[pre]Woman of Distinction
The woman who I think should earn the title of Woman of Distinction is my Nana. She deserves this title because she has overcome so many obstacles throughout her life, and still she stands tall with dignity, spirit, and hope. I admire her strength, knowledge, and will to survive. This is her story. This is her life. This is my Nana.
My Nana was born on March 10, 1938 in Malacca, Malaya, which is present day Malaysia. She was the second youngest child with two older brothers, two older sisters, and one younger sister. Her father, a kind, wealthy man, was highly respected in the small 14th century town. Her mother, very similar in personality to her husband, was very beautiful and a very good cook. Both of her parents were East Indian. They happily lived in a decent home which was very hard to afford back then.
In 1942 my Nana’s father died of an unknown sickness. Even though my Nana was only four, she can remember seeing her father whispering his last words, The Lord’s Prayer, before passing away. After her father’s death, life became hard for her family. Nana’s two older brothers had to quit school and get jobs to support the family.
That same year, young men in Malay were being impressed by the Japanese. My Nana’s mother pleaded with the soldiers to not take her only sons away, but without sympathy, they pushed her aside and went on with their business. Her brothers were taken to Burma supposedly as soldiers, but most likely they were make into slave laborers by the Japanese and were sent somewhere deep into the jungle. One thing was certain: they both died. No one knows if they were killed in battle or if they were worked to death in a factory. Their bodies were never found. My Nana told me how she saw her mother crying near the back door while reading the letter telling of her sons’ deaths. Soon after my Nana’s brothers died, her mother died as well. No one knows why; perhaps of a broken heart from losing three loved ones.
There was no one else to take care of the rest of Nana’s family. They were separated and then adopted by different families. My Nana never saw her two older sisters again. Nana and her younger sister were adopted by a very close family friend, Louis George. He treated Nana and her sister as if they were his own children, even when he had his own. His wife, though, became jealous. She started to treat Nana and her sister like servants behind her husband’s back. Because Louis had been so kind to Nana and her sister, she never said a word about the mistreatment. She kept quiet because she didn’t want her and her sister to be more of a burden.
Soon after they were adopted, the Japanese built a prison right next to their house. Every night and every day, my Nana and her sister could hear the cries and screams of prisoners and captives that were being tortured or murdered without mercy. They were not able to move to a different location because it would make the Japanese suspicious.
For twelve years, Nana and her sister secretly suffered. They were treated like slaves until 1958. My Nana was then put into an arranged marriage with a man named Anthony Felix, and she became Elizabeth Felix. She learned to love Anthony over time. Two years later, her sister married a wealthy man and moved to England. My Nana eventually had six children, four sons and two daughters. Her youngest child is my mother, Jennifer Felix.
Twenty years later, her sister, Mary Kostka, came back to Malaysia in search of her sister. For two years Mary looked, and after endless days of seeking, her search became a success. My Nana fell to the floor in tears when she opened the front door. She thought she would never see her sister again.
In 1982, my grandfather, Nana’s husband, suffered his first stroke. For nine months he was paralyzed, and on December 22, 1982, he died after a second stroke. After his death, my Nana didn’t know what to do. She started to work full-time, which later led to having three jobs to support her family. In the past few years since her husband died, she had to have a few surgeries on her stomach, which have taken a huge toll on her.
Her whole life, Nana has been searching for her two lost sisters, but no information about them has ever surfaced. She doesn’t have a picture, let alone a name, for either one. Because she was so young when she was torn from her family, she has long forgotten their names and ages.
This is why I admire my Nana so much. She has experienced what few women experience in their whole lifetime. She knows what true pain and sorrow is, but that was the key for her spirit to not give up. Even when no light shed through the darkness, she still found a path to happiness. She knew that if she gave up early on, it would not pay off in the end. She knew that later on in time, things would work out by themselves, and they have. Sadly, my Nana is not with us in Tacoma. She still lives in Malaysia with her granddaughter, Andrea Felix. They are both happy and doing well. My Nana is the Woman of Distinction to me and my family. We all love her, and nothing, not even a war, could tear us apart.[/pre]
Do tell me how someone managed to live to present-day so long.