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I enjoyed being a college student for two months only because on
October 31 of the same year I was injured in a car accident. I fell
asleep in the backseat, and when I woke up I found myself in the
intensive care unit with a frightening diagnosis: broken backbone,
partial paralysis, numbness and dysfunction of several internal
organs. I was totally handicapped and only a wheelchair was in store
for me. All my dreams shattered at once. But I decided not to give
up, regardless of doctors' predictions and to do everything possible
in order to return to normal life. A long struggle for survival
awaited me. I could not walk but I could study. |
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My ardent desire to continue my studies enabled me to return to
the university in the summer of 1994. But the following winter I
had to interrupt my studies again and return to Moscow for medical
treatment in a rehabilitation hospital. For a year, the daily physical
training helped me to walk with more confidence. |
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During the 1996 fall semester I transferred to the University of
Maryland, College Park. I graduated in 1998 with a 3.8 GPA in international
business and finance. Right before my graduation I competed in the
Hawaiian Tropics International Swimwear pageant. Soon after, I decided
to accept Playboy's offer to pose, and I came to Los Angeles. Two
weeks was enough for me to realize that this was where I wanted
to live. I flew back to Maryland to get my things, and in five days
I drove across the country with everything that I owned loaded in
my car. I arrived in L.A. and was invited to stay at the Playboy
Mansion until I found an apartment. |
Graduation day! |
Natalia the scholar. |
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