In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Compassion & Choices Political Director Charmaine Manansala wrote a personal piece in AsAm News where she shares the story of the end of her father’s life:

The days leading to my dad’s death were sad, confusing and chaotic. Adding to our grief and heartache was the stress of poor family communication about the end of life brought on by lack of planning, indecision and our Filipino culture. We just don’t talk about death before it smacks us in the face.

My father had not made his end-of-life wishes known, and my mother hadn’t pressed him. She wanted to include all family members in decisions, but no one felt comfortable offering an opinion. After dad’s oncologist told us that “no other treatment will help,” my mother eventually decided that he would go to hospice, where he died ten days later.

Sound familiar? This scenario plays out in hospitals and homes across the nation every day.

Charmaine explains that Asian-American families are vulnerable to certain degenerative and chronic illnesses, and encourages Asian-American families to have the difficult discussions about death that are necessary in order to plan the care your loved ones desire.

Take a look at Charmaine’s piece here, and use our Plan Your Care page to facilitate discussions with your loved ones.

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