Bad or Good decision; Orphan refuse Adoption offerred by Kim Kardashian.
A teenager from a children's home in a poverty-stricken
region of Thailand made an astonishing decision to turn down an offer from
reality TV star Kim Kardashian to adopt her into a life of wealth and glamour
overseas.
The level-headed 13-year-old called Pink said she shook with
excitement when she heard the multi-millionaire wanted to adopt her, but
insisted she wanted to study in Thailand instead then help her impoverished
homeland and the orphans she has grown up with.
Pink, an outstanding scholar whose mother sent her to the
home because she was too poor to care for her and fund her education,
immediately bonded with Kim and gave her a bracelet in a visit in April filmed
for her hit show Keeping Up with The Kardashians.
But after being told the reality TV star wanted to adopt
her, Pink said: 'Everyone wants to have a different or a better life, I
suppose. But when I thought about it I realised it wouldn't be good for me,
because I would have to leave so much behind. I wasn't ready for that.'
After the visit, Kim declared on camera: 'When you meet
someone that you really connect to like this, you can't help but think like how
you could change their life. And I think that looking into adoption would be
amazing.
'I literally cannot stop thinking about her. I told
(husband) Kanye, I was like, honestly, this girl is so sweet and so cute, like,
I would honestly adopt her.'
She then appeared to abandon the idea after being chided by
her mother for treating adoption like a shopping trip and then told by her
resort manager that adopting children from Thailand is 'very, very difficult'.
But Mail Online found that Pink was taken aside and told by
the home's supervisors about Kim's adoption wish in the show which went out in
August and, although delighted at the offer, immediately said a polite but firm
'no'.
Pink, who shares a basic dormitory room with mattresses on
the floor with five other girls at the Home and Life Foundation in Phang Nga,
said: 'When I found out she wanted to adopt me, I was shaking. I was so
excited. It would be such a change of life for me. '
Recalling her meeting with Kim – who was so smitten with the
teenager she visited the home twice – Pink admitted she and the other children
had no idea who Kim was when she first arrived.
'When she came here, it seemed as if I was the first one she
looked at and smiled at. We had a connection straight away. I think she is
really pretty and she has a very nice personality.'
'I thought she was lovely and I really enjoyed meeting her –
and I loved being on TV too,' said Pink, whose real name is Laddawan
Tong-Keaw.'
Pink makes an exhausting 100-mile round journey by bus every
day with two other girls to attend the province's top government school after
the three of them passing a demanding entrance exam. She gets up at 5am and
returns home at around 6 pm.
At evenings and weekends, she does chores and helps look
after younger children in the home which was set up eight years ago to care for
orphans and children from families devastated by the human and economic impact
of the tsunami.
Pink plans to go to university in Thailand then work as a
tour guide or a teacher. 'I want to help my country,' she said. 'I want people
to come and learn about Thailand and understand more about my country. That is
why I am thinking of being a tour guide.'
Pink's mother Rose, lives in a nearby village with Pink's
younger brother and comes to the home every day to help cook and clean for her
daughter and the other 24 children at home.
'I spoke to my mum about Kim and she said 'When you finish
High School and you can look after yourself, I will give you permission to go
and live with Kim if you want to go',' said Pink.
'But the other children here and like brothers and sisters
to me and I couldn't leave them behind. They are my family and I couldn't just
go away and leave them.'
Asked if she would like see Kim again, Pink smiled shyly as
she replied: 'I would like to see her again one day if it's possible. But not
just Kim – I'd like to meet her husband and her daughter as well. I'd like to
meet the whole family.'
When she visited the home, Kim appeared unaware that Pink
was not an orphan and that her mother, Rose, 44, was present throughout the
visit.
'I was very proud when I heard that this famous lady wanted
to adopt Pink but at the same time I didn't want her to go away with the
Kardashian family. She is only young and I would miss her very much,' she told
Mail Online.
'The children had absolutely no idea who Kim Kardashian
was,' he said. 'It was all the cameras that made the children feel important.
There was such a big fuss.'
The Kardashians had not been in contact with the home since
the visit, he said, although the owner of the resort in nearby Phuket that
arranged the visit was in regular contact as a supporter of the foundation. The
family had said they would build a pool at the site but this has not materialized.
The home relies on donations from overseas and has running
costs of around 40 pounds a day to feed, school and care for its 25 children
aged 4 to 18.
'We raise these children as a family,' said Papangkorn. 'If
someone comes and wants to adopt a child, whoever it is, they would say the
same. They would say: 'I don't want to leave my family here'.
'They have everything they need here and anyone who wants to
help the children should help the foundation.'
He added: 'Some people might say that celebrities only make
these visits to places like this for their image, but I believe if they are
willing to do some charity work it means there is some good in them.'
Kim Kardashian did not respond to requests for comment from
Mail Online. Her spokesperson Ina Treciokas said in an emailed response: 'She
(Kim) is working and unavailable.'
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