Yevgeniy Shenker was 3 years old when he came to Kansas City with his parents from Russia in December 1990. Twenty years later, as a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps, he was severely injured serving his country in Afghanistan.
On Jan. 24, 2011, Shenker lost his left leg in an accident involving an IED. His mother, Larisa Shenker, said she doesn’t think they will ever know for sure exactly the details of the accident. His right leg, right arm and back were also severely injured.
Larisa said this isn’t the first time Geniy, as he is known by friends and family, has faced adversity.
“When he was younger he spent six months in jail and was kicked out of school. But he eventually graduated with a 4.0. I’m proud of what he’s done for the country and himself,” Larisa said.
Geniy joined the Marines following his graduation from Blue Valley High School in 2007. Larisa said the Marines has been good for Geniy, and she expects he will re-enlist for another four years soon.
Geniy’s recovery
To date Geniy, who turned 24 in November, has had more than 20 surgeries. The past three — in June, July and November — all were unexpected. Each time his mother has been there to help him and give him moral support.
“He can drive now because he can use his right leg,” Larisa reported.
Geniy faces another surgery this month. After he recovers from that, he will begin therapy to learn how to walk with a prosthetic left leg.
While not in the type of physical pain her son has had to endure, this past year has been painful for Larisa as well. After Geniy was transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., the Marines flew Larisa and ex-husband, Geniy’s father Arkadiy Shenker, to be by their son’s side. Two months later, Geniy was transferred to Navy Medical Center in San Diego, commonly known as Balboa Hospital. He’s been in an out of that hospital since then. Larisa has been with Geniy through every surgery and recuperation period.
“I am so proud of him. His spirits are great,” said Larisa, who became a U.S. citizen in 1995. Geniy obtained his citizenship just before he joined the Marines.
Larisa expects Geniy will be in San Diego at least another six to seven months. When he’s not in the hospital recovering from surgery, he lives in an apartment off the base, with his mother. They go back and forth to the hospital regularly for medical and therapy appointments.
Economic woes
Now Larisa faces challenges herself. An assistant manager at Taco Bueno in Olathe, she took a leave of absence through the government’s Family Medical Leave Act following Geniy’s injury.
“The Marine Corps has paid for most of my trips back and forth over the past 11 months. I’ve been home maybe three or four weeks total during that time to help take care of my mother, Flora Kruglyak,” Larisa said.
She will run out of leave time at the end of January. Without a regular salary, she fears she will soon lose her home.
“I am proud of what my son has accomplished and I want him to have his home to come home to whenever he decides to come home,” she said.
Larisa readily admits she is having difficulty making ends meet. That worries her.
“I just want him to have his home here,” she repeated.