 | |
Hines Ward
|
 |
|
The selfless love of a Korean mother has moved the hearts of U.S. National Football League fans. Kim Young-hee, 54, is the mother of the Pittsburgh Steelers¡¯ top wide receiver Hines Ward. Ward, who was voted all-star for three consecutive years, shared his painful family history in a recent interview with CNN Sports Illustrated.
His mother married his father, a member of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), and moved to the States when Hines was one year old. After his parents¡¯ divorce, the court awarded custody to Hines¡¯ father, concluding that his mother was not proficient enough in English and financially unable to raise a child. But Hines could not forget his mother and ran away to live with her when he was in second grade.
Young-hee Ward devoted her life to her son, he said. She never remarried and held multiple jobs to support the two of them, working all the hours that God sent. ¡°She had three jobs a day as a dishwasher at the airport, a cleaner at a hotel and a clerk at a grocery store. Leading a difficult life, she never wavered. I am what I am today largely thanks to her. I would never be able to return that kind of love,¡± said Hines. ¡°I could never, ever repay my mother for everything she did for me.¡± Despite her son¡¯s success, she still works in a high school cafeteria.
With the support and love of his mother, Hines is now one of the most promising start players in the NFL, recording 80 catches for 1,004 yards and four touchdowns this season.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
