A biography for Phan Thi Kim Phuchasn’t been written yet.
“People ask me a lot, 'How can you smile all the time?' I tell them, 'I was never angry. God created me this way. He created me laughing and smiling.'”
“I am praying every day for peace.”
“I cannot sweat because there is no hair and no pores on the skin grafts. And, can you imagine, there is no blood at all in my scars?”
“If the picture hadn't been taken, people wouldn't know what happened in the war.”
“For years, I prayed to the gods of Cao Dai for healing and peace. But as one prayer after another went unanswered, it became clear that either they were nonexistent or they did not care to lend a hand.”
“I went through 17 operations. I had to deal with the pain every single day. I used to compare my scars with buffalo skin. And because my skin wasn't have any pores, I cannot sweat, make me feel so tired, so headache.”
“I love my scars. It reminds me where I come from.”
“I hated myself. I hated people who made war. I hated people who were normal. I envied them. I wish I would be normal.”
“I forgive everyone who caused my suffering, even the pilot, commander, people controlling me.”
“I know what it is like to experience terror, to feel despondent, to live in fear. I know how wearying and hopeless life can be sometimes.”
“There's such a connection between Vietnam and America, but it should be one of friendship. Not bitterness. Not enemies.”
“I have a husband and a new life and want to be normal like everyone else.”
“I asked why me? Why did I have to suffer so much pain and scars? I was just a little girl - I didn't do anything wrong.”
“Religion doesn't help me at all. But the relationship between me and God and Jesus, that changed my life.”