In Loving Memory of Alice Chan
We are saddened to hear of the passing of our dear friend Nathan (Yao) Chan‘s mother Alice Chan yesterday on Christmas Eve.
This GoFundMe is in effort to help Nathan and his family with the arrangements they will need to give her a final farewell. Within hours of getting a positive COVID result on December 7, 2020, the family was calling 911 in response to Alice’s spiraling symptoms. She was admitted to the hospital, put on a ventilator, and tried her hardest to beat COVID. On Christmas Eve, a lung collapsed, and her fight came to a peaceful end as she crossed into Heaven. Not only did she become free of COVID, but also free of cancer.
Her medical battle dates back to 2014, when she was unexplainably falling and getting weaker. She was admitted to the hospital and enrolled in a rigorous in-patient physical/occupational therapy program. After being an A+ physical/occupational therapy patient for nearly 2 months, she found herself fully bed bound and diagnosed with Nasopharyngeal Cancer and Polymyositis. Not for a single moment did she ever get discouraged or lose faith. She channeled her relentless strength and fought to recovery with determination. In the initial year, she was able to recover enough to be discharged home, wheelchair bound. She then traveled to China with her husband, Ken, to seek eastern medical treatment. In a matter of 6 weeks, she came home stronger than ever. She continued to use every ounce of energy, not only to take care of herself, but also cook for the family, serve and meet the needs of her friends around her.
In 2020, she continued to battle cancer attending many medical appointments and treatment but the moment COVID was recognized in the states, she immediately looked for ways she could help. She’s sewn hundreds of masks to provide to those both near and far and also designed more styles of masks to fit the various needs. From the things that she has been through, you would think she was fragile, but her strength was masked behind her love of her family and community. She was relentless on making others around her a priority, and it manifests in the stories that are told about her.
Nathan: My mother worked 75 hours a week when I was young, she dedicated her life to ensuring everyone around her was comfortable. When she owned her own business, she took care of her employees, so much so, they became family. After her cancer, she was at home more often, and though she was on a feeding tube, she continued to cook for us even though she could not physically eat -- I did not understand the gravity of it till my dad mentioned it. She fought me to do laundry, to clean – she just wanted to take care of us, even while she was fighting for her life.
Alice’s selflessness, hard work, and strength is remembered by all who knew her, and we hope that through this outreach we will be able to help contribute in giving their family the proper send off. Thank you for your prayers and contribution.