In chapter 13 Lia returns to MCMC to be examined again. The doctors let the Lee family perform more traditional medicine and the relationship between the doctors and the Lee’s improve because of this. The doctors are more understanding because they believe that Lia will die soon. The Lees’s ask to have Lia released, and they allow it because they think that Lia will die quickly. Nao Kao believes this is a threat against Lia and nearly assaults a nurse trying to escape the hospital. Eventually, Lia and her family leave the hospital. I thought that the doctors in this chapter were very insensitive and harmful the Lee family. They told the Lee’s that Lia was going to die soon and even Dr. Neil could not come to check on Lia. I thought that this insensitive and goes against the ethics of being a doctor. Dr. Neil should have visited, and they should have been more sensitive about explaining Lia’s situation to her family. The doctors have had trouble communicating with the Lee’s before and should have learned from previous experience and should have had a more thorough explanation and explained it in terms that the Lee’s could understand and not feel threatened. If I was in this position and one of my relatives was sick, and the doctor could not come and check in on them and were telling me that they were going to die soon without explaining the options and putting it into terms I could understand I would be agitated. I think they could have handled this situation much better and avoid a lot of misunderstanding.
Chapter 14 begins with the Lee family arriving in America in Portland, Oregon. The family immediately experiences a culture shock. The Hmong’s immigration was very different than the European immigration process. I thought it was fascinating how the Hmong’s didn’t have the same opportunities and the European immigrants. European immigrant take classes and eventually assimilate into American culture. The Hmongs don’t have equal opportunities and also don’t seem to want to assimilate especially the older generation. The US-born Hmong’s want to assimilate and blend into American culture but can’t seem to because of past racisms and the difficult challenge to fit into America as an immigrant
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