For my Father & Hero: Thiet - Help Him Beat Cancer

In August of 2020, I found out that my father has Stage 4 Lung Cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer, Adenocarcinoma of the lung. 

This was devastating news for my 5 sisters and I.

I had plans to temporarily close my shop down for a bit to go work in Saigon, Vietnam, but instead I packed up all my belongings in my truck and made my way to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where my father lives.

I'm currently his primary caregiver, helping with his medications, taking him to Chemotherapy, and Immunotherapy sessions. I've never seen my father so weak and tired. He's always been so strong, helped me with whatever I needed, and has always been there for me. This has been a huge change for me and our entire family.


A little about Thiet, my dad:

His whole life he's had a hard life. He was born in Vietnam, was the oldest of his 9 siblings. He worked on a fishing boat as a kid with my Grandpa and his brothers. It wasn't an easy job. My dad signed up for the South Vietnamese Army at 16. He had 3 daughters  to take care of with my mom at 21 years of age.

When the Vietnam War was going on through the 60's/70's, the U.S. came over to aid the South Vietnamese Army in their fight against the communists. My dad was trained to be a para-trooper, part of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), Airborne Division. He was shot in the stomach, almost left for dead. He was captured two times as a POW, and he escaped the jail the second time and went incognito to find his family. 

He eventually found them, and with the help of my grandpa, uncles, and aunts, they secretly fixed up a fishing boat to escape Vietnam. Their boat made it out into the Pacific ocean and almost capsized due to a storm. But luckily a freight ship seen their boat and rescued them.

My father was sponsored by an American church to help him find a job, and he chose to go to Grand Rapids, Michigan. There he worked for 25+ years as a welder for Benteler Automotive. He came to the U.S. with almost nothing, as did all my uncles and aunts. But today, he somehow managed to raise 6 kids, providing for us the whole way.

He's been in-and-out of the hospital countless times. He's currently getting Chemo, Radiation, and Immunotherapy treatment from MetroHealth (University of Michigan) Cancer Center.

My parents are both retired, and have been getting by on Social Security every month, and their Health Insurance and Medicare only cover so much. They pay for it out-of-pocket and are continuing to pay for medical costs and medication. 


I'm asking for them , because I know they would never ask their kids or their friends for financial help. But for everything my father has done for me... this pales in comparison. But it's one way that can ease their stress and worries of all the medical bills.

So, I'm asking my friends, my family, my clients, and strangers for any kind of donation you can make. And if you can't make a donation, please share my father's story.