Today is the 39th year commemoration since the fall of Saigon. The day the South Vietnamese were lead to believe that the Vietnam War had ended. No one seemed estimate the aftermath, especially the psychosocial effects in the form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD) bought on by a life event being war. The effects of bloodshed war still resonate generations later, and even now as Vietnam rebuilds, we will never get to learn nor hear all the experiences through the eyes of the soldiers, civilians and victims.
Although I have heard many heartbreaking stories, I have yet to understand the all political happenings motivating the Vietnam War nor the propaganda, but I am eternally grateful to be here in a land where freedom of speech is granted, and I have everything I need in my life. Many things as aspirations, that one day will transpire into reality. All because my grandparents had sacrificed everything and fought for their homeland, families and human spirit.
This date today, also carries great importance for me. One year ago, I fought illness. 11 days fresh out of my second surgery. Life then was complex and fragile. But I was determined to keep my spirit strong. Everything I knew became unfamiliar again. Days spent in pain and tears, an emotional vortex. The hardest was the way I saw myself. My body looked foreign to me, and that scared me the most. Surgery disfigures you physically, yet most mentally. Although I still struggle one year on, I am eternally grateful to have had life saving surgery.
Like everything, I am slowly rebuilding. April 30 holds a renewal significance to me in many ways, historically and personally. I hold close to my heart the people who were there offering their support and love, and once again I say thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Here's to my wonderful family, Oscar, Tasha, Rosy, Laura, Amit, Komal, Dara, Hoeun, Lucy, Holly, Rose, Shani, Chucky, Fran, Zank, Kay, Faz, Lisa, Apitha, Sophie, Judy, Claz, Nam, Teri, Connie, Alexia, everyone from home and everyone else who has sat beside me whilst I've shared my story. I hope you all realise how much you mean to me.
Love,
Alice xox
