Frida Kahlo was an extraordinary woman whose many tragedies influenced her to put her stories into her paintings. She was born on July 6, 1907 to a Roman Catholic Mexican mother of Indian and Spanish descent and a German photographer father. Frida had three sisters, Mitilde and Adriana, who were older and Cristina who was younger. He learned about Mexican history, art and architecture by looking at his father's photography. When Frida was six years old she fell ill with polio and it was a long time before she fully recovered. After surviving polio, Frida's right leg became weak and thin, so her father encouraged her to play sports to help her. Frida was a very intelligent girl even though she missed many lessons due to polio. He had a photographic memory and learned to speak Spanish, English and German. She was so intelligent that her parents enrolled her in the National Preparatory School in Mexico City. It was here that he would eventually meet Diego Rivera, famous for his murals. Frida watched him work on his mural at her school. After school one day in September, he took a bus home from Mexico City to Coyoacin. This is the day that will change her life forever. The bus he was on was hit by a tram and the bus was crushed. One of the armrests of the bus seat went through Frida's side and out of her genitals. She was taken to hospital by ambulance and doctors didn't think she would survive. Frida's spine and many other bones were broken and shattered. She was no longer able to attend school to become a doctor because the accident disabled her. She would remain in hospital for a month with her body completely in plaster. When Frida finally returned home to heal, her body was still completely in casts. Unfortunately, her bones would… middle of paper… It was 1953. Frida was told she wasn't healthy enough to go to the exhibit, but she was having none of that. He had his bed taken to the tunnel and traveled by ambulance to get there. She continued to paint after the exhibition, and in July 1954 Frida died of ill health. His paintings remain splendid masterpieces to this day. Frida was an extraordinary artist and a courageous woman. Despite all the pain and tragedy she went through during her life, she managed to stay strong and follow her dreams of becoming a famous artist and painter. She was a beautiful, incredible artist with so much creativity and heart. To see such raw emotion come from someone who has been through hell and back, she remained true to herself. I wish I had half the passion she had for life. (Fabiny) Works Cited Fabiny, Sarah. Who is Frida Kahlo? New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 2013.