KC and Susan Kim with their seven children. Hannah Kim (center back) behind her mother
My dear friend KC Kim passed away yesterday. He was just 56 years old. He was on a business travel to Australia, serving his company Northrop Grumman. The exact cause is not yet known, but there is a rumor that it might have been a stroke. KC is married to Susan, and together they have seven children under their care - six through adoption and one through a foster care. The children are all from Korea.
If you wish to be a part in helping this family financially, I have set up a gofundme website for you to donate at:
KC was an incredibly selfless man, who gave up a comfortable living to provide homes for his children. In the process, he refinanced his house multiple times, ever increasing his monthly payments. Three of the children are in colleges, and their financial future will be very challenging as Susan was a stay-home mother taking care of the kids.
In 2005 MPAK had a conference to promote adoption in the Korean-American community in the LA area, and KC and Susan's daughter stole the audience's hearts with her adoption story, which is posted below. There were much tears shed that night when Hannah Kim, who was only 12 years old shared her adoption story. Hannah is now a college junior studying to become a pharmacist. She is the first and the oldest of the children.
In remembrance of KC's love for Hannah and the children, and the impact he has been to many adoptive families at MPAK, also as a role model of a loving husband to Susan and a compassionate father to the fatherless, I dedicate this blog to KC Kim, who was like a brother to me.
KC, may you rest in peace in heaven, and we love you, and we will truly miss you. Thanks for the life you have given for all of us.
My Adoption Story
by
Hannah Kim
Hi! My name is Hannah Kim. I am 12 years old. My
parents adopted me when I was 5 years old. I came from an orphanage called Bang
Joo Won, which means Noah's Ark, and it is located in Kim Hae, Korea. I have a
10-year old sister, Leah, and a 6-year brother who will be with us soon.
This is how I was
adopted. About 7 years ago my parents came to Bang Joo Won to look for a
daughter to adopt. They chose me. Later when my dad told me about this story, I
asked him why. My dad smiled at me and said. "I fell in love with you when
I saw you." This story always puts smile on my face. Why? I was adopted
not because my parents had to, but because they wanted to. My parents adopted
me because they loved me, cared for me and wanted to be with me. This is why
adoption is special to me. There is another thing. The timing of adoption was
perfect because I was about to be transferred to a different orphanage where
children over 6 years olds were living.
I want to tell you about
my sister, Leah. I chose her to be my sister. I asked my parents if they could
adopt her at the same time when I got adopted. My parents were surprised at my
request, because Leah was the first girl that my mother wanted to adopt. After
Leah came to our family, I admit that I had a little problem with Leah being
with me. "Sibling Rivalry". That's what they call it. To me, it was
pure jealousy. I looked for any excuse to make my sister look bad. I was quite
successful at that for a while, but I finally realized that it did not make me
feel right. I still do some tricks on my sister but after all it is my own
choice. I have to live with it as my dad once told me.
About 4 months ago there
was a really bad day at school. A boy in my class started saying bad things
about my mom. He said, "Your mother is mean because she is not your real
mother! I have a real mother and you do not." I was kind of stunned and
speechless. I was upset but did not know what to say or what to do. I remember
my father told me that this kind of things may happen, but when it happened I
was very frustrated. This incident made me think about what it means to be
adopted. I asked myself, "Why was I upset and frustrated? What bothered me
about being adopted? He said my mother is not a real mom. Then, who is my real
mom?” I know what my answer is. My mom is as real mom as she can be - not
because I was born from her but because she loves me enough to be with me for
the rest of her life.
It is a fact that I am
not with my birthparents. I do not know why they decided not to keep me, but I
cannot do anything about it. So I have decided to accept things as they are. However,
because of this, I am with the most wonderful mom and dad in the whole world.
Furthermore, I can tell anyone I meet that being adopted is one of the most
beautiful things that have ever happened to me in my life. To me, being adopted
is to be a part of someone’s life that chooses to be with me for the rest of
his or her life.
One day I was watching a
Korean drama with my mom about a daughter who had a problem dealing with the
fact that she was adopted. She was 14 years old when she found out. I was
wondering why her parents wanted to keep it secret from their daughter. If the
girl knew about her adoption early in her life, she might have been able to
understand her situation better instead of being frustrated at her parents. I thank my parents for being frank about their
feelings about adoption. It is kind of fun to watch my dad telling his friends
about my adoption story in front of me. That makes me happy because I know he
is proud to be my father.
When I go to MPAK gatherings with my
parents, I can see how much the parents love their children. I have no doubt
that the parents love their children as my parents love me. I am glad that I
can be a part of what my parents are doing through MPAK, which tries to find a
home for a child like me.
Adoption is a wonderful thing that
Jesus blesses us in our daily lives. Isn't life, whether you are adopted or
not, such a wonderful thing?
Thank you and may God bless each and
everyone of you.
