In celebration of our 17th year of compassionate service, the Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care (CACCC) is proud to host our second essay contest, “Embracing the World with Hope”. Our goal and hope are to engage the global community and increase awareness on the importance of advance care planning, documenting health care and medical wishes at the end of life by showcasing meaningful stories that reflect the best of humanity during one of the most difficult and challenging times in our lives: saying goodbye to family members and loved ones with hope and no regrets.
Eighty percent of people believe they should plan for end-of-life care while they are still healthy, but only 30 percent complete advance directives for health care. Seventy to eighty percent of Americans want to die at home, but only thirty percent actually do.
In the face of the natural laws of life and death, there comes a time when we must say goodbye. No matter where we are, we want to spend our last moments with family and friends in peace. How can we leave no regrets? How can we spread love? Why don’t we write down our experiences and views on life and death, rethink how to plan for advance care, and express our medical wishes?
CACCC was founded in 2005 in Northern California. Our mission is to provide a dignified and respectful community for Chinese Americans on end-of-life issues. We educate and train volunteers, caregivers, and medical professionals in the community; and enhance the quality of critical and end-of-life care by increasing the participation of Chinese Americans in advance care planning and care decisions. CACCC organizes essay writing campaigns to encourage people to discuss life and death issues, explore their attitudes towards life, and plan for early care. It is also hoped that clinicians will write about their experiences of life under the pressure of life and death, their experiences of caring for critically ill and terminally ill patients, and their experiences of life and death issues.
The global pandemic, notwithstanding, we hope that you will be encouraged to share your story, your thoughts with others who may be inspired and moved by your words, insight and perspective on the importance of honoring and respecting end-of-life care wishes.
The essay competition has been finalized and the winners have been announced. The following is the list of winners in the Community and the Healthcare Professional categories and their entries. Click the title to see the winning articles. Thank you for your submissions and congratulations to all the winners!!
Community Group Winners
| Prize | Name | City,State | Essay Title | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Prize | Ching Jen, 曾真 | Johor, Malaysia | 奉茶 | $250 |
| First Runner Up | Chong Lai San, 張莉珊 | Malaysia | 死亡，曾多次貼近我 | $150 |
| Second Runner Up | Jeanne Wun, 劉溫潔貞 | CA, USA | The Last Breath is Breathtaking | $100 |
| Honorable Mention | Yung-Chi Sung | MA, USA | 人生五十重開機 | $50 |
| Honorable Mention | Fang-Ko Hsiao, 蕭方歌 | Taiwan | 花花回家了 | $50 |
| Honorable Mention | Yuanmei Hsiao, 蕭元媚 | Walnut, CA | 妳離開的意義 | $50 |
Healthcare Professional Group Winners
| Prize | Name | City,State | Essay Title | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Prize | Carlos M. Salazar | CA, USA | Embracing Life with Faith, Hope and Love | $250 |
| First Runner Up | Shiyin Luo | NY, USA | 離別與遺憾 | $150 |
| Second Runner Up | 谷心智 | Beijing, China | 22 天的約定 | $100 |
| Honorable Mention | 庞允娟 | Yunnan, China | 生命- 笑到最後一刻 | $50 |
| Honorable Mention | 国仁秀 | Beijing, China | 生如夏花、死如秋叶 | $50 |
| Honorable Mention | 王冰菲 | Walnut, CA | 我在安宁疗护里的自我救赎 | $50 |