Medical costs and Funeral expenses for Ha Phan
Donation protected
As of February 16, 2021, I was told that my father may only have a few days left to live. His blood pressure is low, and his organs are failing. It has been a rough year, and COVID made it much harder.
_____________________________________________________
My father, Ha Phan, was born in Haiphong, Vietnam in 1964. For those that know him, he was a selfless, kind-hearted, and caring person that would not hesitate to help anyone. He went to college in Vietnam, where he received a full scholarship to study abroad. Eventually, he graduated and became a mechanic that fixed military ships. He used that opportunity to find a better life, and left his home and family in Vietnam.
As time passed, he studied in Czechoslovakia and Germany, where he met my mother and where I was born. He lived in Germany for 12 years and decided to move our family to America when I was 6. From then on, we immigrated to the United States and started all over.
He worked as a dishwasher, mechanic, and handy-man, before settling into construction. He worked as an independent construction worker but faced many obstacles due to his immigration status. My dad worked hard as a law-abiding refugee and paid his taxes, but he was never granted citizenship. So, he never received benefits.
He lived a simple life with little luxuries. When I was a kid, our best days were spent at the movie theater, followed by ice cream and walks around the mall. I will cherish those moments for the rest of my life, and I hope to do the same for my own children one day. He never asked for anything and only gave. My mother was never there for me, but I was blessed to have a perfect father figure in my life. I am the man I am today because of him.
Since he was not a U.S. citizen, he did not receive government assistance with his cancer treatment. The insurance premium was not affordable for him, so he ended up living paycheck to paycheck before COVID. When his health deteriorated, he became unable to work. Therefore, he had no income and exhausted his funds.
In May of 2020, my girlfriend noticed my dad’s lingering cough that had been going on for months and pushed him to seek medical care. He was then diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic colon cancer. My dad and I live separately and only see each other a few times out of the month. My biggest regret was not noticing it sooner.
We started him on chemotherapy immediately. Regardless of the costs, we just wanted him to get better. But, as many of us know, cancer is aggressive in nature and is not curable at late stages. Every treatment failed to slow the spread of his cancer, and we eventually ran out of treatment options. The cancer grew rapidly from his colon to his liver, both lungs, throat, kidney, and eventually his brain. His health deteriorated significantly within mere months. He went from being alert, aware, and conscious to being unable to drink, eat, walk, or even speak.
As of February 1, 2021, his doctors advised us to stop the treatment altogether to focus on keeping him comfortable before his inevitable passing at only 56-years-old.
As an only child with no family here in the United States, I am currently the only person he has to support him during this time.
With this funding, I would like to give my honest and hard-working father the farewell he deserves. I would like to let him rest at Oak Hill Funeral Home in San Jose and pay for his final expenses.
Thank you for reading, and please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
_____________________________________________________
My father, Ha Phan, was born in Haiphong, Vietnam in 1964. For those that know him, he was a selfless, kind-hearted, and caring person that would not hesitate to help anyone. He went to college in Vietnam, where he received a full scholarship to study abroad. Eventually, he graduated and became a mechanic that fixed military ships. He used that opportunity to find a better life, and left his home and family in Vietnam.
As time passed, he studied in Czechoslovakia and Germany, where he met my mother and where I was born. He lived in Germany for 12 years and decided to move our family to America when I was 6. From then on, we immigrated to the United States and started all over.
He worked as a dishwasher, mechanic, and handy-man, before settling into construction. He worked as an independent construction worker but faced many obstacles due to his immigration status. My dad worked hard as a law-abiding refugee and paid his taxes, but he was never granted citizenship. So, he never received benefits.
He lived a simple life with little luxuries. When I was a kid, our best days were spent at the movie theater, followed by ice cream and walks around the mall. I will cherish those moments for the rest of my life, and I hope to do the same for my own children one day. He never asked for anything and only gave. My mother was never there for me, but I was blessed to have a perfect father figure in my life. I am the man I am today because of him.
Since he was not a U.S. citizen, he did not receive government assistance with his cancer treatment. The insurance premium was not affordable for him, so he ended up living paycheck to paycheck before COVID. When his health deteriorated, he became unable to work. Therefore, he had no income and exhausted his funds.
In May of 2020, my girlfriend noticed my dad’s lingering cough that had been going on for months and pushed him to seek medical care. He was then diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic colon cancer. My dad and I live separately and only see each other a few times out of the month. My biggest regret was not noticing it sooner.
We started him on chemotherapy immediately. Regardless of the costs, we just wanted him to get better. But, as many of us know, cancer is aggressive in nature and is not curable at late stages. Every treatment failed to slow the spread of his cancer, and we eventually ran out of treatment options. The cancer grew rapidly from his colon to his liver, both lungs, throat, kidney, and eventually his brain. His health deteriorated significantly within mere months. He went from being alert, aware, and conscious to being unable to drink, eat, walk, or even speak.
As of February 1, 2021, his doctors advised us to stop the treatment altogether to focus on keeping him comfortable before his inevitable passing at only 56-years-old.
As an only child with no family here in the United States, I am currently the only person he has to support him during this time.
With this funding, I would like to give my honest and hard-working father the farewell he deserves. I would like to let him rest at Oak Hill Funeral Home in San Jose and pay for his final expenses.
Thank you for reading, and please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
Organizer
Mike Phan
Organizer
San Jose, CA