Support for the Tsai Family
Donation protected
In Remembrance of Chou K Tsai and Support for the Tsai Family
My father, Chou K Tsai was born in the year 1938 in Taiwan during the time when the country was occupied during World War II. He grew up in a farming village near the western region of Taiwan (Taichung City). His parents were farmers and he had many siblings. It was a struggle to survive especially since their land, and not to mention their country, as a whole was seized by their invaders. The family had sunken into poverty, and it was difficult to receive the proper care and medication for my father when he had gotten sick with a high fever. His fever got worse, and without the ability to purchase medication, the sickness developed into Polio, which took away the strength and muscle out of one of his legs. With only one strong leg to stand on, he went to work to provide for his family at an early age. He decided to quit high school to work at a restaurant to help support his family. That is where my dad developed his cooking skills.
Because of his childhood, my dad was driven to create a better future for his children, wanting them to have the best opportunities in life. So, when I was born in 1982, he decided to sell his restaurant in the country of Jordan, and moved my family to the United States, where I grew up most of my life. My father worked almost every day at a restaurant driving to Thousand Oaks, which was an hour and a half commute one-way.
My dad was a fighter, and such a hard worker. He fought to provide for his family, making sure that there was food on the table for my mums, little sister, and me, and a roof over our heads. He fought every moment he could. In 2001, his good leg gave out, and he had to undergo hip replacement surgery. After that he could not work anymore and was forced to retire, living under government support.
There was a lot of adversity in my dad’s life. He had to face betrayal in restaurant partnership gone bad in 1996, where he never financially recovered, to fighting his physical pain from a hip replacement that didn’t seem to heal, to depression caused by the loss of his wife, my mums, to suicidal death in 2014. My father never complained, even though here was a lot of struggle. I believe he had grown accustomed to the hardship of his life, but I know that he still loved us very much.
In 2019, my father gave me his blessing to marry my then fiancée, Hannah, who lives in the Eastern part Asia. So, we traveled to her hometown to celebrate our marriage with her big family, who resides in the northwestern part of Asia. I had plans of returning home, but because of the COVID outbreak in our region, we were forced to go into government sanctioned quarantine. We were not allowed to leave our apartment, let alone the country… I could not come back home, also Hanna and I were expecting! Weeks turned in to months, and the U.S continued to restrict travel. I spoke to my father almost every day, sharing about my life in a new country under quarantine, and my excitement of becoming a father. My father was so excited to become a grandfather!
In July, my father was hospitalized, and then taken to a rehabilitation center. I believe my father had grown accustomed to being alone and being in the rehabilitation center caused him a lot of anxiety. He refused to stay and he decided to go home where he felt the most comfortable. My daughter was born on July 6, 2020, a day later, my father passed away…
My fondest moments of my dad was always been him driving us around town in the city of Angels, where I developed my sense of direction. Traveling with my dad allowed me to explore many different places and not get lost. We even moved across the country once! We moved to the East Coast where we spent a year living in Atlanta, Georgia and then to Chattanooga, Tennessee. My mind was opened to the world, allowing me to think deeper, and have a little more imagination. I even learned how to develop a strong mind and strong work ethic from my father. I appreciated everything my father was able to do for me.
Now, I'm urgently asking you for support, due to my dad‘s sudden passing, I’m finding myself in financial need. My father left a lot things in his apartment, and I need help to cover the cost of moving and storage, as I am still stuck overseas. The financial support will help cover his funeral services for cremation, the cost of treatment for my sister who is in a mental health rehabilitation center, and any unforeseen challenges that may occur. I'm hoping to raise the funds within the next two months.
It has been difficult in trying to coordinate everything overseas, but I am grateful for all the support I’m getting from my friends back home. Please any support you can give will be greatly appreciated. Thank you !
My father, Chou K Tsai was born in the year 1938 in Taiwan during the time when the country was occupied during World War II. He grew up in a farming village near the western region of Taiwan (Taichung City). His parents were farmers and he had many siblings. It was a struggle to survive especially since their land, and not to mention their country, as a whole was seized by their invaders. The family had sunken into poverty, and it was difficult to receive the proper care and medication for my father when he had gotten sick with a high fever. His fever got worse, and without the ability to purchase medication, the sickness developed into Polio, which took away the strength and muscle out of one of his legs. With only one strong leg to stand on, he went to work to provide for his family at an early age. He decided to quit high school to work at a restaurant to help support his family. That is where my dad developed his cooking skills.
Because of his childhood, my dad was driven to create a better future for his children, wanting them to have the best opportunities in life. So, when I was born in 1982, he decided to sell his restaurant in the country of Jordan, and moved my family to the United States, where I grew up most of my life. My father worked almost every day at a restaurant driving to Thousand Oaks, which was an hour and a half commute one-way.
My dad was a fighter, and such a hard worker. He fought to provide for his family, making sure that there was food on the table for my mums, little sister, and me, and a roof over our heads. He fought every moment he could. In 2001, his good leg gave out, and he had to undergo hip replacement surgery. After that he could not work anymore and was forced to retire, living under government support.
There was a lot of adversity in my dad’s life. He had to face betrayal in restaurant partnership gone bad in 1996, where he never financially recovered, to fighting his physical pain from a hip replacement that didn’t seem to heal, to depression caused by the loss of his wife, my mums, to suicidal death in 2014. My father never complained, even though here was a lot of struggle. I believe he had grown accustomed to the hardship of his life, but I know that he still loved us very much.
In 2019, my father gave me his blessing to marry my then fiancée, Hannah, who lives in the Eastern part Asia. So, we traveled to her hometown to celebrate our marriage with her big family, who resides in the northwestern part of Asia. I had plans of returning home, but because of the COVID outbreak in our region, we were forced to go into government sanctioned quarantine. We were not allowed to leave our apartment, let alone the country… I could not come back home, also Hanna and I were expecting! Weeks turned in to months, and the U.S continued to restrict travel. I spoke to my father almost every day, sharing about my life in a new country under quarantine, and my excitement of becoming a father. My father was so excited to become a grandfather!
In July, my father was hospitalized, and then taken to a rehabilitation center. I believe my father had grown accustomed to being alone and being in the rehabilitation center caused him a lot of anxiety. He refused to stay and he decided to go home where he felt the most comfortable. My daughter was born on July 6, 2020, a day later, my father passed away…
My fondest moments of my dad was always been him driving us around town in the city of Angels, where I developed my sense of direction. Traveling with my dad allowed me to explore many different places and not get lost. We even moved across the country once! We moved to the East Coast where we spent a year living in Atlanta, Georgia and then to Chattanooga, Tennessee. My mind was opened to the world, allowing me to think deeper, and have a little more imagination. I even learned how to develop a strong mind and strong work ethic from my father. I appreciated everything my father was able to do for me.
Now, I'm urgently asking you for support, due to my dad‘s sudden passing, I’m finding myself in financial need. My father left a lot things in his apartment, and I need help to cover the cost of moving and storage, as I am still stuck overseas. The financial support will help cover his funeral services for cremation, the cost of treatment for my sister who is in a mental health rehabilitation center, and any unforeseen challenges that may occur. I'm hoping to raise the funds within the next two months.
It has been difficult in trying to coordinate everything overseas, but I am grateful for all the support I’m getting from my friends back home. Please any support you can give will be greatly appreciated. Thank you !
Organizer and beneficiary
Mike Tsai
Organizer
Torrance, CA
Chris Chen
Beneficiary