nygdom

Unconditional Love

Tonight my parents came over for dinner, it’s not any special occasion, but rather just wanting to spend time with them. My parents are now in their 70’s, and my mom was recently confirmed to have moderate dementia. I hear stories from others who had the experience of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’sContinue reading “Unconditional Love”

Gratitude

It’s been a few months since I posted here, but thought that today was an appropriate day to share about my gratitude. I was sitting in my class tonight discussing the difference between linear and logistic regression (still have no idea what that all means), when I looked down at my clock wondering how muchContinue reading “Gratitude”

Lessons Learned

Throughout my journey of recovery, there have been moments when I would question myself as to what my purpose is and whether I have what it takes to accomplish that purpose. For the past 3 semesters, I have been in a doctoral program at USC wondering if I am “good enough” to be here. MyContinue reading “Lessons Learned”

Peace’s Story

“Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” — Dalai Lama I am second generation Chinese, born in Orange County, California. My parents were both born in China around the time of World War II. Both of their families moved to Taiwan during the aftermath of the war, and both my parentsContinue reading “Peace’s Story”

Hope, Transformation, and Healing

I was born in Macau, which is China today, about 60 years ago. I grew up there with the Jesuit Priests at an all-boys school. At 14 years of age I was adopted by a couple and brought to the U.S. I was raised in Long Beach, California, which I proudly call my hometown. AtContinue reading “Hope, Transformation, and Healing”

Saving Face vs. Saving Lives

Substance abuse, drug addiction, chemical dependency, Substance Use Disorder…the way that addiction to substances have been labeled has changed over time, but what appears to have stayed the same is the stigma behind the labels. For Asian and Pacific Islanders (API), this stigma takes it a step further as cultural norms of “saving face” preventContinue reading “Saving Face vs. Saving Lives”

Influencing Public Discourse

It seems pretty rare for Asian and Pacific Islander (API) families and communities to talk openly about substance use (drugs and alcohol) and Substance Use Disorders (addiction). In order to reduce the stigma for those who have an addiction, there needs to be some conversation about this. If we as API continue to hide theContinue reading “Influencing Public Discourse”