She had been battling cancer of the esophagus and lungs. After getting an infection in the first days of radiation treatment, she opted for palliative care which focused on improving her quality of life spent with family in her remaining days. She passed away without pain, and with love surrounded by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Torn was born on January 20, 1940 in Takeo Province of Cambodia to Sar Nuon (father) and Prey Hin (mother). She was the youngest of 10 children. She moved to Phnom Penh, and met Kang Marn who taught the Pali language; the primary language of Buddhist text. She married Kang in 1969. There was a lot of political unrest in Cambodia at this time. Kang was drafted into the civil war in 1972, and Torn never saw or heard from him again. In 1980, Torn fled Cambodia and arrived at a refugee camp in Thailand. The next year on August 31, Torn came to the United States of America to live with her nephew.
In America, Torn helped raise her nephew’s three children, and her niece’s two sons. They all called her “Yeay” or grandma. The grandchildren didn’t even know she wasn’t their biological grandma until they reached adulthood. It didn’t matter to them. Even as adults, Torn always made sure they were all well fed. Torn was also very active in the Cambodian Buddhist community of the greater Seattle area. She was a devout Buddhist nun and regularly attended services at local temples.
When she was diagnosed with cancer on May 9, 2019, her nephew, niece, grandchildren and their spouses took turns to help take care of her 24 hours a day at home. The hospice center saw how much effort the family put in to take care of Torn. After 5 weeks of home care, the hospice center offered to admit Torn to receive more advanced attentive care and to give the family much needed rest. Still, the family stayed by her side the whole time at the hospice center until her passing.
Torn will be greatly missed by her loved ones and friends. We love you, Yeay.
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