She was born and raised in a remote village of Đai Nghĩa, Đại Lộc Quảng Nam Vietnam.
At 23, Miss. Dang, from a well-to-do family, left behind her youth, married and departed from her cherished village.
As a wife, daughter-in-law and mother; a journey began. A journey of duties, responsibilities and sacrifices she wasn’t adequately primed for. Although, the roads were long, rugged, and winding, she withstood in silence and tears as she reached her milestones, one after another.
The toughest time began after 1975. Together, her father-in-law, husband and seven children left in such a hurry for a safer location and never returned. Having lost everything and considered as second–class citizens in their own country, life was so challenging. A family of ten huddled in a hut less than 100 square feet. Luckily, the sewing machine she brought along was the only source of income for survival. In an open market along the street, she set up a little stand to alter old clothes for a living. It wasn’t much; some days she would come home with empty hands and the family went to bed on empty stomachs. In the dark of the night, she bit her teeth and cried. No future was foreseen.
Her father very often came to visit her and her family. He encouraged them, providing mental and financial support. Without his assistance, life would be impossible to sustain.
After several attempts and jail time, her first son left the country in 1984. Her husband was jailed from 1985 to 1988, and two of five her daughters left for Hong Kong in 1989. The family was broken in pieces.
Life breathed easier after her first son came to America in 1987. After several years of paperwork and waiting, she and her husband arrived in the USA in 1994. Her youngest daughter followed in 2004. She was so excited that she couldn’t sleep the night before coming to San Francisco Airport for her daughter. Then, a son and his family joined her in 2005, and another daughter and her family arrived in 2007. She was so blissful.
Signs of Alzheimer’s disease slowly showed in 2017. At the end, children and grandchildren clung to her bedsides, gripping her hands, in sorrow and tears as they watched her slowly draw her last breath at home.
“Con cài bông hoa trắng
Dành cho mẹ đóa hồng
Mẹ nhớ gài lên ngực
Ngoại chờ bên kia sông…”
Đỗ Hồng Ngọc
Our beloved mother was such a wonderful one. She would trade anything she has for her children’s happiness. She involved in her grandchildren’s lives since they were babies and patiently waited for their successful stories.
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