Dr Ia Kue at her office, Photo by CVPix

Why are we here? What is the process of getting to medical school? What is it like to be a medical student? What does it take to become a doctor? These were some of the questions that Dr. Ia Kue helped answer and facilitate during a Future Doctors Gathering in her humble home for a group of eager students currently pursuing the medical field. “It’s a long, difficult, and sometimes lonely journey that takes a lot of dedication, sacrifice, and determination to get to.”

With this in mind, Dr. Kue, came up with a meeting to bring Hmong students from all over Michigan to discuss and share their experiences, in hopes of helping them get through this rigorous educational procedure. If there is anyone who has the most knowledge on what it is like struggling through medical school to attain a professional career, while juggling other cultural and social activities, only to make it out in the end, as successful and as enlightened as never before, it would be Dr. Kue.

Dr. Kue is the first female Hmong osteopathic medical student in the United States, the first female Hmong Family and Osteopathic Physician in Michigan and the first to open and manage her own clinic: Lifetime Family Care, PLLC. She is a pioneer in Hmong women leadership, not because of these numerous accomplishments, but because of her perseverance and determination in higher education and empowering youth to live their dreams. Some of the things she shared with us while we sat in her office were extremely heartwarming, and it showed through that she is a dedicated,hardworking and genuine person. Her gentle voice revealed that she was a caregiver, not just to her kids, but also to her patients, in always being compassionate and thoughtful about their well-being.

“It took me 13 years to get started here. I remember when I first started going to medical school, all of the older ladies were saying, why do you want to do this? You have kids, and you are a nyab. You should just stay home and let your husband work. A lot people were unsure of our decision. But after we finished, people came up to us and they apologize to us and admitted that this was the right thing.”

THE INTERVIEW:
18XEEM: When you were a little girl did your parent’s expect you to become a doctor? DK: No… because they didn’t know any better, as far as what we could do or what potentials we had. My dad is a proponent of education, so he is always emphasizing education. What type of education –he didn’t know, he just wanted us to finish high school and at least go to college, that was what they kept enforcing. But as far as going to medical school, no I don’t think that they ever dreamt that this could be a possibility, nor did I.

When you and your family moved to the US, how did you cope with learning to speak and write the English language at the age of 8? What was your motivation? I was the oldest of 5 kids, my parents spoke no English, and similarly to a lot of people, I just had to learn it because I was interpreting for them… when we’d go shopping or the doctor’s office. I was forced to learn it in a way, and that’s what motivated me to learn it quicker than probably my siblings. Because it was do or die, you know. We were sponsored by a church in Illinois, there were maybe 4 other Hmong families around the area, so I was always surrounded by friends who were not Hmong. I joined clubs in school, played in a jazz band, and so those things helped me to learn English faster.

You married at a very young age, 17; do you think things would have been different if you didn’t marry young? Definitely, things would be different, because who knows whom I’d end up with or what that life situation would be like, but I’ve always loved school. Even if I didn’t get married at that age, I would have continued to pursue something in school. When I dropped out of 10th grade my teachers were very disappointed, because I had a grade point average of 3.9 and worked really hard to get there. When I got married, it just kind of ended; my dad was also very disappointed. But he made my husband promise that I would go back to school and at least get some sort of degree. And so my husband agreed that he would send me to school.

As a Hmong woman, what was one of the biggest challenges you faced in your life? I think that I was very lucky, though there are challenges. I was lucky because when I married my husband,his parents were very supportive of my education too so that automatically relieved a lot of pressure there. I think one of the biggest challenges with all Hmong women is to trying to be a good nyab (wife), a good mother, have lots of kids for your parents, to be able to provide for your family, and at the same time pursue what you want to do and not compromise that. If you want to continue being a domestic Hmong woman, and at the same time you want have a career, then your responsibilities double. If you want to be one or the other its okay, but most of the time, I fought really hard to be the best at both and that made it more complicated. At times I felt that I couldn’t, and I was disappointed because of that, but I tried my best and left the rest to God. I wouldn’t have done it any other way.

What was one of the biggest sacrifices you had to make in getting this far, and how did you go about making that decision? I think the biggest sacrifice I had to make was my family. I had to go to school at Michigan State and I had to leave them for 2-3 days at a time. That was a huge sacrifice. I remember the first whole semester, when I used to drive to school I would be so broken hearted about leaving my family that I would cry all the way driving from home to Michigan State. It was also challenging for my husband and kids.

In addition to that, I also had to sacrifice a lot of my friends, because all I had time for was school and family. I didn’t have any time for anything else. A lot of my peers at that time were all housewives and they worked and they were happy with that. I tried to convince them to go to school with me too but really nobody else was interested so I just kept pushing by myself. At the same time, I tried to keep my family in line with me along the way. I didn’t want to lose them behind. Every step of the way I would keep them up to date. I would call my husband everyday and let him know what I was doing, where I was at and I’d write to my kids everyday from school or I would call and talk to each of one of them and ask how school was –if they were sick or doing okay. The key thing for me was having constant communication with them. They came to visit me often, if I didn’t come home within 2-3 days, they would make a trip up there or if I had exams on Mondays and I couldn’t come home on the weekends, they would stay with me on the weekends.

My parents and all my siblings were such a huge support, helping every way they could. When I did come home –the free time that I had, I spent with my kids. I taught my girls how to play the piano, so that was our time together. That was my way of trying to balance my life, but I really had no life outside of that. Since our kids were little, we have set a day where we have family time together so every Friday night is family night… even now that they are teenagers they won’t go out with their friends because they know its family night on Friday’s. Every Sunday night, we have a family meeting night. That was another way we kept our family together.

Recently, you did a presentation on the book, “The Spirit Catches you and You Fall Down”.  As a Hmong and a Doctor, do you see yourself in the same shoes as the parents of the patient, or the doctors of the patient? I would say that I would be that person who stands in the crossroad between two cultures. It’s really neat to be in that position because you can see everything that is going on on both sides; on the parent’s side as well as the medical side. I can’t really say one or the other. I believe that her [Lia’s] parents did the best they could as parents; with the limited knowledge they had in medicine to take care of Lia. They loved her.

On the other side, her pediatricians also did the same; they were limited because they didn’t understand the culture, but from a medical point of view, they did their best. The flaw was that they didn’t take the time to understand the parents and that made a huge difference. No matter how smart they were,how much time they sacrificed, because they missed that small piece –that knowledge into the culture, it made the world a difference in the way things turned out. They were, as one of the doctors said, ‘excellent physicians but imperfect healers’because their world view was the opposite of their patients and they just couldn’t identify with them. It was a tough situation on both sides.

Do you find yourself in that position sometimes while working with patients of other cultural backgrounds? Yes, I do and it is very tough. Even with me being Hmong, its very hard for my Hmong patients to adhere to their treatment regime. For example if they have high blood pressure, I would give them enough medication for 3 months, sometimes I don’t see them for another 6 months or a year later, when they are having symptoms. However, things are changing, as I’m able to spend more time in educating them.

More importantly, they are starting to see the consequences of uncontrolled diseases in the Hmong community, so awareness has definitely increased adherence. It is a challenge for all health workers when working with a culture whose world view of illness is so different than our own. But I think that if we focus on what we have in common as people and respect each other for our differences, then we can overcome many barriers. I’m finding that doing what is right (from a medical perspective) is not always the best initial step. The most important thing is building a firm relationship. It is extremely important to gain that trust and respect from your patients first. They want to know that you actually care about their health –I think this ultimately breaks all cultural barriers and only then can you provide services to your patients. Because of this, I’ve actually learned a few Polish words to try to impress my Polish patients…who usually just giggle at me.

How do you deal with patients when they don’t take your word for it? I believe that you can never force a patient to do what they don’t want to do, regardless of their cultural background. My job is to educate them about their illness, provide them with options, and then provide them with my recommendations. Then it’s pretty much up to them. If it is a difficult decision then I give them my best judgment by suggesting something like, “if I were in your situation… this is what I would do,” but I never guarantee the outcome. Once I feel that they are well knowledgeable with the situation, they can make the decision that’s best for them. Sometimes I’ll talk to their daughter, or their parents, or someone they trust and respect to get them to encourage and support their family member in making the best decision.

Where do you see the future of the Hmong community going in terms of our history, culture and language? I think we can look at the Hmong communities at large and we can see that Hmong people have progressed very fast. Within the last 30 years, we have had people who’ve gone on to higher education, or have their own businesses. We have come very far and will continue to grow if the people who have accomplished what they have accomplished will reach back to the community and the young people; I think that will help them to catch up. I do also see a generation of –for lack of a better word, a lost generation of youth. I think that we –those of us who have gone forward, need to spend a lot of energy to try and wake up our youth, instill within them dreams, and remind them where their parents came out of. My parents were always telling me, “We want a better life for you, we don’t want you to have the kind of life that we did.” I saw that kind of life –where they came from and the struggles, it is a big motivation for me to keep pushing forward. I want our young people to see that too. I want them to know that it doesn’t matter where they are at; if they want to pursue their dreams… it is very possible.

As a leader in your community, what is the one thing that you would want others to learn from you and apply it to what they are doing in their lives? Find something that you are gifted in and do what you love to do and be excellent at what you do. There are four things that will help you get there, and I call them the four D’s: Determination, Discipline, Discernment, and Dedication. Those are the things that will lead you to your Dream (which is actually the first to start with: to have a dream, a goal or a target to hit). I want our young people to know that each one of us, has a purpose for our existence. Once we find out what that is, then life begins. I believe that the God who created us would be very disappointed if we just wasted our lives away.

“The four D’s: Determination,Discipline, Discernment, and Dedication. Those are the things that will lead you to your Dream.”

To the Hmong women out there, whether they are married or not, they can do both. They just have to sacrifice a bit more. But I want and hope to see more women becoming more independent and at the same time be able to maintain the humble role as a Hmong wife and mother. To be able to make decisions with their children, to be a good role model for their family and also for our community.

What was your inspiration?
Traditional Hmong Costumes and High Fashion.

Do your designs have any functions/unique aspects to it?
Hmong Reinvented is a fashion line that represents and bridges the gap between being Hmong and being American. In my designs I use Hmong embroidery with western silhouettes. I want to make wearing Hmong clothes fashionable. My motto is: Forget about the layers, the heavy money belts and bags. Keep it simple and chic.

How long does it take you to finish one piece?
Depending on how complicated the garment can get and how much time I have to work on it, it could take a few days up to a month.

Who would you want to wear this piece?
I think “tweens” to adults would really appreciate wearing my designs because of the stylish silhouettes, new interesting lines in design and the incorporation of traditional Hmong elements. I want to cater to the Hmong community, as well as branch out to the mainstream market.

How much does it cost?
Full outfits can range from $150 – $300 depending on design patterns and materials.

Where can we get it?
I am currently working on a website, but you can always look at my work on lylena.deviantart.com/. If you see anything you like, just leave me a note and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. I am always working on new designs and orders for other people. Please understand I make everything myself so it can take a month or more to get a garment to you.

“You know that time of the year when your mom pulls out the luggage of clothes she’s packed away for a year? You know what I’m talking about, the heavy luggage that you secretly hoped had miraculously disappeared in the closet or under the bed? Yes, it’s Hmong New Year and you feel obligated to wear the heavy, burdensome clothes again. We’ve all been there, it doesn’t matter if you’re Green, White, Striped, Black Hmong, etc. We all go through the same process –the hours of getting everyone dressed and the madness of the mess afterwards. Wouldn’t it just be easier if we could have something simple and fashionable?  To answer that question, I created Hmong Reinvented… my fashion line of traditional Hmong costumes with a western touch. In keeping with tradition, I left as much of the original silhouette as I could, altering the neckline, the sleeves, the skirt and the layers as I went. In the end we have garments that are clearly Hmong, but very sexy and easy to wear. Not only have I updated traditional Hmong costumes, but I am also putting a little bit of Hmong into ready-to wear garments”.

Where did you grow up and what school did you attend?
Fresno, California / University of California, Davis (Bachelor of Science in Textiles and Costumes)

What inspired you to get into fashion?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawing and dancing. I grew up drawing on my mom’s magazines. Going to traditional Hmong dance practice was mandatory since my mom was the dance teacher. Dance performances were the worst –I always threw up. I never figured out if I was nervous or my layers were smoldering me. In high school, I had enough with tradition and started a hip-hop dance group where I first combined my passion for drawing and dancing by designing our dance costumes. Then, going away for college was great! I got to discover myself and found a family away from home with the UC Davis Hmong Student Union, a Hmong club on campus. Being with them brought me closer to my roots. I went away for college to get into medical school, but came out with a BS in Costume and Textiles. I took up traditional Hmong dancing again and taught a few girls in the club. Most of us were away from home and couldn’t get traditional Hmong costumes, plus our parents weren’t too trusting of a group of teens with all those money bags. This was the first time I started to redesign Hmong costumes as well as try a hand at sewing. Once I started sewing my own designs, I couldn’t stop, I had found something I was incredibly passionate about –something I could see myself doing day in and day out and would never get tired of. I quickly got into the Design program at UC Davis and since then I have never turned back. My professors were wonderfully supportive. During my last two years in college, my designs were more theatrical and experimental. However, I didn’t really explore Hmong clothing again until a professor really encouraged me to do it for my senior project. I showcased four Hmong Reinvented garments that year for the Senior Fashion Show. It was incredible seeing my creations on the runway. Since then, I have continued to sew for family members and I’m slowly getting myself noticed in a few online communities. My largest commission so far has been for the “Nkauj Hmoob Yaj Yuam” dance group here in Sacramento, California.

What does it mean to be Hmong to you?
Being Hmong is being proud of your people, embracing your culture, speaking the language, learning the traditions and never forgetting who you are or trying to hide from it.

What are your goals/ aspirations?
My short-term goal is to have a booth at the Hmong New Year next year to test the waters and if all goes well, to open up a store of my own. I would love to be a high fashion designer and a common household name, but until then, I want to come out with something new and daring that hopefully the Hmong will appreciate and support.

This interview was published in the July 2007 issue of 18XEEM.

Where were you born?
I was born in Laos on May 18th. Laos fell to Communism on May 15th. Basically, two days after I was born, we left Laos. I came to Thailand and we were over there for 6 months. In 1975, we came to the US. We were the first wave of Hmong immigrants to come over.

What have you been doing?
I’ve been retired for about two years from fighting now. Currently, I’m in financial services. I do real estate mortgage and financial planning.

How did you get into Muay Thai Kickboxing?
It was kind of like a dare. Laughs. I’ve always been in martial art –since I was 9, when I started training. I had a childhood friend who was doing Chinese kick-boxing, eventually he ended up being my trainer. He started competing first though and I would watch him fight, and I liked it. Then when I was 18, I started fighting amateur. At 19, I turned professional.

What were your parent’s reactions?
They didn’t want me to fight. To them, it wasn’t a good career; it wasn’t traditional like what they wanted: go to school, get a degree. I chose a different path. It was a challenge at first. They disagreed with me. They didn’t show up for, probably, my first ten fights. I was determined to prove them wrong. Not only that, but when I first started, there was this skepticism that Hmong people couldn’t fight: we are too short, and we can’t beat Caucasian people. For me I just thought, you know, it was a sport, I loved what I did, and I was doing great at it. I had a 15-fight winning spree when I first started. So, I loved it.

Was it luck or hard training?
It was definitely really hard training. When I first started, I spent a lot of time training. At least 6 hours a day. Competitively, every morning from 7-10; normally, it would be a 5 mile run in the morning. And then, a few hours working on different techniques.

Was boxing your sole career or what else did you do besides fight?
My first professional fight, I got about 100 bucks, there’s not a lot of money in it. You really have to have a passion for it. In terms of money, there really is no award. I worked part-time and trained part-time. My parents still wanted me to go to school, so I did that. I went professional in 1995. Then, I graduated with a Bachelor’s in E-commerce in 1999.

When you went pro did you celebrate?
Not really, everything kind of happened as I went along in the sport. I didn’t really know what pro was. When I was fighting, Muay Thai was pretty much unknown when I was fighting. The PKA rules were mostly karate; they wouldn’t allow kicks to the face. When I was competing, a year or two later they started allowing it and also allowing the knee. I was in one of the first fights when they started allowing elbow. The only time you could of used it was in Nevada or Thailand. When I started, Muay Thai was very primitive, even at a lot of sanctions and athletic Commissions, they didn’t allow or recognize it.

What was the best part about a fight?
The best part was winning.

What if you didn’t win?
It was still good because every fight I take it as a learning step. After every fight, usually I become friends with the other guy. The most exciting part is always the beginning of the fight though, because you don’t know how this guy is. Everything is pretty much a mystery. You’ve probably heard or seen the fighter fight, but you really don’t know until you fight that person. The funny thing though is when you finally fight that person, within the first 30 secs., you know what type of technique he has.

What type of feeling would you get before going in to a fight?
It was always confidence. I never doubted myself. Like the great Muhammad Ali says, ‘Even if I was the underdog I always prepare myself for the big victory speech’ before I went to fight. I always had the mentality that, I’ve been training so hard; I just want to go in there and get the job done then celebrate after. My whole theory about fighting, and life in general is, ‘If you doubt yourself before you walk into the ring, you’ve already lost 80% of the fight.’ Fighting is more will than skill. With your training and your opponent’s training, you both are at your peak, in terms of endurance and skills; the only thing left is will: to see who has a bigger heart.

Why did you take your will into the ring?
At the beginning, it was more of a challenge.
Everyone kept telling me I couldn’t do it. As I kept on fighting, I realized that I’ve been hurt; of course, lots of bruises and broken bones. And as time progressed I would always say, OK that was a tough fight, this is going to be my last fight, but one time after a fight, these Hmong kids came up to me, and they gave me this whole speal about how proud they are. It was the most rewarding thing after every fight. So at that point, it was more like a duty of mine to the community. Gangs were so predominate in our community, especially at that time. There was so much negativity in the community.

When was the first time someone ever approached you about being proud of what you were doing?
It was probably 1997, one of my first pro-fights in Fresno. Before then, it was usually out of Fresno, but the first one I fought in here, right after the fight, they were cleaning up the bleachers and as I walked out of the locker room, a young Hmong kid came up to me and told me that it was a really good fight, and “we’re proud that someone was up there representing us.” Now every time you hear that after a fight, from a kid, or from your Hmong people, it solidifies a reason as to why I stayed in the fights for so long for 10 years.

Did you hear it more from the younger or the older generation?
It was pretty much equal. But I started hearing more, when I started fighting on ESPN and Pay-Per-View. Even from General Vang Pao, when I went to fight in Thailand representing the US, I was able to get his blessing.

How did you get in touch with him?
Through one of his relatives, Jack Vang from Minnesota and his sons –I guess they follow fighting a lot. I had a fight in 1999 in MN, and that’s when I met them. Then, I was going to go to Thailand for the first time to fight, and the general gave me a call. Two years later, I went to fight in Laos. There was an issue about the trade in Laos and the human rights violation, and so Laos decided to have a ‘friendship’ fight. He called and asked me to come to dinner; we did a ceremony and I had my hand tied (‘ki tej’ –a ritual where someone ties a white string of yarn around your wrist for good luck and fortune). It was a big thing. But the funny thing is, you don’t realize how much you affect people. Only when I retired, did I fully realize that. People still ask me if I’ll fight again.

When did you go to Thailand?
When I went to Thailand to fight, in 2001, I ended up in a small village south of Bangkok. It was a small Hmong village. I’m thinking, ‘OK, I’m out in the middle of nowhere, no one probably knows me’. But the first thing this older guy asked me, when he found out I was from the US was if I knew a guy named Yia Mua. I told him, oh yeah, I know him. They didn’t even know it was me. [Laughs] I guess people had heard that this guy, Yia Mua, was like 6 feet tall and real big. It was funny. I didn’t know I had that type of affect on people. That was the one time I realize that you know, what I do, I carry more of a big role than I do. Well I eventually told him who I was and I gave him some tickets to see me fight in Bangkok. That definitely made his day. The other thing was, when I went to fight there, it was very emotional. To me, I just wanted to go there, fight, and win. I step into the ring, and you know, not a lot of Hmong fighters fight in big stadiums –it’s usually small fair venues. So it was very rare, especially in Thailand. When I fought there, I won in the third round. As I came down, a whole bunch of Hmong people came up to me, and they were crying. I had no idea why they were crying, I just never really thought about it, until afterwards. They were so proud and so happy that someone can get up in the ring, and beat up a Thai guy. To them, it was revenge for the way they [the Hmong] had been and were still oppressed; how the Thai people treated them in that country. To me it was just a sport, I wanted to get in there and win. To other people it was more, like pride or dignity. After that, I realized how much pride people had in what I was doing. It was so interesting. When I fought locally here in Fresno, I always had a few thousands of people come and watch me fight. If I fought in Las Vegas or somewhere further, usually had a few hundred come watch me. I didn’t realize that Hmong people had so much pride in it. They would always tell me: “Fight for our ancestors” or “Fight for our Hmong people, and make us proud.” It was an honor but at the same time, it was a lot of pressure too. I had to give it my best or else.

Would they be disappointed if you’d lost?
Yes. It was a lot of pressure; the first fight I ever lost, which was by half a point, it was the first time I realized, what my parents call, you have friends who are like ‘meat and wine’ friends, and true friends, and I realized the difference. I felt like, yeah, I did let people down, but I gave it my best –and that day just wasn’t my day. I go home and look at what I did wrong and fix my mistake. I came back and beat another guy who was supposedly better than me. There was like a ‘movie star’ baggage that came with it. You have the people who like you, and who hate you. That was one of the reasons why I decided to retire. Although I love talking to kids and making sure they have their priorities set straight, it was hard just to be able to live a regular life; I went through a divorce right after I turned pro. I got married when I was about 19, and I thought I had found the right girl –at that time all your buddies are getting married and you think that is the right thing to do. But as you progress in life, you realize you have different goals. I loved fighting, meeting new people, and traveling. I didn’t think I was going to turn pro and I didn’t think it would affect me that much. I was young and had no idea what marriage was really about. Now that I talk to younger kids, I always tell them to put it off because there is just so much stuff to do. The things I’ve done, the majority of people probably wouldn’t be able to in their lifetime, unless they take their time and do it. In the 10 years that I was fighting –every country I went through, I made sure I went somewhere; did something, whether it was hiking a mountain, or water rafting.

For someone who doesn’t see fighting the way you do and instead, portrays it as violence, how do you explain that to them?
Some people ask me why I was fighting; they didn’t see the art in fighting. Because Muay Thai fighting is probably the most difficult thing; not many people can have the mentality and discipline to be a good fighter. They automatically associate it with gang fighting. They don’t see the value in it. Fighting is a sport and you have to have a lot of dedication, and tough mentality to be able to compete as a fighter. In the Hmong community, because we are so traditional: go to school, get a degree; anything else, you know now I see a lot of Hmong doing different things; but when I was doing it, it was frowned upon by a lot of people. Lots of people did not want their kids to watch me fight or idolize me. They would say statements like, “You’re just like a rooster” and “They’re just cock-fighting you.”

How did that make you feel?
The first time I heard it, I was kind of defensive, but as I was fighting more, I realize people are prejudice. People will judge you even if they don’t have the education, inclination or understanding and they are ignorant about what you do –they will judge you. It didn’t bother me that much, when I was fighting, I had a mission and a vision, and I wanted to carry on with that. Was someone there to help you deal with it? It was a lot of trail and error at first, but my parents helped me out a lot. They told me what to say, what not to say. I had a really good trainer too. They were like my family. They watched out for me. When I went to fight, they made sure I didn’t party too much; they made sure I slept early. When I did promotions, they made sure I had bodyguards. Without my trainer, John Cho, I think I would have been in a lot of trouble or said a lot of wrong things.

What did you eat when you were training?
When I was fighting, from about 21-27, I couldn’t eat any fast food, things I loved to eat. I had to eat a lot of white meat, chicken breasts and fish. That was basically my diet. It became a lifestyle. I ate very different from my family. My mom would cook a really good meal, but I couldn’t eat it. Right now, I pretty much have the same lifestyle, but I’m not fighting anymore so I don’t have to watch my weight. I do splurge on pizza and fast food, once in a while.

Where do you keep all your trophies?
I have five championship belts put in the gym that I used to train at. I requested a duplicate of my belt and I kept them in a little trophy case, with all my metals and trophies. Usually that whole section, I put my memorabilia, like articles from newspapers or magazines and posters. It’s something that I want my kids to see, that that was something that I did. It’s actually right in the hallway so we pass it every now and then.

Why did you spelled your last name ‘Mua’ instead of ‘Moua’?
It was a misspelling actually, [laughs] and everyone asks that. My dad’s explanation is, –I don’t know how true it is, but, in Laos we were part of the French-Indochina, and my father was educated in France. Mua is the French spelling, so we just carried it.

What was the biggest mistake you made that you learned from?
Well, I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I always tell everyone, ‘Mistakes in our past, is what creates us and gives us our character’. The biggest mistake I probably did was when I retired at 26 to go to school and I came back a year and a half later –that was the biggest mistake I made. I missed out on a lot of big fights, like in Japan. I learned that when you’re doing things in your life, things you love to do, when you have the momentum, don’t stop the momentum. Go with the flow, and it will bring you great things. There are a lot of talented people in the Midwest. I talk to university kids there all the time; I tell them ‘If you guys have what it takes, don’t be afraid of leaving the nest and going out to venture and being successful’. You won’t be successful staying at home. Take risks, and if you have the momentum, go along with it because it will bring you success. If I didn’t take that time off fighting, I figured –when I went to Thailand, I spent some time with the Thai champions fighters there, and they didn’t have any wealth. They were still living in a pretty much poverty type life; so when I got back, I told myself I didn’t want to live like that. I went back to school and got my degree, so I had something to fall back on, which was great, but I also missed out on a lot of great opportunities with my fighting career.

When did you officially retire and what were your main reasons?
I officially retired when I got married to my current wife. I just wanted to get out of that life of fighting. It was very difficult. Prior to that, I was in a relationship, and all the gossip and news surrounding me was just too much. I wanted to spend time with my wife and two kids, 1 and 12 years old.

Do you think they will follow in your path?
I don’t think they will. As long as they love what they do, I’ll support them in every way. My oldest son is a big skating guru so maybe he’ll go pro in that. But he watched me fight a lot growing up. Usually he stayed with my parents and watched from the front row. He’s a small guy, though very strong, and he has a lot of pride. I don’t want to be the guy to tell my son, ‘No’ all the time, I want to be able to inspire him and inspire other people. There’s nothing wrong with being a doctor or lawyer but I don’t want to stand up there and tell him to study hard in school and get straight A’s. I want to tell them that they can be anyone or anything in life. Just have a passion toward what they do. Don’t let money stop you from doing what you want. “Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.”–Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. I’ve done great things and bad things. I make mistakes, and it makes you who you are.

How do you want people to remember you?
You know, I want people to know that I’m just an average, normal Hmong guy who had a dream and went for it –something different.

Yia would like to thank his family and the Pacific Martial Arts Fight team for their support and sponsorship.

Dr. Kue is the first female Hmong osteopathic medical student in the United States, the first female Hmong Family and Osteopathic Physician in Michigan and the first to open and manage her own clinic: Lifetime Family Care, PLLC. She is a pioneer in Hmong women leadership, not because of these numerous accomplishments, but because of her perseverance and determination in higher education and empowering youth to live their dreams. Some of the things she shared with us while we sat in her office were extremely heartwarming, and it showed through that she is a dedicated, hardworking and genuine person. Her gentle voice revealed that she was a caregiver, not just to her kids, but also to her patients, in always being compassionate and thoughtful about their well-being.

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Twenty-three years ago, Caroline Vang was born to Guy and Genevieve Vang in France. Just 5 years later, Guy would bring his two French daughters and his wife to the United States. For 18 years, his family lived and worked in the United States. For 18 years, Caroline and her younger sister Melanie went to public schools. And within those 18 years, Guy and Genevieve had two more children, Stevan and Christine.

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