Agafia Lykova is the only surviving member of the Lykov family. The Lykovs fled Stalin’s persecution and lived in the forests of Russia, 150 miles from the nearest village. Agafia has lived in the Siberian wilderness since she was born, in the 1940s, and didn’t see another person outside of her family until she was an adult in the 1970s.
She has lived alone, in the cabin she grew up in, since her father died in 1988. The local government sends care packages to her now and again, but this week, for the first time in her life, she has left the remote area she grew up in to be airlifted to a hospital for severe leg pain. Spoiler: she has deteriorating cartilage and osteoarthritis, but is otherwise fine and is expected to be able to return to her home soon.
Incredible.
Family history to 2013:
More photos and history here, and the recent airlift:
