Kim Young-hee (60, 205 cm), famous as the tallest female basketball player in Korea, passed away on the 31st of last month at the age of 60 after a long struggle with illness. She is a person who took the lead in promoting national prestige in many international competitions, as can be seen from the 1984 LA Olympics women’s basketball silver medal, the medal of athletics white horse, and the wild tiger award. I stopped exercising when I was in my prime.
At that time, Korean basketball was in conflict with its Asian rival China in international competitions, but the most difficult thing for the national team was the height of Jin Wol-bang (207cm) and Jeong Haisha (204cm). We also had outstanding big man resources such as Park Chan-sook and Seong Jeong-ah, but the innate size difference was a difficult challenge to overcome. Therefore, the appearance of tall center Kim Young-hee drew great attention in that we also had a card worth playing at height.
However, even when she was playing for the national team, she had the disease and no one knew about her or anyone around her. Regarding this, Mr. S, a basketball player who played an active part in the national team, said, “At the time, I was puzzled because her skill development was slow compared to her physical condition, and it seemed that her training was not well followed. But after she found out she was constantly feeling unwell. She was fighting the pain and she was holding on the hard way. I wonder if she would have had a better result if she had started systematic body care and treatment.”
In the end, the deceased’s illness, which missed the treatment period, increased over time, and as a complication, he had to undergo surgery for a brain tumor and continued a long struggle with the disease until he died. Regarding this, the deceased expressed candidly the various emotions he felt while living through <Basketball 人Turview (26) Kim Young-hee edition> with this magazine during his lifetime. Regarding the late treatment period, the deceased, who always had a positive personality, seemed to have a lot of regrets.
“At that time, it was taken for granted to endure running even if you were not feeling well. However, it was not a joint or something like that, but abnormal signals were coming from the body, and I regret it even now when I think about why I tried to endure it. In 1987, at the age of 24, I lost and went to the hospital, and I remember that the doctor yelled at me, saying, “Why are you here now? I could die at any rate. At that moment, I finally realized that something was wrong. I had symptoms before, but I took more than 15 painkillers a day, day after day.” “
The manager of the team at the time did not act wisely, and the deceased’s condition worsened. The deceased returned to his team before the season to play basketball after the LA Olympics, but his body became larger than before being selected for the national team.” “The director was angry at me to lose weight, and afterwards, I couldn’t eat a sip of water. I almost fasted and exercised, and even while my colleagues were sleeping, I had to go to the sauna and sweat. In fact, the deceased did not gain weight. It is correct to say that he was in a swollen state due to a physical abnormality.
After he fell ill, the deceased’s life changed completely. He lived in a 5-pyeong single room in an old house and suffered from financial difficulties until the moment he passed away. When his guests came, he abandoned his bed and slept on the sofa, curled up on the sofa, because there was no place to sit. Since he repeatedly fell down and got better, he went to and from the hospital as if it were his own home and, like ordinary people, woke up once every two hours without a long sleep. 바카라사이트
It was a general hospital to the point where I was easily fatigued with just a little movement, my body was always swollen, and my eyesight was deteriorating. It was a series of days that were mentally difficult to endure, but even in such circumstances, the deceased did not lose hope for his life.
“Elderly people who often visit our house say that Younghee is always bright and nice to see. But why wouldn’t it be hard for me? I’m a woman too… , I didn’t even look in the mirror for 3 years because I didn’t even have to grow taller, my appearance got weirder and changed all the time. After the death of my parents, whom I trusted and relied on, I couldn’t do anything for about 5 years due to depression. Even though it was -17 degrees Celsius in the middle of winter, I left the front door wide open, and I couldn’t control my own mind. I cried a lot.”
As former colleagues said, ‘Even as a player, she always had a tender heart like a girl and a warm heart that was considerate of others’, the deceased said that she changed her mind and said, ‘Let’s try to live somehow’ even in such a reality. do. When I first approached with a smile and spoke kindly to the people in the neighborhood who were having a hard time because of my outstanding appearance, I threw away my prejudices around me and tried to live a simple but warm daily life by sharing food even though I had no housekeeping. What made the deceased the most difficult was the endless hospital bills.
“It’s money. I can’t do economic activities, so I live without it, but the burden of hospital bills is really hard. My one and only younger brother cares about me a lot, but he is also a man with a family, so I can’t continue to burden him… , I decided to live somehow, so I want to live until I live, but I have to go to the hospital to do that.”
Fortunately, after hearing the sad news of the deceased, help came from many places. In particular, in the case of seniors and juniors in the basketball world, they often came in and expressed their feelings. However, since the amount of treatment for the deceased, who was suffering from a rare disease, was different from that of ordinary diseases, he could not help but worry about money. Even though he doesn’t like to stand out, it was for that reason that he actively participated in various interviews. Because he had no choice but to do so.
When I wake up, the first thought that comes to my mind is ‘Oh… , You are alive today,” said the deceased, who lived a difficult life, but because of his inherently compassionate personality, he always thought, “I wish I could be a little help to others.” Against the backdrop of his strong attachment to life, he also had a strong desire to repay the people who helped him someday. It was written in detail in the interview at the time, but he always wanted to be with those around him in difficult times, such as buying side dishes and clothes for young siblings in shabby clothes they met at the market. I hope that the deceased, who has lived a difficult life after a long struggle with illness, will rest peacefully in heaven.
