Xovfong's Funeral

My father's name is Xovfong Xavier Lee, and was only 43 years old when he unfortunately passed away. My father was always a fighter, and never gave up no matter how ill he was. My father was born in Laos and came to the United States when he escaped from the Vietnam War. As my father had said,  his family came here with no money, nor any knowledge of the English language. America gave my father an opportunity to improve his life qualities by receiving a higher education which was almost impossible for him to do in Laos. My father graduated from Highland Park in 1997, and was able to go get his AAS in Electronics, and his Bachelor's in Business. In 2012, my father became ill with liver failure due to being exposed to chemicals during the CIA Secret War in Laos, during the Vietnam era. My father miraculously healed from his liver failure and didn't need to get a liver transplant anymore.  My father found out about alternative medicine and has been getting treatments ever since then from Between the Bridges Healing Center/Dr. Jeff in Mankota, Minnesota. After healing from his liver failure, my parents opened up a grocery and deli in St. Paul, Minnesota. The shop was named by my father Ace BBQ & Market which my father was very proud of, we cooked and served mainly Hmong dishes and specialty roasted pigs. My father's business was going really well, and he even thought about expanding his business to other states as well to be able to serve everyone around the country. Unfortunately, my father was diagnosed with brain tumor and it had gotten really big which affected my father's health dramatically. My father decided to sell his business fearing that he may no longer be able to take care of it, and decided to focus on his health instead. My father went to Mayo Clinic to get his brain surgery done, and it was a success. My father woke up from surgery but could no longer work, which made me, his oldest daughter, Kalia the one in charge of taking care of the family. After my father's surgery, he was doing well again and making the most out of his life. We were able to spend time with my father, and go on a road trip to Chicago and California. Unfortunately, my father's health started to decline again after the summer of 2019. I had just graduated from High School, and my father was slowly starting to lose his ability to walk. My father slowly stopped riding his bike, stopped running, stopped doing Martial Arts, and any other activities that he loved and enjoyed doing. We found out from the doctors that my father's brain tumor was growing back since they weren't able to remove all of the tumor in his brain. My father started doing Chemo Therapy, and had to go to Physical Therapy as well. After my father's long battle, he was able to beat it again. He graduated from Physical Therapy and was able to walk without his cane again. My father was the happiest man when he started to do things he loved doing again, and never took life for granted. My father always loved going to the park and look at the beautiful sceneries, while he is also exercising his legs. The doctors even had good news for my father, his tumor was getting smaller. At this time, my father was trying out herbal medicines and herbal patches which we truly believed was what helped him the most. Sadly, my father's health started to decline again. His brain tumor was too aggressive and always caught up to my father no matter how hard he fought, or how much we tried to get rid of it. My father knew his time was coming to an end soon, so he wanted to enjoy as much time as possible with his family. He invested in a land in Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota and was working on building a cabin and chicken coop there since he loved raising his beautiful chickens. Every weekend, we would take my father up north to enjoy the sceneries and BBQ. In the month of April 2021, my father's health suddenly declined so much to the point that his left side just gave up on him. He started sleeping more than usual, and didn't have the energy to do anything anymore. My father was admitted to Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids on Tuesday April 20, 2021. There, the doctors told us that there was nothing that they could do to help my father since his brain tumor had taken over almost half of his brain. We were in shock and disbelief, and very sad to hear this. We decided to transfer my father to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota because that is where he receives all of his treatments and check-ups for his illness. My father arrived the next morning, and was admitted there. The doctors at Mayo Clinic told us the same thing, that there was nothing they could do to help my father anymore. His brain tumor was too aggressive, and would come back no matter what we did. My father was put on Life Support, and his whole family far and wide came to see him. We were able to spend our last moments with him, telling my father how much we loved him and all. My father was able to fight and though he wasn't able to talk to us, he made head gestures and hand movements to show that he understood us when we talked to him. This gave all of us hope, we prayed and prayed for my father to receive a miracle from the Creator. There was never a moment where I gave up on my father, and continued to pray that he would get better soon and be able to go back home with us. On April 23, 2021, the doctors decided to take off his life support. My father continued breathing on his own but it was very shallow, he fought his hardest and tried his best to stay with us. Sadly, his body was too weak to continue fighting and his brain tumor was too big for his brain to send signals to his body. My father took his last breath on April 24, 2021 around 12:30 A.M. Though his body is no longer with us, his memories and legacy will forever be with us in our hearts. My father was a very kind, and humble man. Anything my father ate, he would always save half for his kids or order another one for his relatives. My father loved Martial Arts, and Jiu Jitsu, and loved staying active. Although my father never saw any of his kids start their own lives, he would leave this world knowing that he was very loved by everyone and will continue to watch over all of us. My father was truly an inspiration to everyone, and will always be remembered by his hard work and dedication to life. I love you daddy, May you rest in peace. You are no longer in pain, and I hope we will meet again soon.