By Assunta Ng
It’s unusual for Asian Americans to share a lot about themselves when meeting with strangers. We met a television journalist from San Francisco outside the elevator of the Mandalay Bay Hotel, where the convention was held.
Within minutes, he disclosed that he once had Hepatitis. It’s carried in his family.
He said many Asian Americans, including his uncle, didn’t want to tell people that they had the disease. As a result, his uncle passed away.
“It is curable,” he said. “You just have to let people know.”
After being on medication for a month, he was cured.
I remember the same story when I read Eric Liu’s book, “The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker” about his father’s refusal to let people know that he was on dialysis. A lesson to Asian Americans, there is no shame in being sick or having an illness. Don’t just keep the burden all to yourself. The sooner you get treatment, the better. (end)
