We are proud to present immimentary* about an immigrant who came to America, become a doctor and enjoys his work.

Tons of people from across the globe have come to the United States seeking the opportunity for a better life. America is a country that was built by immigrants, some who brought their talent and others who found themselves while pursuing their dreams in a new land. Here is one story about the life of a modern-day immigrant.

I want to mention my grandparents. As I said no one in my family had opportunity to be physicians back in the USSR. It was not easy for somebody who was Jewish to become a doctor. A few could make it but non of my family. My grandfather, who had passed away here in New York, was the closest person to become a doctor in our family. However, by virtue of what would be two unfortunate events, he was drafted and he never ever made it. I think he would have probably been a great surgeon. My two grandparents, from my father’s side, never made out of Ukraine. They passed away before we left. Even though they’re the ones who had the most desire to leave the Soviet Union. My mother’s two grandparents, my mother’s parents, my grandparents were able to come here. My grandfather has passed away, unfortunately, in the hospital that I’m working at. That, kind of always, whenever I walk around the floors and I see certain doctors that were associated with his care certainly brings memories of my grandfather. I think it’s probably how the life was meant to be. My name is Alex Lepyansky. I am currently residing in Brooklyn, New York but I was born about 43 years ago in a fairly big city in eastern Ukraine, called Kharkov. I was born in 1975 and I lived there for approximately 13 years. I come from a Jewish family. I’m the only child, and obviously I was very well, you know pampered and protected by my parents through my childhood. However being Jewish, and rising through a very nationalistic country, I was certainly reminded of my heritage and who I am. That, partially, was the reason why my family and I had moved from Ukraine to United States where we currently live. Back in USSR or the Republic of Ukraine, you know, we initially lived with our grandparents in a very standard type of buildings that used to be a part of the communist Russia. Where multiple families live together. We didn’t know otherwise and it was pretty much fun and enjoyable time. Spending time with my uncle, my grandparents and my other set of grandparents who lived in the building next door. Most of the days we spent outside playing aside from going to school. Usual, you know, chronological, go through kindergarten and then the early elementary schools where we used to play outside. We didn’t do what kids currently do, spend time on the phones and social media. We didn’t know any of that and it wasn’t available yet. So, all the days were spent playing basketball, football or soccer hockey and cops and robbers. In the summer of 89, in the early summer of 89 finally my family and my father’s brothers family were allowed to leave Ukraine. We moved with this process of immigration through the middle countries of Europe into our final destination which end up being New York City. Chaotic kind of travel. From Kharkov we took train to Moscow and from Moscow we flew to Vienna, In Vienna we were met by the immigration, I guess, I don’t really recall very well what happened in Vienna, but we were met by some immigration services where we got in a small hotel room. Basically Vienna was, more or less, I would call it a touristy vacation. Type of a stop where we were able to visit a synagogue and we went to some supermarkets got some food there. I remember yogurt with fruits which was kind of an amazing, amazing discovery for me. In Italy, we spent two months there, during the summer, unfortunately, we didn’t travel enough as we were always on the edge trying to make sure that parents were keep on going to the immigration services. To make sure that they will attain acceptance to travel further to the United States. I spend time in the summer camp. It was a wonderful experience in a sense, because, I remember there was a a very young nice college student who was there with us teaching us American songs. We would also learn Israeli national hymn that was Hatikvah. It was one of my first introductions to Israel and an Israeli culture. Then when we came to United States we were met by my uncle, my mom’s brother. He had this big Ford Grenadier, some huge car that we don’t really see on the streets anymore. We were able to fit in, about 12 people in that car all together, it was nice and great reunion of the whole family. As I went through the I did pretty well. Education was good. When you coming from nothing, I think, we have a very strong desire to become something. Doing some small jobs on the side, delivering newspapers, packing the bags in stop and shop food stores. For pennies we would get ourselves something. At the end of the day after school I was able to purchase myself some potato chips or some fruit pie. I’m sure which, at that time, cost a quarter to buy. I don’t even think they sell those things anymore, probably too toxic to the body. I went to Stony Brook College. I didn’t really think I was going to be doctor until, probably, my late years and in high school. I had some exposure, I did a little bit of a volunteer work in Coney Island Hospital. In my family, there was nobody who was in the business of health care or doctoring. So I don’t really know what pushed me but I guess any Jewish boy back then who had some aspiration and it were their mothers who expected them to be either a lawyer or a doctor. I think for quite a few years, I was going to be a lawyer until I actually at the end of high school decided to pick a biochemistry as my major and that really took me on the path to becoming a physician. I got into Downstate Medical Center at my first year, we had to do a two years of general surgery and then follow by four years of urology. Being a urologist, preliminary, we have a very good reputation and they put us on the toughest and the worst possible services in the beginning of our rotation. So my first service was in July at the trauma of Atkins County City Hospital that gets a lot of patients, it gets busy especially in the summer time with the traumas and gunshots and God knows what. My first day after I joined SUNY Downstate residency and came to Kings County Hospital after I checked in I was given the sign that I was an intern and I had no idea about anything, because this was everything kind of whatever happened to you before that gets erased and you’re starting a new life as a physician, obviously physician in training, and the first thing that I had to do is go and sign a death certificate. Besides the fact that I didn’t know who the patient was, I was thinking, maybe it was not for me and I should just move to some other profession or something. But I’m liking that I just closed my eyes and went and signed that death certificate because the resident who was before me had to go home and this was my turn to take over. So, I went there, I looked through the patient’s history and they put my name on the chart and that’s how it went and that’s how my career in medicine started. From general surgical training I went through urology. I think the great thing is that I do enjoy what I do and that made the next four years despite been very difficult went fast and I learned a lot. I think a Downstate residency certainly gave us a lot of confidence. As we came out and as I graduated and as I became an attending urologist I certainly have a lot of confidence in what I do and how I do things. So, now here I am a physician, a urologist for the last ten years. I had been working at the Brooklyn Hospital. Every day is a special day because every time wake up and then go to work I’m thankful what I do I enjoy it. I don’t ever feel that it’s a burden and that’s what I think it’s great about my profession and my choice in life. Now, ten years later, I’m in practice. I think, that things are kind of more or less steady and stable for myself and my family. I love spending time with my kids. We go snowboarding or I skied and they snowboarding. We spent time playing tennis. I enjoy the beach. I actually live right on the beach. The ideal day in the summer would start by me taking a little walk on the beach, maybe even do some yoga when nobody can see, and I take a little swim and then, obviously, get dressed and run to work. At the end I wish that everybody has the opportunity. And if you have an opportunity and you have a choice to take it or not to take it. I hope for all of you, who is watching this, take the opportunity when it comes to you and you run with it and that hopefully will bring you to a state of enjoyment, self fulfillment and happiness.

Dr. Lepyansky’s patient: Hi I’m a patient of Dr. Lepyansky. I’d prefer not to give my name because I don’t want to let my experience with cancer sort of define my identity, but I’m very happy to talk about the work that I experienced with Dr. Lepyansky. I found a lump in my testicle while I was taking a shower and that’s kind of a scary moment certainly people who aren’t doctors. We don’t know what it can be. It could just be like a phantom lump that always been there, what could it mean. So, I quickly went to the doctor and within three days after visiting my doctor I met Dr. Lepyansky and I learned this is serious. It’s scary to suddenly discover that you need to have surgery because something inside you might be cancer. That’s the thing about testicular cancer, at least the kind that I had, is we don’t know, we couldn’t figure out whether it was or not until it was out of my body. Within a very quick period I went from, you know, just being a guy in my late 20s thinking that I was gonna live forever to suddenly being faced with an urgent need to remove something from my body before it got deadly. Dr. Lepyansky did an amazing job. I went under the knife just about three weeks after I met him. We had some more tests and we I’d get tests I’d come back and he would check in and he would always want to make sure things were what they were supposed to be. Fortunately they were and then suddenly he said okay it’s time to have a surgery. I think, some four days later I was at the hospital and that’s a scary moment. It certainly affected my mood. You can’t eat all day because you’re going to have anesthesia, so, I was getting a little emotional. But then I would see Dr. Lepyansky and he would reassure me, and it really helped. Before I knew it I woke up and I had a scar from the incision and my right testicle been removed. The first thing I was surprised by, was how small the incision was. I imagined this was going to be a massive thing on my body, but he did amazing work. It was as though it was almost as though it hadn’t happened. Within a week I was back on my feet and within a few months I was carrying on with life like it was before I’d found a lump. I think, for a lot of people discovering that you have cancer can be life-altering even or life ending. Thanks to the type of cancer I had and the work of Dr. Lepyansky, I just continue on like nothing ever happened.

*The term “Immimentary” is a combination of words “immigrant” and “documentary”.
IMMIMENTARY is a film production company and a series of documentaries that feature interviews with immigrants from all walks of life. Stories told by the immigrants themselves.