I am a very lucky person. I really am.
I was born in Southern China during the time when the One Child Policy was being instituted, permitting only one live birth per family. I was the SECOND child. My mother was several months along in the pregnancy and was ordered by local authorities to abort the baby - me. My parents fled the village that very night, leaving my 3 year old brother behind with our great-grandmother while they went into hiding. I was born full term months later at the local hospital. My mother was immediately sterilized without her consent. I was very lucky to have been born.
Life in rural China was extremely difficult but happy. My parents had been penalized the equivalent of 3 years salary for having a second child. Our great-grandmother took care of my brother and I while our parents labored in rice patties and worked in sewing factories to pay off the fine, never having a day off. Our lives were simple: no electricity, indoor plumbing, or publicly funded schools. Food was scarce and toys for a child were nonexistent - except for one toy - a tiny wind-up animal that I had received for my 5th birthday. That toy was my prized possession for a brief period - it came to its demise under the curiosity and determination of my 7 year old mechanically inclined brother.
Living in the village and barely having enough for basic needs, my parents wished a better life and brighter future for all of us. So after 12 years of anxious anticipation and paperwork, our family immigrated to America and planted our roots in Eastern Iowa. My brother and I were immersed in the classroom and learned English quickly. My parents worked hard opening a restaurant that glued the family together; we worked there after school and on the weekends to help. All of that hard work paid off: we both graduated high school with honors and went on to receive engineering degrees at Iowa State University.
I met my husband while working at an internship and we were soon married after college graduation. I was at the top of the world, living the American Dream: new husband, new marriage, new job and a new home.
This dream world came crashing down ten weeks after our wedding day. I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I was 24 and the first person to have cancer in the family. Barely newlyweds, we held each other as I battled this terrible disease with chemotherapy and radiation treatment. I was very lucky. I beat the cancer and lived. We even went on to have two beautiful and healthy children. My husband and I consider ourselves very lucky; many cancer survivors are unable to bear children post-treatment.
Life always comes into clear focus in the face of fear and pain. We decided to leave the corporate world and start our own business together. Toys! The one thing I could give our children and other children what I lacked in my own childhood. We were so excited about our new journey that we jumped in with both feet: we sold our house in Minneapolis, uprooted the family, and moved to West Des Moines to start KangarooBoo. And that's how our third baby, KangarooBoo, was born.
We worked days and nights and saved money. The business grew so quickly that our inventory completely filled our living spaces. It was a dream come true; with the products that we offered, I was reliving my own childhood through the eyes of my own children and other children. Through dedication and sacrifice, we are also building a future for our children - just as my own parents had done for me. I feel grateful everyday for the second chances that I've been given, and I share that gratefulness by donating a portion of each purchase to various charities that are close to my heart and those of our customers. It is important for me to pay it forward.
That hard work and dedication now hangs in the balance.
I am one of millions of Americans who are uninsured and virtually uninsurable. Although I've been in remission for almost 10 years, the cancer is still considered a pre-existing condition and precludes me from buying coverage. Late one night at the end of August, I woke up in excruciating pain and was rushed to the hospital. What we thought was an ectopic pregnancy turned out to be an appendicitis which required an appendectomy. And indeed I was pregnant (but miscarried the baby 10 days post-surgery). An appendectomy is a fairly routine procedure and certainly it could have been much worse. However, that routine procedure costs nearly $27,000 for an uninsured patient. Money that we don't have.
This business, my dream, my American Dream is at stake. It's been a long journey, I've worked hard over my lifetime to be where I am, helping others along the way when I could have been earning more. I know that things come full circle, that what you put out there will come back to you in a very positive way. I couldn't have reached my achievements if that wasn't true.
I hope that you will consider helping with my medical situation, in however big or small amounts. Every contribution of yours will enable me to continue my lifelong dream of spreading joy to others.
Clicking on the Donate button will take you to a secure and easy PayPal interface to complete the appropriate steps. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Also, please consider forwarding this post to your friends, families, church groups, etc.
Thank you for your kindness, generosity and compassion. I truly appreciate it.
