Then, if the parents did not listen to the doctors, they assumed more of the responsibility of what happened. How could the doctors expect the medicine to be taken correctly when the parents did not read, did not know mathematical symbols and were given change after change. They were blindsided by their own diagnosis and the arrogance that everyone would follow their treatment exactly. Nor can the doctors be excused for not understanding the Hmong ways. Reading National Geographic (pg. 57) is not the way to learn about a culture! Dr. Murphy's comment that "[p]eople in the early years of their medical careers have invested an incredible amount of time and energy and pain in their training, and they have been taught that what they've learned in medical school is the only legitimate way to approach health problems" surely does not cover their actions, either. The story about Dr. Fife, who is ironically considered "inferior," demonstrates the need to respect people for their beliefs.
In this case, the arrogance of the doctors was inappropriate. If they have 12,000 residents out of 61,000 who are from the Hmong...
However, it is also important for immigrants to learn about the culture of their new country. They cannot assume that Americans are going to understand them or their beliefs. That is being naive. By going into the hospital with their daughter, the Lees were making a statement that they are willing to accept the care of foreign doctor. If they were totally against having an American care of their daughter, they should not have come at all and only relied on the Shaman. In this situation, everyone involved was culpable to varying degrees.
Unfortunately, this is not only a story of this family, but of many individuals and families in the United States who are disenfranchised for various reasons. People who have money and health insurance would not have gone to the emergency department, but to their own private doctor and then to specialists to determine their problem. They also would not tolerate that there was a language barrier. A translator would have been called immediately.
