Man Paralyzed 35 Years Ago Fathers Triplets
Ken Kunken almost said the wrong words when he introduced himself to his newborn sons 16 months ago. But as he peered that day into three incubators at North Shore University Hospital's neonatal ward in Manhasset, N.Y., he said, "It's Daddy."
Kunken never imagined himself a husband, much less a parent. Paralyzed for 35 years, he can move only his head, right shoulder and left arm. But Kunken, 55, who despite his paralysis completed an undergraduate engineering degree at Cornell, a master's degree in psychological counseling and rehabilitation from Columbia University's Teachers College, and a law degree from Hofstra University, has achieved what he had believed impossible.
This weekend, the Rockville Centre, N.Y., resident will celebrate his second Father's Day with his wife, Anna, and their triplets, Timmy, Jimmy and Joey.
"I still have to pinch myself every day," Ken Kunken said. "It's the best. The absolute best."
This article, written by Jennifer Maloney Newsday, appeared in the June 17th, 2006 publication of The Canton Rep.Published Tuesday, Jun. 20, 2006