By Patricia Tsai, Daughter of Dr. Chiu-Shang Tsai
I saw Mrs. Emerson at the United Supermarket in April. I had not seen her since 1993 when she was my accounting teacher at Cordell High School. Mrs. Pat Emerson smiled warmly and said she wanted to mail something to me. When I received her letter, it was a beautiful article in the Cordell Beacon written by Brooklynn Peek on February 9, 2022 about my father, Dr. Chiu Shang Tsai.
As I was reading the article, I found it so moving. The images of my father quickly scrolled through my head from the days of living on Crestview to moving to our new home on Pheasant Run. The images of being immersed in a culture that seemed a bit foreign, but at the same time so welcoming and warming. I tell city slickers, Cordell is the idyllic small town where the town literally closes for community events like our great road to the 1993 Girls State Basketball Championships led by the great late head Coach Joe Crabb and assistant Coach Greg Cox. Those were exhilarating days for Dad and anyone that can remember that far back. Those were days that are etched in the beauty of living in a small town like Cordell.
My dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 esophageal cancer in 2018 . When he was in medical school, his professor said, of all the cancers you get, do not get esophageal. It’s a devastating cancer with less than a 10% chance of survival in the first year. Dad survived for more than three years with the help of his oncologist Dr. Michael Bowen from St. Anthony Hospital. It was a miracle. However, Dad knew that cancer is always hiding and would come back, and so it did in 2021.
During the last few months and weeks before his death, my dad shared his deepest thoughts and desires with me as he knew his body was deteriorating. He didn’t want a funeral or any fanfare when he died.
That’s the traditional Asian way of dealing with remorse and death. However, during his last week in the hospital, the walls seem to have come down, and I could see his mind go thru a checklist. He said to me, “Please write a letter to Cordell”.
Dad loved Cordell. He loved the people, community, and slow pace of life. He created the American Dream in Cordell and retired in Cordell. His favorite days in Cordell after seeing all his patients at the end of the day was mowing the lawn. He had just purchased a new Husqvarna riding lawnmower in 2019 and was looking forward to spending more time in the yard.
It’s taken me some time to write this gratitude letter as I am still processing his death. Dad had a very difficult time to say “I love you”. It’s the stoic nature of most Asians. However, during the last few breaths, he was able to say it with intention and meaning. It was an extremely beautiful thing to witness as tears flowed down my eyes. He wanted me to tell everyone in this beautiful town of Cordell that embraced him: “I love you and thank you for accepting me and my family. You have done so much for us.”
I want to thank everyone in Cordell for being so supportive to our family throughout the years and especially now to my mom since Dad’s passing. Coming back to this town after almost 18 years, there is a sense of peace. Beautiful and fun memories were formed for my brothers, George and Gary, and I. We are ever so grateful and touched. As my mom’s last words to him before he shortly passed that I know he would want to pass on to you, “See you in Heaven.” (Teng Guo Xian Jian in Mandarin.)
With so much gratitude and appreciation,
Patricia Tsai
Daughter of Dr. Chiu- Shang Tsai