Sharing Her Fighting Spirit : Sue L . Nguyen
Educator , adventurer , world traveler , sister , daughter , friend , businesswoman , and most of all — fighter . Sue L . Nguyen was all of these things to her family . When diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in 2010 , she fought the disease the same way she fought many other challenges throughout her life – with determination and strength .
“ She characterized herself as a strong , independent woman ,” says niece Glenda Lee . “ It was important for her to not let this illness define her and what she could do .”
Born in 1937 , Sue and her family lived in northern Vietnam , but were forced to flee south in the political chaos of 1954 when the Geneva Accord divided their homeland in half . The family moved from Hanoi and ultimately to Saigon , where Sue ’ s father encouraged her and her six siblings to pursue careers . Like many young women at that time , however , Sue ’ s options were limited — she could become either a teacher or a nurse .
She chose to be a teacher ; in 1960 she received a full scholarship to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale . Sue became the first woman in her family to go abroad to study and the first person in her family to come to the United States . Her brother , Binh Nguyen , and sister , Bich Nguyen , remember that Sue wanted more .
“ She was always a dreamer ,” says Bich .
Bright , ambitious , and fluent in three languages , Sue spent the next several years after college traveling the world using her talents . In 1964 , she moved to Sydney , Australia to work as a radio broadcaster for the Australian Broadcasting Company . From there , she taught French at a middle school in Illinois , studied French literature at the Sorbonne in Paris , trained in Geneva , Switzerland to be a translator , and taught Vietnamese to advisors for the U . S . Armed Forces in El Paso .
When Saigon , Vietnam fell in 1975 , much of her family was scattered around the globe in France , Switzerland , Canada , and a refuge resettlement camp in Fort Chaffee , Arkansas . It was Sue , then living in Singapore , who set about finding her family , ensuring they were safe and using her connections to reunite them .
Sue eventually settled in Houston and began her decades-long career with the Houston Independent School District , first as an ESL teacher and then as a student counselor . After retiring in 2008 , she experienced a nagging cough , and was diagnosed with a cold by her doctor . However , when she developed a pain on her left side , her doctor suggested a chest X-ray and then a series of tests , which revealed she had an advanced stage of cancer .
She sought cancer treatment at ( what is now ) Baylor St . Luke ’ s Medical Center , and was impressed with the level of compassion and expertise shown by her care team .
“ The family chose Baylor St . Luke ’ s because they keep with the ideals that Sue lived by — persevering to build knowledge , advocating for those who needed help , and working hard to make the world a better place ,” said Lee .
When Sue passed away in September 2011 , Bich was determined to follow through on her sister ’ s wish for a legacy at CHI St . Luke ’ s Health and today , generous gifts from the Sue L . Nguyen estate have funded cancer research , a tissue and tumor bank , and most recently , a hot lab to store radioactive medications for cancer treatment . Sue lives on as a true example of compassion and love .
“ Compassion needs to go hand-in-hand with fighting cancer ,” Bich said . “ Sue , with her humble contributions to the world , is a model for sowing the seeds of compassion in all directions .”
15