Imagine being a young Romanian person in the early ’80s. You find yourself waiting in a four-hour line, hoping to obtain a small loaf of bread that will barely sustain your family through a brutal and unrelenting winter. This struggle is intensified by insufficient heating, a complete lack of medical care, severe censorship, food shortages, and a multitude of other hardships that add salt to an already festering wound.This was the reality for almost 22.4 million Romanian citizens from the years in the last years of Communism, leading to the 1989 overthrow. For years, Romania was ruled by Nicolae Ceausescu, a dictator who effectively transformed Romania into a totalitarian police state by the ’80s. It wasn’t until 1989 that the regime was finally brought to an end.
Ioana Enick, Oana by all who know her, was born on October 7th, 1969, in Bucharest, Romania. She is a fierce leader, a scientist, a survivor of a regime, and an incredible mother. This is her story:
“From the point of view of a child growing up in Romania, life was good. We attended school, had friends, and stable families. From the point of view of an adult, it was life under a harsh and dangerous communist regime”, Oana explained. Oana’s parents were both political activists in their youths, which, at the age of 20 made them into political detainees. They both spent the next two years in a harsh prison camp. Oana recalls them very rarely speaking of this period of their lives.
Upon their release from prison, the couple faced a difficult decision, one that would deeply impact the course of their future. They were met with an ultimatum: either sign up for membership in the Communist Party, or become excluded from higher education and supervisory positions within the job market in the country. They both made the decision not to sign since it went against all of their core principles. This changed drastically the trajectory of the rest of their lives.
Oana was a sickly child, but through the efforts of the medical and a flood that resulted in an international relief effort, she survived. This shows that there is always some light in a dark situation.
In 1978, Oana’s father managed to escape the country, despite the strict restrictions on citizen emigration. He took an opportunity to briefly meet with his extended family in Yugoslavia. From there he embarked on a daring journey by foot across the Greek border. Soon he took refuge in a chicken coop, were he lived for several months before being caught and detained in a refugee camp for a year. He then secured political refugee status in Canada. He first, arrived in Montreal, then later moved to Saskatchewan, where the rest of his family,
Oana, her sister, and her mother, would eventually follow in 1984.
Major life changes are never easy, and for Oana, the transition from Romania to Canada proved to be no exception. “Once I landed in Canada I think it really dawned on me how completely and utterly different life was. A new language, new traditions, new customs that I was not acclimatized to, it was scary, but I knew I had to adjust.” she said. So, of course, she persevered, remained determined and confident in herself and her abilities and the support of her family. Oana successfully completed her high school education with descent grades and enrolled at the University of Regina. Upon convocation, continued her graduate work at SFU. During this time, she discovered a deep-seated passion for science, ultimately earning her degrees in microbiology and toxicology. Thanks to the sacrifices and decisions her parents made, Oana has had the opportunities to live her life in Canada, pursue a career, and grow a family in a safe and stable environment.
Throughout her life, Oana has confronted adversity head-on, and she has always emerged stronger. She holds no regrets regarding her approach to handling the hurdles life has presented her.
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