From South Vietnam to Wichita Falls clinic
By Ann Work, Times Record News, Wichita Falls, Texas | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The Clinics of
The well-to-do
"We left everything behind. We had 45 minutes, just time to gather some clothing. My father had
The family was fortunate to be flown out of the country instead of escaping by boat as others did -- a perk of his father's job with the U.S. government's intelligence community.
Two days later, on
"If we had stayed in
Proof of that is Nguyen's uncle, who remained behind and was forced into a re-education camp for nine years. "If my dad had stayed, he would have been killed," he said.
What happened next is what built America's reputation as the land of opportunity.
The immigrant family with six children -- and with only the father speaking English -- ultimately turned out an orthodontist, a dentist, a pharmacist, a radiologist (Nguyen), a homemaker and an insurance salesman.
In
The family stayed briefly in
The charity set them up in an 800-square-foot house with one bathroom.
"We were happy. We were still together," Nguyen said.
The first task was learning English.
Today, Nguyen speaks fluent English, Vietnamese, Spanish and some French.
At 15 he attended school in a special program for English learners. "It was swim or die," he said. "I flunked the first two world history tests because it took me an hour to read one page."
He remembers his meticulous study sessions every night after that, copying down words from his readings that he didn't know, then looking them up.
He dreamed of pursuing a medical career, a desire awakened by watching his mother, who had worked as a midwife in
One day he mentioned his career ambition to his father, then a laborer with Stratoflex in
"He told me it was extremely hard to get into medical school in America -- that sometimes generation after generation of families tried and were unable to make it. He also said we didn't have the money."
His father's advice galvanized him to begin earning money for his future.
"Just to prove him wrong, I went to
The high school student worked daily from
Eventually, he graduated magna cum laude from
Today he brushes off that early zeal for education. "In my situation, we have no choice but to learn," he said.
Nguyen earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from
Like many medical students, he initially wanted to be "a hot shot surgeon," considered the top tier of medical specialties where you could "cure everyone," he said. But after three months of a surgery rotation, he observed a world of Type A personalities and a work environment he remembers as "not nice."
By contrast, his exposure to radiology introduced him to residents and staff who exuded a happiness and satisfaction with their work that he found appealing.
"I'm very satisfied with my career choice," he said.
Today a call from Nguyen to the referring physician is usually bad news because it means that his reading of prescribed X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, sonograms, upper GIs or biopsies has caused concern.
Nguyen was working in a
"Within six months, I could argue with her in Spanish," he said.
Today the couple have a daughter, Leilani, who attends fifth grade at
The family moved to
Everywhere he looked, trees and grass were brown -- but people were friendly, and the
She visited
"OK, we're moving!" he said.
Still, when they were unpacking in 110-degree heat, he couldn't resist observing, "Honey, we've moved from heaven to hell."
They've acclimated now and find the calm, relaxing small-town atmosphere the perfect fit.
Not long ago he returned to
The experience was eye-opening to his daughter, who learned a new appreciation for her life in
America has been Nguyen's adopted homeland for decades now, and he said Americans have always treated him well, with no incidents of discrimination -- ever.
The entire family is proud to call America home.
"This is truly the land of opportunity," he said. "You have to work hard for it. But if you work hard for it, you'll succeed."
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