Rimma Bravve; Fought to Reunite Family Kept Apart by Soviet Union
Rimma Bravve, the cancer-stricken woman who fought for seven years for permission to leave the Soviet Union so that she could be reunited with relatives in the United States, died Monday, officials said.
Mrs. Bravve, 32, who was diagnosed as suffering from ovarian cancer three years ago, died at her sister’s home in suburban Brighton. Her cause gained worldwide attention and involved several government leaders, including Secretary of State George P. Shultz.
She was permitted to come to the United States last December for treatment and to live with her sister and mother, Dr. Khanna Anbinder, a pediatrician who went to a human rights conference in Vienna late last year to lobby Shultz to work for her daughter’s release.
After being permitted to come to this country, Mrs. Bravve continued her efforts to have her entire family reunited in the United States.
She also sought to obtain visas for the parents, sister and niece of her husband, Vladimir, who accompanied her to the United States.
“She talked about reunification of our family all the time,” her husband said. “It’s very tragic.”
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