32.4 C
Bangkok
Friday, March 29, 2024

Bomb survivor Shepherd ‘just having fun’ at Paralympics

Haven Shepherd lost her legs as a baby when her parents detonated an explosive that was meant to kill the whole family

TOKYO – US swimmer Haven Shepherd lost her legs as a baby after her parents detonated a bomb intended to kill the whole family.

This week, at her maiden Paralympics in Tokyo, the upbeat teenager said her goals were all about “just going out and having fun”.

Shepherd was 14 months old and living in rural Vietnam when her birth parents — who she has been told were having an affair and could not marry — decided to take their own lives, as well as the child’s.

They strapped themselves to a bomb, held Haven and detonated the device, killing themselves instantly and blasting their tiny daughter 12 metres (40 feet) out of their hut.

She survived, though doctors were forced to amputate her…

Read more…

Latest Articles