My life is like a fairy tale although very different from most. If I told you that I was born in Calcutta, married to a handsome man, and had four children, you might think that my life is a dream come true. But If I tell you that my mother, who was 10 or 11 years , stepped in front of a speeding train with me in her arms, your opinion of my fairy tale might change.
I was two months old when I was found by the tracks in bad shape but alive. My arms had been severed. I was taken to an orphanage in the slums of Calcutta where they swathed my arms in bandages. But God had a plan for me. An LDS (Mormon) family, living in Alaska at the time, adopted me. I was raised with 8 siblings, 6 of whom were adopted too.
I learned to do everything with my feet; eat, drive, and even use computers. I had prosthetics for a while but eventually gave them up to use my feet, which were faster and easier to deal with. My sister tells me that as a child I used to fall down a lot trying to balance myself on one leg. Now I have impeccable balance and do most things standing on one leg with ease. Now, if only I could figure out how to ride a bike!
I met my husband, Conrad Kimball, at our LDS singles ward. It was an nontraditional courtship but his perseverance won me over. We have been married for almost nine years and he has become my prince charming. My fourth child and second daughter was born seven weeks ago. Bringing home my first baby was hard. I didn’t even know how to pick up a baby, but I have learned how to care for these sweet babies and they are all thriving.
I’d love to visit India and trace my biological family, though I suspect that would be difficult with such little information. I celebrate my birthday on May 16th, but I am not even sure if that is actually the date I was born.
I am grateful for the opportunity to be a mother and the joy my family brings me. I don’t harbor any resentment for what my mother did that day. I feel sometime, after this life, she will be able to explain what drove her to do what she did. Her short life allowed me to be here living a very blessed and happy life–a fairy tale.
Shanthi L Kimball
