Emergency Funds for Mr. and Mrs. Ko

Dear friends, family, and community members,

 

I've been following Mr. and Mrs. Ko's journey through their daughter and my friend Jieun. Mr. and Mrs. Ko immigrated to this country from South Korea 35 years ago to make a better life for their family. They worked hard every single day, doing backbreaking labor as laundry workers, deli owners, dry cleaners, high school lunch servers, and janitors, to make ends meet and serve their community. The Ko family is currently facing immense challenges. The past few years have been some of the most difficult the family has ever experienced. On July 1, 2020, Mr. Ko was diagnosed with Stage 3B Lung Adenocarcinoma. From August 2020 onwards, Mr. Ko has completed two rounds of chemotherapy (a total of 10 transfusions), two rounds of radiation (a total of 40 sessions), and one round of immunotherapy (a total of 24 transfusions). On November 1, 2021, the Ko family found out that Mr. Ko's cancer metastasized to his brain, advancing from Stage 3B to Stage 4. Because one of his brain tumors was wrapped around his auditory canal, which controls his hearing, facial mobility, and balance, Mr. Ko lost complete hearing in his right ear, and he is gradually beginning to lose mobility in the right side of his face. The Ko family has also been facing additional financial burdens that have been exacerbated by COVID-19. Before Mr. Ko had cancer, he and Mrs. Ko rented a space to run a dry cleaners business from an exploitative landlord. Their landlord ended up taking them to court, legally obligating them to pay $82,000 for back-rent plus fees and interest. This has had a devastating effect on their present circumstances, as they cannot receive approval for low-income housing until they pay their landlord. On top of fighting cancer, Mr. and Mrs. Ko are fighting a legal standstill where they are trapped by this $82,000 debt to their landlord. 

Jieun: Sometimes it feels like the hits will never stop. Sometimes it feels like it's not just a difficult season of life that will eventually end, but a new way of life that you'll never be able to escape. Fighting can look ordinary. Fighting can look like weakness. Sometimes it looks like confiding in a friend and asking for help. Sometimes fighting looks like giving yourself the space to grieve the life you thought you would have. It may not feel like it, but these are all victories as worthy of celebration. Surviving is the victory. Living is the victory.



Let’s support Mr. and Mrs. Ko through their journey of facing challenges head-on and claiming victories. Thanks for your support :) 

Mel