So, I've been on this site for a while but I hardly ever post or socialize. I will try to make more of an effort to be active here. I should start by posting about myself in case people were wondering who I am. Just a couple warnings though, first I'm a pretty boring person, so my stories probably won't be very exciting. Second, I'm pretty sure I read and write on a 6th grade level, so some people may find my writing atrocious (For example, I just had to look up the word 'atrocious' on dictionary.com before I was able to type it in).
I was born in South Korea missing my left leg below the knee, a toe on my right foot, and several fingers. For those of you not familiar with Korea, this got me a one way ticket to an orphanage in Seoul. I was adopted when I was about 14 months old and came to the states to a small town in MA called Leicester (pronounced 'lester'). Leicester is right outside Worcester. When I lived there it only had one intersection that had a red/green light and the town was best known for having a small shack in the middle of nowhere that served ridiculously cheap and amazing hotdogs. Should you ever find yourself in Leicester, Hotdog Annies on 56 is really the only place worth visiting, although I hear Leicester got a super Walmart at some point.
I am the youngest of 7 kids. The folks that adopted me were really big into the church in their younger years and adopted several kids through their programs. They had 2 girls of their own and adopted 5 other kids including myself. First they adopted a Korean girl who had heart problems and needed surgery to survive. Then a Korean boy missing his left hand. Then a Puerto Rican boy from Worcester who doctors said would be deaf, however he ended up getting his hearing back. Then another Korean boy missing his right hand. Finally myself.
I've had several surgeries when I was growing up to correct growth problems due to my amputations. I'm not going to list all my surgeries, but to summerize I've had a few surgeries on my fingers, my fibula removed and stump revised, my tibia straightened out and several surgeries on my knee. All of these were done at The Shriners Hospital in Springfield, MA. I also had all my legs made their until I was considered an adult.
I went to college at Umass Amherst. I more or less drank heavily for four years straight and woke up with a horrible hangover and a degree in applied math. Since my college was so close to Springfield, I decided to become a Shriner while I was there. I became a Mason at the Wilbraham Masonic lodge where I knew a member currently living there, and then joined the shriners in my fourth year of college. It was great to meet everyone and learn how the hospitals were run.
I graduated and moved to Waltham, MA briefly and then down the street to Newton. I plan on moving to Watertown next month. I currently write financial planning software in Newton for a small software company. I have been working here since 2007. Because of work and living further away, I have not really been active in the Shriners anymore. At some point I would like to start getting more involved again, but right now I don't really have the time.
I think that is pretty much it for now. let me know if you have any questions and I will be happy to answer them.


Thanks for letting us know who you are, but you didn't say how you lost your leg? Inquiring minds want to know. I was in Salem for a winter back in 2000/2001, it was nice but cold to me. I liked all the snow though, I tried to ride my bicycle in it, and it was fun.
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