Lost Childhood

About the Book

This book chronicles journey and struggles of Melina Keel (Birth name Seah Pee Hong) from her difficult and impoverished childhood in Singapore to her successful and rewarding life as a wife, mother, grandmother and medical professional in the United States. It was written as a legacy for her family and friends and especially for her grandchildren who were still very young at the time of her passing.

About the Author

Melina Keel (birth name: Seah Pee Hong) was born and raised in Singapore to parents who immigrated to Singapore from China. She endured a difficult and impoverished childhood that formed in her two overriding imperatives; 1) to help her mother who she deeply loved and respected and 2) to create a better life for herself and escape the cycle of poverty and abuse that defined her childhood. To these ends, Melina left school at an early age and worked hard at several different jobs in Singapore to help support her mother and family. During this time she refused multiple attempts by her mother to arrange marriages for her. At the age of 22, Melina left Singapore to live and work overseas while continuing to provide financial support for her mother and family. After living and working in several different countries Melina immigrated to the United States where she married, raised a family, completed her education and had a distinguished and rewarding career as an emergency nurse practitioner. In 2014, Melina was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. She loved her work and continued to work for as long as she could while receiving treatments for her disease. Melina lived the remainder of her life with her husband of thirty-four years, Jim, in their coastal retirement home in Aransas Pass, Texas.