, Larisa decided to adopt more children. She traveled to various orphanages in the Soviet Union, getting to know the caregivers and the children. In time, her home in Yerevan became filled with more and more children. By 2012, Larisa had become the mother of 19 children from different nationalities, including Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Armenians, Lithuanians, and even an Ethiopian child. Regardless of their skin color, they proudly identified themselves as Armenians and carried Armenian names. None of them ever attempted to contact their biological parents, as they believed that a mother is not the one who gave birth to you, but the one who loves you.
A Life Dedicated to Children
Larisa saw nothing extraordinary in her actions. She simply shrugged and admitted that she loved children and couldn't help but assist orphans. "They give so much meaning to life. They are very intelligent," Larisa shared in an interview with an Armenian newspaper. The heartwarming story of her large family quickly spread across the internet, and people from Armenia began writing letters to Larisa, expressing their gratitude for changing the lives of 19 children. However, Larisa humbly smiled and confessed that it was the children who had changed her life.
In 2012, the children informed others that Larisa had fallen seriously ill and could hardly leave her home. Later that same year, surrounded by her 19 children, Larisa passed away. Her funeral took place in her hometown of Yerevan, where hundreds of unknown individuals brought flowers to her grave, inspired by her example throughout the years.
