Ottawa man drowns while on Cancun vacation
First spring break trip turns to tragedy for young father
By Suzanne Ma,
The Ottawa Citizen (Ottawa, Quebec, Canada)
Michael Kim had to wait until he was 23 before enjoying the chance to go on a spring break vacation. But when the chance finally came, things went horribly wrong for the Ottawa man.
Finally, this year, Mr. Kim was able to join two friends on a trip to Cancun, Mexico. It was there, on Wednesday, in the waters off the idyllic Caribbean resort, that Mr. Kim drowned.
Mexican police said his body was found Thursday and his death was likely caused by a strong current.
Friday night, friends and family gathered at the Kim family home in Barrhaven. He was the only son of Hy Kim and Dary So, immigrants from Cambodia, who came to Canada in 1982, escaping their war-torn country in search of a peaceful home and a promising future.
“I came here so my kids can have a safe and stable future and have a good education,” the elder Mr. Kim said in an interview last night. “I am the only person in my family who had a son, and he (Michael) is the only son I had. Now that he just passed away, I’ve lost everything. My world. My world is gone.”
Mr. Kim was a young father with a two-year-old daughter, Valerie Michaela. He also leaves behind his girlfriend, Luda Pak, 24, and two sisters, 19-year-old Daryda and 25-year-old Ouksany. He worked full-time in housekeeping at the Extendicare Starwood nursing home in Nepean and had just started taking night carpentry classes at Algonquin College.
His sister, Daryda, said her brother had dreams of one day becoming a police officer.
“He wanted to accomplish so much. He was planning to go back to school full-time. He was almost done paying for his car. He already opened an RRSP for himself and an RESP for his daughter. He was on track. It just sucks because it was his first time (having) fun.”
Mr. Kim’s father said he had planned to take the family to Cambodia in May. It would have been their first vacation together, as well as the first time they’d returned to their homeland since he and his wife left more than 20 years ago.
“I wanted him to see his roots and where he came from. Michael and everyone was excited.”
Friends remember Mr. Kim as a star athlete who loved to play hockey, road hockey and rugby.
His best friend, Michael Lambe, found it hard to believe the news.
“It’s hard. It’s very surreal. It doesn’t seem like it has happened yet,” Mr. Lambe said last night. “He was one of the nicest guys you’d ever meet. We did everything together.”
Family and friends describe Mr. Kim as a dedicated and caring father who loved his daughter more than anything else in the world.
“He always had so much fun with” the child, said Mr. Kim’s girlfriend, Ms. Pak. “She gets extra energy whenever she sees him. He was a great father, for sure.”
Ms. Pak said she and Mr. Kim had recently separated and that he had moved back home with his parents.
“Even though there were tough times between us, he always came back and made sure everyone was okay,” she said, her voice breaking.
Mr. Lambe agreed. “His daughter was the favourite thing in his life. He would never stop talking about her.”
Mr. Kim’s older sister, Ouksany, could not hold back her tears as she tried to make sense of her brother’s death.
“It hurts because he was really trying to be a better person. And then this happened. It’s not fair,” she said, sobbing. “I miss him so much.”
By Suzanne Ma,
The Ottawa Citizen (Ottawa, Quebec, Canada)
Michael Kim had to wait until he was 23 before enjoying the chance to go on a spring break vacation. But when the chance finally came, things went horribly wrong for the Ottawa man.
Finally, this year, Mr. Kim was able to join two friends on a trip to Cancun, Mexico. It was there, on Wednesday, in the waters off the idyllic Caribbean resort, that Mr. Kim drowned.
Mexican police said his body was found Thursday and his death was likely caused by a strong current.
Friday night, friends and family gathered at the Kim family home in Barrhaven. He was the only son of Hy Kim and Dary So, immigrants from Cambodia, who came to Canada in 1982, escaping their war-torn country in search of a peaceful home and a promising future.
“I came here so my kids can have a safe and stable future and have a good education,” the elder Mr. Kim said in an interview last night. “I am the only person in my family who had a son, and he (Michael) is the only son I had. Now that he just passed away, I’ve lost everything. My world. My world is gone.”
Mr. Kim was a young father with a two-year-old daughter, Valerie Michaela. He also leaves behind his girlfriend, Luda Pak, 24, and two sisters, 19-year-old Daryda and 25-year-old Ouksany. He worked full-time in housekeeping at the Extendicare Starwood nursing home in Nepean and had just started taking night carpentry classes at Algonquin College.
His sister, Daryda, said her brother had dreams of one day becoming a police officer.
“He wanted to accomplish so much. He was planning to go back to school full-time. He was almost done paying for his car. He already opened an RRSP for himself and an RESP for his daughter. He was on track. It just sucks because it was his first time (having) fun.”
Mr. Kim’s father said he had planned to take the family to Cambodia in May. It would have been their first vacation together, as well as the first time they’d returned to their homeland since he and his wife left more than 20 years ago.
“I wanted him to see his roots and where he came from. Michael and everyone was excited.”
Friends remember Mr. Kim as a star athlete who loved to play hockey, road hockey and rugby.
His best friend, Michael Lambe, found it hard to believe the news.
“It’s hard. It’s very surreal. It doesn’t seem like it has happened yet,” Mr. Lambe said last night. “He was one of the nicest guys you’d ever meet. We did everything together.”
Family and friends describe Mr. Kim as a dedicated and caring father who loved his daughter more than anything else in the world.
“He always had so much fun with” the child, said Mr. Kim’s girlfriend, Ms. Pak. “She gets extra energy whenever she sees him. He was a great father, for sure.”
Ms. Pak said she and Mr. Kim had recently separated and that he had moved back home with his parents.
“Even though there were tough times between us, he always came back and made sure everyone was okay,” she said, her voice breaking.
Mr. Lambe agreed. “His daughter was the favourite thing in his life. He would never stop talking about her.”
Mr. Kim’s older sister, Ouksany, could not hold back her tears as she tried to make sense of her brother’s death.
“It hurts because he was really trying to be a better person. And then this happened. It’s not fair,” she said, sobbing. “I miss him so much.”
7 comments:
died and burns in hell, you troublemaker!!!
10:12PM
what kind of comment is that? You're trouble maker, not the guy who just passed away. This is called tragedy that you can't predict.
Sorry to hear the lost of young life.
Me, troublemaker? LMAO, have you
read KI Media thoroughly, buddy?
I just returned from Cancun and was there the day this man drowned, the rumors at the hotel was that there were 3 others that drowned that day. The day this man drowned had the biggest waves I had seen all week. The harbor was closed for the 3 previous days because the waves were so large, the riptides are very strong as well. I am sorry for the families loss.
Happened at the Oasis Cancun I believe (where I was staying). I saw the police, etc. out looking for the victim early evening. All kinds of rumors flying around about the cause.
5:29 AM, don't take 10:12PM's comment seriously. He is just a lapdog employed by the CPP to disrupt KI-Media's blogging forum. Someone disclosed his name as Kim Peov, which is apparently one of the favourite names adopted by the Yuons who are settling down in Cambodia.
As you can see, he and the CPP speak with the same mind: no class, no humanity, no dignity.
10:12 SHADOW MAN-
NEXT TIME, DON'T FORGET TO LET ME KNOW WHETHER YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS
HAVE ANY PROBLEM. SO I CAN SEND YOU MY WISH LIST. OR YOUR WANT ME TO SEND MY WISH IN ADVANCE.
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