Born to a poor farming family in Chiang Mai, Saisunee Jana lost the use of both her legs in a freak motorcycle accident when she was 17. Since then she has fought tooth and nail to reach goals few in her position would dare to accomplish.
PHOTO: YINGYONG UN-ANONGRAK
"If you ask me what was the most difficult part of growing up poor, I would say being mistreated by people who looked down on my family because we lived a meagre existence," said the 38-year-old national athlete.
"Shortage of food and clothing did not leave as big an emotional scar on me as being treated with disdain by the neighbours.
"One particular moment that will probably torment me for the rest of my life happened when I was barely into my teens. I vividly recall a wealthy land broker in our village shooing me away from her front porch by throwing a bucket of water, calling me all sorts of derogatory names to shame my family.
"Being ill-treated in this manner made me all the more determined to work hard towards bringing my family out of poverty. I was working in a factory in Lampang province when a 10-wheel truck hit the motorcycle that I was riding pillion on. It was really hard to come to terms with the fact that I had become a cripple."
Her fierce determination to succeed has enabled her to reach milestones in life. When she took up sports as a physically challenged person, she was determined to make the most of the opportunity.
Apart from making her physically and emotionally stronger, fencing became a career that has today spanned 15 years.
Thanks to her sporting prowess and a gutsy outlook towards life to match, Saisunee has since single-handedly plucked herself from a lowly existence to a life of relative comfort. She has used her earnings wisely, building a house for each of her parents, purchasing plots of land for her family and supporting her younger sister through university. Today she is married to a fellow national fencer and continues to support her parents and sister.
Saisunee's portfolio is dotted with impressive sporting achievements, including gold and bronze medals at the Athens 2004 Paralympics and regular podium finish results at the regional Fespic Games that have made her popular with sport fans. As for the London Games this summer, the Thai gold medal hopeful is looking to shine in both epee and foil divisions.
"Despite my advancing age, I have prepared well for my third Paralympics. There is going to be a lot of young talent that I will be pitted against, but I am convinced that my experience and training will give me an edge over them," said the sporting personality with an air of confidence.
Saisunee, who now lives in Nonthaburi, took three years to come to terms with her handicapped condition. As the eldest of two sisters, she has always taken her family responsibilities seriously, often prioritising her family's happiness over her own.
She recalls her darkest moments, one of which includes a bout with depression when her parents decided to part ways shortly after her accident, as giving her all the more reason to keep focused on looking beyond the present.
Saisunee spoke candidly about her failed attempt at taking her life, and how that fortunately jolted her back to the realisation that her family still needed her.
While her parents earned a paltry income, the young girl knew early in life that she was to become the sole bread winner in the family. Determined to get an education, she completed high school through a long distance government programme, and then set out to get vocational training in computers.
When she reached the government-run institute for further education for the physically challenged in the Muang district of Chiang Mai, Saisunee was shocked to encounter a large number of students with various physical disabilities waiting to register their names.
This, she admits, was the first time she had seen so many physically handicapped people congregate in one place. Never having had a flair for arts and crafts, she chose instead to study Word and Excel programmes.
It was just a few months into the school year when she was invited by her friends to listen to an alumni sharing with the student body his success story as a national wheelchair tennis athlete. Being able to travel and win prize money were a few of the perks he mentioned that made the budding sportswoman decide she wanted the same for herself.
"I was so inspired to follow in his footsteps because I knew I could earn a living from being an athlete. At the time I had no idea which sport to choose - all I knew was that I wanted to become a sportswoman, travel and earn a livelihood," Saisunee said.
"I tried wheelchair basketball, and did pretty well, making it to the national team in just three months. However, due to internal bickering within the team, I eventually decided to leave and try my hand at a more individual sport such as fencing.
"After playing a fast-paced sport such as basketball, I found fencing very slow and rather boring at first. Fencers at arms' length, defending, stabbing and dodging each other's shining swords didn't seem like something that my outgoing nature would take a liking to.
"But eventually I did, and the rest is very much history. Fencing has taught me concentration and discipline which has greatly helped me to do well in competitions."
Saisunee's debut in national colours took place at the 1999 Bangkok Fespic Games. Self-discipline and hard work paid handsome dividends for the gregarious personality when she won two gold medals at the event, fetching her prize money worth 800,000 baht. The cash enabled her to pay off a family debt, and buy a house for her relatives.
Saisunee was unstoppable after that. Each competition she won brought the petite fencer closer to her dreams of clinching first place at the prestigious Paralympics Games.
She admitted that much of the success hinged on her ability to stay focused on the task ahead and be ready to sacrifice whatever is needed to achieve that goal. Her podium finish at the Athens 2004 Paralympics stamped her prominence, followed by cash prizes that brought comforts the Jana family had once only dreamed of. The bright-eyed fencer has also managed to complete a bachelor's degree.
Apart from prize money that she receives from competing at regional and global meets, she earns extra income hosting a programme on Thai PBS, showcasing the talents and abilities of physically challenged people in Thai society. She also manages her own Otop shop selling artificial flowers at government-run events.
Asked how she thinks of people who once mistreated her, Saisunee said: "If you're referring to the land broker who treated me badly, well, I take every opportunity I have to outbid her during an auction. Often I do this to spite her. This gives me a lot of self-satisfaction."
