My Elephant Skin
By Michelle Kaiser

Prologue

Now in my twilight years, I find myself reflecting on my life. I feel as if I am standing on a mountain peak, looking down into a valley where the past is rolling by. The view is clear and filled with insight.

I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. My well-to-do family sheltered me with abundance and luxury. Then one day it all came to an end. Love and happiness were replaced by sorrow and tragedy.

My mother died of breast cancer before my sixth birthday. My father’s body was never found after he fell into a deep gorge while mountain climbing. I was barely ten years old at the time.

Shortly after the war broke out, Grandfather arranged for me and my little sister to live with a family in Mondsee, Upper Austria. This was a good move because our home and family business were destroyed by bombs in 1944. Luckily Grandfather had died before the bombings.

After the war we went to live with our only remaining paternal relative, our father’s brother. Little did we know that he would torture us and give us terrible beatings that would injure our spines. There was no one to help us. At eleven years of age I had to develop ways to survive.

I came up with an imaginary coat of armor that I called my elephant skin. It gave me mental strength, stubbornness and a streak of defiance. But tragedy struck again when my weakened spine collapsed after the birth of my children. The surgical skills of two London, Ontario doctors saved me from becoming permanently crippled, and my elephant skin would not let me give up and die. These surgeons made me able to walk again.

I am sharing these experiences in the hope that they can give anyone in a similar situation the strength and determination to persevere as I did. This is my true story.

Read a Sample Chapter from My Elephant Skin

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this book to my beloved children: my first born, Brian, and Bebe, my darling daughter and special friend. Your nostalgia carries on the tradition, heritage, and treasured legacy of our families.

I feel inspired to tell you of my love for my family, our historical background, and where your parents came from so that it can be remembered forever in your hearts and in the hearts of your children.

While this book talks of the terrors of war, personal tortures, and suffering, I also want it to tell about the eternal love that your father and I have held for each other, ever since our first meeting many years ago.

A special dedication goes out to my beloved younger sister, Elizabeth Charlotte, who was at my side throughout our childhood horrors.

And last, but not least, my thoughts are always with my mother, Josefine, who is in Heaven. I believe that she truly is my guardian angel and protects me in all walks of my life. I am convinced that she arranged for me to meet your father on that special December morning.

Valhalla Publishing invites readers to send their comments to valhallapublishing@sympatico.ca