by Isabella Nguyen
from Glen Mills, Pennsylvania in United States
My grandfather is my hero. His courage and sacrifice gave our family a future.
After the Fall of Saigon in 1975, he lost everything—his farm, his livelihood, and his freedom. With no way to support his wife and eight children, he risked everything to escape by boat.
On July 15, 1988, after five failed attempts, he set sail with some of his family and friends facing border police, starvation, and pirates. Miraculously, they survived, reaching Malaysia, then the Philippines, before finally arriving in America.
Determined to reunite his family, he worked tirelessly as a house painter in Philadelphia, saving every dollar.
On March 7, 1993, he stood at the airport, arms open, as his wife and children stepped off the plane—the moment he had been waiting for.
His sacrifice is our family’s greatest blessing. Because of him, we have a future.
