An American couple hoping to adopt a Korean child contacts an international adoption agency. They are given a large photo album of children waiting for families, but Marlys Sanford, soon to be my new mother, stops at the second photograph. Even though I was crying, or perhaps because I was crying, she has always told me that in her heart she just knew, in that instant, that I was the one.

My Korean name is Kee Soon Baik. Those of us who were unidentified at the Chechon, South Korean orphanage were given the same last name as the person who cared for us. They called me Kee Soon and gave rne the birth date of April 28th . When I arrived in America, my parents named me Kimberly Sue.

At the orphanage I had my head shaved twice, Mom was told. Once to eliminate the possibility of lice - and again when I wandered back through the line voluntarily (can you imagine?!) after my hair had grown back.

I arrived in the United States with a single dress in a bag and knew only a few words of English. Mom remembers that our first outing was to a department store to shop for clothes. "I just heard this little voice counting out numbers," she tells me. "'One, two, three..."'. it was the first time she heard me speak English. Mom and Dad joke that I was quiet for the first few months and haven't stopped talking since. Dad (John Sanford) tells me that he always saw a natural and confident stage presence in me that stretched beyond their personalities - a trait all my own.

Shortly after arriving in the states I started school, having to conquer the strange new language surrounding me, on my own. From what I've been told, I adapted easily to life in America. I was happy to eat most American foods, but have always maintained a definite taste for good, hot and spicy Korean food.

Growing up in a small town, the daughter of a nurse and a seed-plant manager, made for a simple and safe atmosphere, all the way through my high school years. Thinking back, Silverton Oregon, a town of about 12000, in size and tranquility, actually be mistaken for Superman's fictional hometown of Smallville.
The strong and relentless high-energy aspect of my personality has drawn me into athletics and physical challenges of all varieties. Along with five years of piano study, high school included softball, volleyball, tennis, gymnastics and cheerleading. For eight years I was also very committed to ballet. I trained in my hometown, twice having the opportunity to audition and perform with Portland's Ballet West School of Dance for their annual production of The Nutcracker. I've always been highly inquisitive and very independent, welcoming any opportunity to test my limits and abilities.

Martial Arts was something I was always interested in, but the nearest school was 18 miles away in Salem. The commute made my involvement unfeasible at the time, and I suspect provided an ideal reason for Mom to say no to my participation in the sport altogether. Later she admitted that she just couldn't imagine her beautiful, petite daughter risking injury in a sport like martial arts. That's why she's my Mom.

For those who know me, though, it was no big surprise when I went off to college and immediately enrolled in TaeKwonDo. One of the student instructors at this Korean-discipline dojo was Mark Messer. It's a tossup whether it was Mark or the training that kept me so dedicated and determined to be the best at this physically demanding sport. Little did I know then, that I would marry Mark and together we would achieve four world titles in the arenas of kickboxing, and ultimately, professional boxing.

After earning our black belts in TaeKwonDo and a stint at running a martial arts school, our interests evolved into competitive kickboxing. I trained long and hard, alongside my future husband, in a male-dominated sport. Mark and I were a team. To seal our partnership we were married in my parent's backyard on a beautiful northwest afternoon.

Seeking serious kickboxing competition and training opportunities, we soon pulled up stakes and moved first to Vancouver, Washington, and finally on to Seattle, Washington. This was all part of our plan. After rigorous training and many amateur kickboxing matches Mark and I decided that I would turn pro. Even though he had also found success in competition, Mark felt the opportunities for me would be greater than for him. He traded his fight career to manage mine. A popular instructor at the gym, Mark has also gained respect as a first rate coach and manager within the boxing world.

I made my professional kickboxing debut in Toyko, Japan. Matched against a world champion, I felt a certain triumph even though I lost the bout. Finding the opportunity, I landed a head kick on my highly regarded opponent, a feat comparable to an unsung rookie slam-dunking on Michael Jordan. I felt strong and confident, and knew this was an arena in which I'd found my competitive edge. Victory comes in many forms.

My parents have never actually seen me fight live - in 'real time' ('too real' time, they would say). Mom, a registered nurse, just couldn't handle the sight of someone trying to punch and kick her only daughter. Once in a while, I could get her to watch a videotape after the fact, but always with a hand over her mouth, uncomfortable even though she already knew the outcome. Dad has never been a boxing fan, either. "It's not the profession you would choose for your child, especially a daughter," he tells the media.

Competing as a professional kickboxer was a very defining time in my life. It gave me the opportunity to test my skills, and travel to places like Ireland, Japan, Puerto Rico and throughout the US. The media has been very encouraging and supportive throughout my fighting career. Several of my fights have been featured on ESPN 11 and cable TV. Robert Mason, president of the International Sport Karate Association, based in Plantation, Florida, told an interviewer ' "It's jab, jab, jab with her gloves, then in for the kill with a snakelike strike with a bare foot. Kim likes leg kicks and can kick the head very easily, so she's entertaining to watch. Kickboxing is like any sport; you're looking to build heroes. We're featuring Kim a lot."

After winning my third world kickboxing title, beating British opponent Cheryl Robertson in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mark and I felt that our next challenge would be professional boxing. Unknown to us at the time, this decision would set the stage for destiny.

A fighter is a fighter is a fighter. The ring is my territory. My "fire" burns deep.

In the ring the onslaught stops only at the sound of the bell. Thirty seconds to catch my breath ...

take a swig of water. The bell rings and I start moving forward....

Always forward, because to stop or retreat would mean looking back and that's not something I do. Not ever. If there's a problem in front of me, I take care of it and move on. What's behind me becomes a non-factor. I choose not to think about it. That's how I've always been.

Probably my most exhilarating bout was short and sweet at Bally's in Las Vegas, where I KO'd my opponent, Brenda Wasilewski, in 33 seconds.

Prior to August 2000, I had traveled to Korea twice, first at age 12 with my parents, and again at 18 with a group of adoptees. This second trip was a sponsored Holt Adoption Motherland Tour. Neither time did I look at my adoption packet, which may or may not have had information pertaining to my birth parents. It just didn't feet right yet. I wasn't emotionally ready.

My desire to fight for a professional world boxing title is what sparked my third visit to Korea. In a media interview, Mr. Woon Chul Shin, a Korean boxing promoter, saw me quoted as saying I would like to fight for a world title in my native country. Since Mr. Shin doesn't speak English, contract negotiations began through an interpreter, and soon Mark and I were training for a shot at a world boxing title. I was also presented with the opportunity to be the first woman in Korea to ever step into a professional boxing ring. It struck me then, that it was my destiny to be fighting this important fight in the country, and most probably the city, of my birth.

We were hardly prepared for the enthusiastic media onslaught upon our arrival in Seoul, a week before my fight, which was to take place at the Coex Convention Center. Everyone was so gracious and kind. I wondered at the time if they knew how much that meant to me - it was like instantly becoming part of a very large and caring family.

I had the honor of becoming Korea's first professional female boxer along with my opponent, Yumi Takano of Japan. The fight was intense and went all ten rounds. I was well prepared physically, but a bit emotionally distracted by the incredible and unanticipated outpouring of support and media attention surrounding my visit. Interviews and public appearances focused heavily on my early childhood and Korean history with hopes of solving the mystery of my life before Holt Agency. That night, August 5, 2000, 1 became the IFBA (International Female Boxing Association) World Boxing Champion in front of a thoroughly embracing crowd in the very city where I was alone, frightened and abandoned so many years ago. Three months later I was back in Seoul to successfully defend my title, and chances are good that I will fight there again. But there will always be something special about August 5, 2000.

The Korean press and TV stations did an outstanding job promoting this history making event, and telling my story. After the fight, I looked into my adoption records and visited the children who are now being raised at the still operational Holt International Orphanage, in Chechon. The papers in my file told me very little. There truly was an admirable effort on many levels, through public appearances, interviews and publicity, to uncover the mysteries of my birth family, and first years of Korean life, but it just wasn't meant to be. And that's OK. I just have to believe that every step of the way, I've been exactly where I'm suppose to be at exactly the right time. I'm satisfied with that.

Yes. Definitely DESTINY.

Mark and I are currently opening our own gym where we hope to have a strong amateur boxing program, boxing/kickboxing fitness, as well as continuing to train and manage professional fighters, both male and female.

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