Tran Family Assistance Fund

In a time when so many people are hurting and losing loved ones, our family is no different. This past week, we lost my cousin, Duc Tran at the young age of 50 years old to the coronavirus. 

Duc and Lieu immigrated to America in 2010 hoping to find a better opportunity for their daughters, Minh and Anh, to do their best.  The girls were only 4 and 6.  When they first moved to America, they did not speak any English. It was very hard to find work in Chicago where we have family, so they ended up in Sioux City, Iowa, finding work at the Tyson plant, because they could do that without having to learn a new language. They started working immediately and have been serving and working as hard as they could since that time.  They were able to save enough money to put down payments on a 2 BR, 1 B home and vehicles - chipping away slowly at the American dream.  Their lives are devoted to their girls, hoping to give them every opportunity to succeed and excel in school.  More on that later. 

Duc was an extremely hard working husband and father.  After work, the routine would be the same.  Come home, clean up, eat dinner, hang for a bit, and then head to bed.  He would tuck the girls in each night and make sure their homework was completed.  At the heart of every immigrant family is the desire for their kids to make the most of the opportunities before them and Duc and Lieu knew that started with their education.

He and his wife, Lieu, both worked at Tyson, and both contracted the coronavirus. When people started getting sick at the plant, and the plant was not closed down, my cousin knew that he had to keep working. Not working was not an option for their family. 

On Saturday, April 18th, he went to the nurse to get permission to miss work because he felt extremely sick. 

On the 24th, he was having trouble breathing and was rushed to the hospital. As is the protocol in most hospitals in America right now, none of the family could enter the hospital with him. This was the last time they would get to see him in person. 15 minutes after they dropped him off, they got a call from the hospital staff saying that Duc was in critical condition and was being rushed to the ICU.  He was barely able to breathe on his own. They sedated him and put him on a ventilator. On the 25th, it was confirmed that he had Coronavirus.  They assumed as much since so many people at the plant getting the virus.  Lieu, his wife, also contracted the virus, but her symptoms were not severe enough to be admitted into the hospital. She stayed home their their two daughters and is still trying to recover.

Most days, Lieu and her daughters were able to FaceTime with Duc. They did not know if he could hear them since he was heavily sedated, but the nurses were kind enough to put his phone on speaker and hope that he was listening somehow. At one point, the medical staff thought he was progressing and getting better.  Sadly, on the morning of May 12th, the family received the news that Duc had passed away. His body just could not fight off the effects of the virus any longer. 

My family has been devastated by this news, and I have personally been racking my brain in order to figure out how to help. I know that financial help is what they really need most, and that is why I'm making this GoFundMe.

This story may not hit you hard, like it has hit me. I know that so many people are suffering now, and it can be challenging to relate. For me, this story has broken my heart into a million pieces. It's broken my heart, not only because they are my family, but because when I think about Minh and Anh, I know that they are just one generation behind my bother and I.  We are the same.  Both girls are funny and kind and hard working. The most important thing to them is the American dream.  Working hard in school, graduating and finding work that will support their families and make their parents proud.

Anh is 14 years old is an artist, who loves Korean music and drawing. She told me that when her friends are struggling, she is drawn to them. She has a heart to help others with their emotions and wants to be a psychologist when she grows up.  Both Anh and her sister Minh are in a gifted program at their school called TAG.

Minh is 16 years old, is ranked sixth in her class of over 500, and has been working to earn her drivers permit. Her father had been teaching her to drive. She likes K-Pop, Korean dramas, skincare, and makeup. She loves kids and wants to be a child life psychologist. One of the last times Minh talked to her father, she had begged him to get better soon because she didn't think she could handle the responsibilities that would fall on her. For Minh, she is having to grow up and take on the responsibilities of an adult much sooner than expected.  I can relate to this in so many ways growing up.

They had just over $4,000 in their bank account before the cremation costs came in at $3,400. They had to pay for half of that before he was cremated, one day after he had passed. After they pay bills, they will only have a few hundred dollars left to live on. In their family, they both needed to work to keep up with the cost of living.  Since he was in the hospital, he only received one paycheck. Lieu, will be paid until June 1st, and after that, they are unsure how they will make it.  Even after she goes back to work, they will need to figure out a new way to make enough to survive.  Without additional life insurance, as he was enrolled in the basic $20k plan, expenses are taking a toll. We are working with them to figure out the best next steps, but we know that this financial gift is the biggest need.  Lieu knows she has to return to Tyson, but is disheartened knowing people are still getting sick.

We are putting this story out there so that we can help raise even more support than we are able to give. If you are able, please join us in giving financially to my cousin's family. Please pray for them as well.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this and for praying and giving.  

David Ly & Family


**If you want to, you may select 0% donation to GoFund by selecting other.