Dying Youth Has One Wish: See Viet Mother

A dying 19-year-old youth has turned to local politicians for help in granting his last wish--to see his Vietnamese mother one last time.

Anh Nguyen wants them to press authorities in Vietnam to speed his mother’s release and allow him to see her before he dies of cancer.

“I know that I will die soon but before I forever close my eyes, I beg you by your generosity and kindness to grant my last wish, and that is to be able to see my dearest mother one last time,” said Nguyen in letters to U.S. Rep. Don Edwards and Sen. Alan Cranston.

Aides for both politicians said they were looking into the case.

Nguyen suffers from a fatal cancer that has paralyzed him from the chest down. Doctors say his spinal tumor leaves him three months to a year to live.

Nguyen left Vietnam in a small boat in 1981 with his two sisters. After being picked up and taken to the Philippines, the three arrived in San Jose seven months later. Their father eventually joined them.

However, his mother and 15-year-old brother, who were supposed to leave shortly afterward, could not escape from Saigon.

Nguyen has been corresponding with his mother, and his mother’s arrival would be extremely beneficial for his health, according to a Santa Clara Valley Medical Center social worker.