Hao, Tenacity and Resilience
Hao Harrison is a remarkable woman in her early 80s. She grew up in Vietnam during the war years, married, and had five children by the age twenty-nine. In the war’s chaotic closing days, she escaped to Indiana with her children, thanks to the heroic efforts of her U.S. Navy Officer brother-in-law. Hao spoke no English and struggled to create a life for herself and her kids in the U.S. All became highly successful, blessing her with eight grandchildren. I met Hao when we were co-workers at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana in 1976. We became close friends. Hao has many stories of tragedies endured and great joy. This is a favorite of mine.
When Hao was thirteen, her father was severely injured by a cut to his arm at age forty-six. He was the only support for his family of nine. Surgery, a lengthy hospital stay, and a long recovery were required to save his arm. His savings and assets were inadequate to support his family during the recovery. A more prosperous family nearby offered to loan him six hundred dollars if his oldest child, Hao, worked as their live-in domestic servant for a year.
There was a catch. Hao could not visit her nearby family until the debt was paid. The family didn’t beat or starve her but showed her no empathy or kindness. She slept each night on a rice mat on the floor. Hao’s heart broke each day, seeing from the home and siblings she could not visit in the distance. But she did her job well because she always gave her best. After a year, she completed her servitude and was reunited with her family.
Fast forward to 1993. The male head of the family that Hao served had been in the South Vietnamese military and was interned in a North Vietnamese reeducation camp after the war. He was released and sent to the U.S. under a special program. The family knew no one in the U.S. except Hao and chose Indiana to settle. Remarkably, Hao helped the family instead of resenting them for her treatment. Hao took the wife, her former boss, and their daughter to live with her. Hao shared her time, food, few possessions, and kindness with people she could have justifiably ignored.
When I asked Hao why she was helping these people, she said they saved her dad’s arm and, through that act, his entire family. She expressed no bitterness, only forgiveness over her treatment. I found her actions and intentions wise and inspirational. I hope you do as well.