He runs with a purpose.
When he was 3, he ran to escape. He did not even know his name, nor his mother’s name. All he knew was to run. He was later rescued by a woman, who is known as an angel to Sytnyk. He began his life as an orphan.
He went to Poland, then fled with others when the war at its height. It was off to Austria, where he was taken in. His German foster parents at the time knew Sytnyk would be better off in America. There was fear that the Russian army wanted to recapture all the young men that had escaped and bring them back to join the soviet army.
When he was 10, he escaped again. As a stowaway he traveled to Alaska, then to Canada where he became adopted and was given his last name.
Sytnyk has written a book, “A Mother’s Faith, A Boy’s Trust,” which talks about his experiences. The book has not been published, but he has copies of it that he uses to inspire others.
When he hears someone complaining about their troubles, he’ll sometimes give them the book.
“I tell them just make the most of your life and just go for it,” says Sytnyk, a Canadian schoolteacher who then became a manager in retail sales and eventually a self-employed businessman in America. “I use the book to motivate others.
“It shows that you can come out of hell and destruction, and with faith and hard work you can make something of yourself. America is a land of opportunity. But you have to work hard and persevere. When things go tough, you just have to work harder.”
