Hi everyone, 

My name is Alessa (Nessa) Saengyothinh and my father is Sanone. I am writing you this letter on behalf of my father. He was a refugee from Thailand when he was 20 years old. He was forced to leave the only home he knew to hopefully find peace in the United States. For the last 35+ years, that is exactly what he has done. My father is the hardest working person I have ever known. Every choice he has made has always been because of his family. He has never been a heavy drinker or smoker. He chooses to spend his free time actively playing sports and working on his health. Additionally, everything in the home that needs to be fixed or renovated, my father takes the time to learn it on his own and complete the tasks. He never asks us or anyone for help. 

(Constructing our patio himself)

(Photo from March 2016: Spending time with his brother for the first time in over 30 years after learning about my uncle’s diagnosis.)

(Photos from March 2017: After Gallbladder & Liver Surgery) 

In February 2017, my father’s older brother passed away from gallbladder cancer. This was very unexpected and came very sudden. Shortly after his funeral, my dad decided to get a routine check-up and scan for his gallbladder as well. Unfortunately, the diagnosis did not turn out well. In 2017, his doctor decided to surgically remove half of his liver. Then, my dad proceeded to aggressively go through seven rounds of chemotherapy in less than two years. His last round of chemotherapy was December 2018. For the first time in a long time, our family was able to let out a small breath of relief. For 2019, my dad focused on building his strength physically, emotionally and mentally again.

(July 2019 Grand Canyon)

Now a little over a year after the good news, we are here today. A few days ago, my father went in for his routine annual CT scan. Unfortunately, through the scans, the doctor discovered a new tumor that is aggressive and rapidly growing. This new tumor is almost completely obstructing his colon. The doctor is urging to schedule surgery as soon as possible. (Next Wednesday, February 19th) If this tumor completely blocks his colon, this will then cause the colon to burst leading to emergency surgery and an even higher risk of complications.  

(Now) 

As I stated above, my father is the hardest working man and every choice he makes is because of our family. He wants to wait to do surgery until he knows he will be granted time off work. My father is the main provider for our family and is fearful this medical emergency will put a financial hardship on my mother and as well as the rest of the family. Sadly, his insurance will not cover 100% of the his medical expenses. While we have urged him this surgery must happen ASAP, he is stubborn to a fault. He wants to make sure his family is taken care of financially first.

My father isn’t just a dad. He is a devoted husband, a wonderful son, a supportive brother, a fun uncle, and most importantly the best and most loving grandpa to my 3-year-old son.




On behalf of my dad and my family, we ask for prayers and any amount of donation. All prayers and any amount will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Saengyothinh Family