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He survived an abortion in Russia, lived in an orphanage, and is grateful for adoption
At age three, Mike Risola was adopted by an Italian couple who lived in Florida, but he remembers the dark environment of the orphanage outside of Moscow where he spent the early years of his life in Russia — and a scar across the top of his head serves as a stark reminder that he survived an abortion.
Mike Risola spent the first three years of his life in a Russian orphanage after a saline abortion at 27 weeks gestation failed to end his life.
He was adopted by an Italian-American couple with other children and didn't learn the truth about the abortion until he was 18.
Eight years later, he reached out to his biological mother in Russia and eventually, they met.
Risola has no ill will toward his mother, who is deeply remorseful for the attempted abortion. He is thankful for his life with his adopted family and hopes more women will realize that adoption "can offer their child a chance at a meaningful and productive life."
Risola told Live Action News, “It was about five years after the fall of the Soviet Union - a bad time for Russia. People were desperate, stealing food from gravesites just to eat. My mother was 17 at the time, moving around a lot. Her parents were separated. She got pregnant but didn’t realize it until further along in the pregnancy.”
Realizing she couldn’t care for a child given the grim economic conditions, she went into the hospital to have a saline abortion. She was 27 weeks pregnant, but she was convinced it was the only option she had. But the abortion failed, and Risola was born alive.
He told Live Action News:
“It was during the abortion procedure that I got the scar on my head and also sustained scars on both ankles. I am not sure how it happened. After birth, I was quickly taken to the NICU where I stayed for three months. My mother never got the chance to see me.”
His mother signed away her rights to him and once he was able, he was moved to the children’s orphanage.
He has memories of his time at the orphanage:
“The orphanage caregivers wore white lab coats. They just yelled and screamed most of the time. My adoptive mother later told me she noticed broken glass on the floor and the facility’s unsafe conditions.
There were so many kids that the caregivers couldn’t care for them all. It was such a regimented place. We were often neglected and left alone.”
Because Risola was smaller than most children his age, he learned to be tough.
“I was later told that I didn’t take issues from anyone,” Risola said.
The trajectory of his life took a sudden turn when an Italian couple from Florida flew to Russia, hoping to save a child from a lifelong sentence of being confined to the orphanage. They originally had their sights on another child, but he was too ill to adopt.
Risola said, “My adoptive parents already had three biological children but had so much love to give and wanted to give a child a chance at life. They went through the arduous process to adopt.”
While Risola knew he was different from the other children, he soon formed bonds with his siblings.
“My adoptive mother worked hard to make me feel safe and wanted,” he recalls.
Yet he was driven by a need to “prove” himself, so he got involved in sports and other extracurricular activities.
“I learned English quickly and excelled at school,” he said. “I was... always wanting to work. I didn’t act like a normal kid.”
Growing up, he always wondered about his parentage. He was 18 years old and serving in the Marine Corp when his adoptive mother told him at last about the circumstances of his birth.
“I felt a dynamic shift when I was told about my early background that fueled my desire to know more,” Risola said.
In 2024, at the age of 26, he started the process to find his biological mother in Russia.
Risola said:
“I wanted to know more about my identity. I had my birth certificate with my mother’s name on it, so I hired an organization to track her down. I wrote a heartfelt letter to her including my email and phone number and had the company give it to her.”
He connected with her initially via email, then on WhatsApp. He sent her photos and learned she was a devout Christian, still living in the same building as when she was a teenager. Then, when the time was right, he “grilled” her about the circumstances around his birth.
“She told me about how difficult life was back then,” Risola said. “She was eating mushrooms in the forest, just trying to stay alive. I really felt for her. But while I wanted to know more about her decision to have an abortion, I also wanted to enjoy the now with her.”
Risola assured his biological mother that his life had turned out well, despite the early years of hardship in the orphanage.
After enlisting in the military, he attained a bachelor’s degree and was selected for the presidential service program which involved a rigorous vetting process.
The initial contact opened the door to a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey. His mother brought her husband for him to meet.
Risola said:
“The familial bond was so strong. Even though there was a language barrier, I discovered that we had similar mannerisms. We also loved animals and fed every stray animal in Istanbul together. It was a happy reunion.”
Now active in the political arena, Risola still keeps in touch with his mother.
“I was lucky that I had a chance at life,” Risola said. “I have no ill will towards my biological mother. She is deeply regretful and I found that talking about that difficult decision just brings pain for her.”
Risola never let his early circumstances dictate the direction of his life. He shares his story with the hope that more women will choose adoption as an alternative to abortion.
“My story is one of compassion and forgiveness. I believe we can save more children when we share powerful testimonies like mine," he said. "Women in crisis need to know that adoption can offer their child a chance at a meaningful and productive life.”
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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·He survived an abortion in Russia, lived in an orphanage, and is grateful for adoption
At age three, Mike Risola was adopted by an Italian couple who lived in Florida, but he remembers the dark environment of the orphanage outside of Moscow where he spent the early years of his life in Russia — and a scar across the top of his head serves as a stark reminder that he survived an abortion.
Mike Risola spent the first three years of his life in a Russian orphanage after a saline abortion at 27 weeks gestation failed to end his life.
He was adopted by an Italian-American couple with other children and didn't learn the truth about the abortion until he was 18.
Eight years later, he reached out to his biological mother in Russia and eventually, they met.
Risola has no ill will toward his mother, who is deeply remorseful for the attempted abortion. He is thankful for his life with his adopted family and hopes more women will realize that adoption "can offer their child a chance at a meaningful and productive life."
Risola told Live Action News, “It was about five years after the fall of the Soviet Union - a bad time for Russia. People were desperate, stealing food from gravesites just to eat. My mother was 17 at the time, moving around a lot. Her parents were separated. She got pregnant but didn’t realize it until further along in the pregnancy.”
Realizing she couldn’t care for a child given the grim economic conditions, she went into the hospital to have a saline abortion. She was 27 weeks pregnant, but she was convinced it was the only option she had. But the abortion failed, and Risola was born alive.
He told Live Action News:
“It was during the abortion procedure that I got the scar on my head and also sustained scars on both ankles. I am not sure how it happened. After birth, I was quickly taken to the NICU where I stayed for three months. My mother never got the chance to see me.”
His mother signed away her rights to him and once he was able, he was moved to the children’s orphanage.
He has memories of his time at the orphanage:
“The orphanage caregivers wore white lab coats. They just yelled and screamed most of the time. My adoptive mother later told me she noticed broken glass on the floor and the facility’s unsafe conditions.
There were so many kids that the caregivers couldn’t care for them all. It was such a regimented place. We were often neglected and left alone.”
Because Risola was smaller than most children his age, he learned to be tough.
“I was later told that I didn’t take issues from anyone,” Risola said.
The trajectory of his life took a sudden turn when an Italian couple from Florida flew to Russia, hoping to save a child from a lifelong sentence of being confined to the orphanage. They originally had their sights on another child, but he was too ill to adopt.
Risola said, “My adoptive parents already had three biological children but had so much love to give and wanted to give a child a chance at life. They went through the arduous process to adopt.”
While Risola knew he was different from the other children, he soon formed bonds with his siblings.
“My adoptive mother worked hard to make me feel safe and wanted,” he recalls.
Yet he was driven by a need to “prove” himself, so he got involved in sports and other extracurricular activities.
“I learned English quickly and excelled at school,” he said. “I was... always wanting to work. I didn’t act like a normal kid.”
Growing up, he always wondered about his parentage. He was 18 years old and serving in the Marine Corp when his adoptive mother told him at last about the circumstances of his birth.
“I felt a dynamic shift when I was told about my early background that fueled my desire to know more,” Risola said.
In 2024, at the age of 26, he started the process to find his biological mother in Russia.
Risola said:
“I wanted to know more about my identity. I had my birth certificate with my mother’s name on it, so I hired an organization to track her down. I wrote a heartfelt letter to her including my email and phone number and had the company give it to her.”
He connected with her initially via email, then on WhatsApp. He sent her photos and learned she was a devout Christian, still living in the same building as when she was a teenager. Then, when the time was right, he “grilled” her about the circumstances around his birth.
“She told me about how difficult life was back then,” Risola said. “She was eating mushrooms in the forest, just trying to stay alive. I really felt for her. But while I wanted to know more about her decision to have an abortion, I also wanted to enjoy the now with her.”
Risola assured his biological mother that his life had turned out well, despite the early years of hardship in the orphanage.
After enlisting in the military, he attained a bachelor’s degree and was selected for the presidential service program which involved a rigorous vetting process.
The initial contact opened the door to a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey. His mother brought her husband for him to meet.
Risola said:
“The familial bond was so strong. Even though there was a language barrier, I discovered that we had similar mannerisms. We also loved animals and fed every stray animal in Istanbul together. It was a happy reunion.”
Now active in the political arena, Risola still keeps in touch with his mother.
“I was lucky that I had a chance at life,” Risola said. “I have no ill will towards my biological mother. She is deeply regretful and I found that talking about that difficult decision just brings pain for her.”
Risola never let his early circumstances dictate the direction of his life. He shares his story with the hope that more women will choose adoption as an alternative to abortion.
“My story is one of compassion and forgiveness. I believe we can save more children when we share powerful testimonies like mine," he said. "Women in crisis need to know that adoption can offer their child a chance at a meaningful and productive life.”
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Nancy Flanders
·Human Interest
Lisa Bast
·Guest Column
Oregon Right to Life
·Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·Human Interest
Lisa Bast
·Human Interest
Lisa Bast
·Human Interest
Lisa Bast
·Human Interest
Lisa Bast
·Activism
Lisa Bast
·