The Story of Jana Price- from Ukraine to an America She Loves

Jana Price had a long and frightful trip getting to America from Ukraine. She is very happy to be here but she worries that many of the bad things that happened in Russia and Europe prior to World War 2 are already happening here.

My wife and I have known the Prices for a long time and we had them over for dinner to discuss her journey and what she thinks about the world now. Born in Ukraine in 1938 she was the youngest of two daughters. Her father worked for two brothers who owned a store. Life was difficult under Russian rule. You didn't say anything bad about the government for fear of being arrested, imprisoned, or killed. Everything was controlled by the government- the businesses, the schools, everything. The police could come in and search your home at any time and just take your personal possessions for no reason. There were no property rights, no individual rights, no Constitutional Bill of Rights like we have here.

Jana's mother relayed the story to her of her grandfather who was a successful tailor. "He did very well until one day the government decided he was doing too well and might have more than others" Jana said. "So they came to his business, shut him down, and literally threw him out into the street." That's what living under Communist rule was like. The people lived in constant fear of their government- just like the central planners wanted.

When World War 2 started, Jana and her family were forced to move to a "displaced persons" camp for refugees in Germany in 1942. They traveled on a train until the railroad tracks were bombed out and they had to disembark and walk the rest of the way. They had to keep moving, sometimes hiding in the woods living on whatever they could find and share with other refugees on the trip. When the family got to Germany she was suffering with Diptheria and a doctor had to lance her throat open to drain the infection. It was a miracle that she survived.

After four years in Germany under harsh conditions in a one room flat, the family moved to Casablanca, Morocco. Morocco was one of the few nations at the time that would take Russian refugees under international agreements. By that time she was eight years old and had to learn the French language. Her father got a job at a hotel that housed French troops and businessmen. They lived literally from hand to mouth until 1956 when the Muslim revolution occurred. "It was terrible- the Muslims just took over it was a very violent revolution and they killed a lot of the French people there. We were scared for our lives. You could hear their awful yelling and screaming at night, it was terrifying."

Being Russian, they were able to get out of Morrocco and make their way to Paris, France where they stayed until 1958. That year they were able to come to the United States after a lengthy process of approval. She was glad to finally come to here and looked forward to starting a new life without being under Communist rule or under fear for her life. But it was a big adjustment, starting with finding a job and learning English.

She was able to get a job in Chicago as a draftsman apprentice at an architectural firm thru her sister's network of new American friends. In 1961 she married her now husband, Dr. Paul Price who was in Medical School in West Virginia at the time. After he completed school and residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology, they moved to Paducah, KY where they still reside.

Jana talked freely and frankly about her experiences growing up. "You see a lot of the same things beginning to happen here in the United States that were happening in Russia and Europe when I was growing up. The government taking over everything and telling you what to do and the people offering no resistance, just go along out of fear. I worry that the same thing could happen here if it is allowed to. I have a great deal of discomfort with the idea that someone wants to control me again."

Jana is also a breast cancer survivor and credits her recovery and her long but successful journey to freedom to her faith. "I always know that God played a hand in getting me here and I trust the Lord to lead me in my everyday life". Her faith has really sustained her through some very hard times, including having to forgive people who treated her badly during her early years here. But she is grateful now to have a wonderful life with her retired husband and two children living in freedom that she did not have as a child.

"I worry that some day if this country keeps going in the wrong direction we could lose our freedom," she said. She talked about the indoctrination going on some of our schools, the corruption in government and the abuse of power, and the media choosing sides to promote lies and propaganda. Control of our health care is also a major concern, citing what happened during the Covid crisis as a gross exercise of power over the citizenry. "When the government starts trying to make decisions for you about your health and forcing you to take vaccinations you don't want or need that can lead to a point of no return."

Jana is also dismayed by the number of people who do not appreciate what America is about and who take their freedoms for granted. "They don't know what they have and how valuable their freedoms are," she said. "I sure do appreciate mine and I don't want to give it up ever to anyone. I do not ever want to be controlled and live in fear again. I am afraid of the same thing happening here that happened in Russia."

Richard Noss Paducah KY November 1 2022