Look and Listen

Biography

Maria Csanadi (along with her husband and two very young children) fled her native Hungary at the age of 25, shortly after the 1956 uprising. They settled in America, where they were sworn in as U.S. citizens in 1963 ... on the very day JFK was assassinated.

Maria is a retired financial systems analyst, whose 25-year U.S. civil service career included 14 years working throughout Europe for the Navy, Air Force, and Army. Her most challenging, and rewarding, job came after retirement: working with the Child Protection Ministry in Budapest for 13 years, assisting with foreign adoptions (from Hungary to the U.S.) and improving the living conditions in children's institutions throughout Hungary.

Maria currently resides in San Diego, California, near three of her four children and two of her three grandchildren.

Inspiration

I didn’t want to remember that time in my life; the memories were just too painful. It wasn't until the arrival of my first grandchild that my children were finally able to coax me into documenting my story for them. They needed to know what happened because it was, after all, their story as well.

Many other people have written about the historical events leading up to, during, and immediately after the 1956 Hungarian uprising. Precious Legacy, however, is more of a personal perspective. In it, I describe my life before and during the Russian occupation, the escape itself, and what an emotional roller coaster it was for me ... how ecstatic I was for ultimately succeeding in getting my children to a free, wonderful place; yet heartbroken, because the homesickness for my European family was sometimes overwhelming.

The first (1989) draft of Precious Legacy was meant to be a gift of family history for my children and grandchildren, but friends who read it over the years invariably encouraged me to publish it. Their feedback and support helped fuel my growing desire to share my special message of hope: Life can be very difficult at times, but we need to keep in mind that there is always Someone who helps -- even in the worst situations.