Let’s Talk: About ‘Stigma’

It’s a strange word, “stigma.” In preparing to write this column for the Day of Remembrance issue, this word came up on several occasions. On further research, I learned that the archaic meaning of “stigma” was “a mark made by a branding iron on the skin of a criminal or slave.” It’s a term that […]

Let’s talk: About coping with cancer

The big “C” word. There was a time in the past when talking about cancer, even mentioning the word was taboo. People would often go into seclusion and cope with the illness alone or in the privacy of the family circle. Today, cancer is ubiquitous. I don’t know anybody that hasn’t been touched by this […]

A psychological lifeline for Asian American teens

On a cold, clear Sunday evening in March, Hung Wei sits in the living room of her home in Cupertino, a prosperous Silicon Valley suburb, surrounded by a dozen high school students. The teens, almost all Asian American, gather around a circular glass coffee table graced with brightly colored figurines. Two girls of Indian descent […]