Walk through the fire and you will emerge on the other end, whole and stronger. Probably 150 to 200 pages. Julie wanted to face her death honestly, to not live in denial of it. But I do know that there is incredible value in pain and suffering, if you allow yourself to experience it, to cry, to feel sorrow and grief, to hurt. One of her central goals was to cut through the dishonesty, obfuscation and sugar-coating that seem to surround cancer and to allow people a window into the genuine experience of dealing with cancer at such a young age, in the hopes that others might draw comfort and wisdom from her words. We want to take a moment now to note the death this past Monday of Julie Yip-Wlliams. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Julie Yip-Williams (January 6, 1976 March 19, 2018) was an American lawyer and writer, born Diep Ly Thanh in Vietnam. ARI. YIP-WILLIAMS: Hold on a second. She was really sick by that time. Born blind in Vietnam, at two months of age she was almost euthanised on the orders of a grandmother who deemed her to be defective; years later, as an older . I think that is an important part of the story. When I built everything, you know, I thought about the adjustable nature of the shelves, you know, like, as they grow. Julie Yip-Williamsdied in March 2018 of colon cancer. She's in her early 40s. In the earlier years, I would read the blog at work. The expanded two-day event includes Ari Lennox and GloRilla. She really felt that much of what was out there was just dishonest misleading even and just not particularly helpful. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance in Julie's name. I promise. As your mother, I wish I could protect you from the pain. She talks so much about just wanting to set you up for success after shes gone. She was soon given partial sight by a surgeon, studied at Harvard, and became a successful lawyer, but then, in her thirties, she was struck down by the illness that would kill her. Reflecting on her acceptances to Williams and Harvard Law and then being hired by Cleary, she said at a fund-raising event sponsored by the law firm in 2014, I never felt like I belonged in any of these fine institutions: a poor immigrant girl who wasnt that smart but was willing to work hard, rubbing elbows with Americas elite.. Her story also attracted the attention of CBS Sunday Morning, which televised a profile of her this month. Keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. She started her blog, writing about her siege with cancer, the life of struggles that began with being born blind in Vietnam, her ethnic Chinese familys escape in a fishing boat. Here is the linkto a conversation Julie had with Tracy Smith of the CBS Sunday Morning program. Did Julie read any other memoirs by people who had terminal illnesses? She graduated from Williams College in 1997 and from Harvard Law School in 2002. On June 19th we're reading The Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After by Julie Yip-Williams. She was born blind. But the herbalist spared her, and Yip-Williams went on to escape Vietnam, get eye surgery, attend Harvard Law, marry another attorney, and set up a good life in New York. You will understand that nothing lasts forever, not pain, or joy. You will forever be the kids whose mother died of cancer, have people looking at you with some combination of sympathy and pity (which you will no doubt resent, even if everyone means well). At 42 years old, Im old enough to know that memories fade. That fact of your mother dying will weave into the fabric of your lives like a glaring stain on an otherwise pristine tableau. Those books, of course, werent out back in 2013. (LogOut/ I know that some could read the book and think she was harsh. Julie Ly Yip-Williams, beloved wife, mother, sister and daughter, passed away on March 19, 2018 at the age of 42, following a long and fierce battle with advanced colon cancer. In July 2017, a year before she passed away, Yip-Williams wrote the following letter to her young daughters. Born in Vietnam, Julie Yip-Williams was a writer, mother, wife and lawyer who grew up in California and graduated from Harvard Law School. But the kind herbiest refused to kill Julie and also rejected any form of payment from the family. She was just over the moon. Im very proud of her. She died in March 2018 and documented the final months of her extraordinary life for the new podcast, Julie. All of these peoples loving energy surrounds you so that you will not feel so alone. (Julie Yip-Williams, with husband Josh and their two children, as shared by Penguin Random House. Even at the tender age of five, both of you were screaming about fairness as if it were some fundamental right (as in it wasnt fair that Belle got to go to see a movie when Mia did not). Julie was many thingsa brilliant scholar, a talented attorney, a fantastic writer, a lover of life who traveled to places as far-flung as the South Pole, Egypt, Jordan, Bangladesh, the Galapagos Islands, Paris, China and Vietnam, among many others, a lover of fine food, a fantastic cook who owned probably fifty cookbooks and could produce (good) restaurant-quality food, a voracious reader and yet also an avid and unapologetic binge television-watcherbut even more fundamentally, she was a loyal and loving person who put her family first. Reading [the blogs] back then, I was almost left feeling inadequate, like: Oh my God. After immigrating to America as a child, Yip-Williams underwent surgery that restored partial sight. I read each and every one of her blog posts since day one. Upper-class families like that of Julie had their assets confiscated by Vietnams Communist government. I was sad a lot. I understand. Even though I wont physically be here, I will be watching over you. Back in 2013, [they] wouldve been helpful to me. And then she, like, paused for a second, and then she's like, but you're not gone yet, mommy. At her death she was forty-two, and lived in Brooklyn with her husband, Josh, and their daughters, Mia and Isabelle. Her blog was so honesther take on dealing with her life and ultimately, her death, was such an inspiration and a comfortfor myself and countless others. I think it's a bit garish and ugly, but she loves it (laughter). Julie was born January 6, 1976, in Tam Ky, Vietnam and was of Chinese descent. But it is possible to reach out and find those like you, and in so doing you will feel not so lonely. YIP-WILLIAMS: What do you love most about our apartment? I hated the unfairness of it all. Born blind in Vietnam, Julie Yip-Williams narrowly escaped euthanasia planned by her grandmother, only to have to flee the political upheaval . Genre. [2] References [ edit] ^ a b Kelly, Hillary (2019-02-05). She was born in Tam-Ky, Vietnam, just as the war was ending, grew up in Monterey Park, California, and graduated from Williams College and Harvard Law School. Her early years had been anything but easy. Born blind in Vietnam, Julie Yip-Williams narrowly escaped euthanasia planned by her grandmother, only to have to flee the political upheaval of the late 1970s with her family. Her vision was improved with surgery in Los Angeles, but she remained legally blind. Most dates on his world tour have been canceled. She was 42. Julie wrote honestly and unflinchingly of her ordeal and articulated universal truths that resonate with anyone. [3][4], The blog and other writing by Yip-Williams, including a manuscript about her childhood, were compiled into a memoir, The Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After (2019), edited by her friend Mark Warren[5] and published posthumously. Julie fervently believed in an afterlife, and our most ardent hope is that she is in a better place, one in which she will one day be joined by her loving husband. Below please find the obituary I wrote to honor Julie, which includes links to her New York Times obituary and her recent appearance on CBSs Sunday Morning program. Her early years had been anything but easy. Find solace in one another. Julies reaction upon hearing that Random House was actually interested in transforming it into a book I mean, its hard to describe. Interred on 23 Mar 2018. So in early 1979, along with 3-year-old Julie and about 50 members of her family became the so-called boat people and boarded fishing boats from Vietnam to Hong Kong. Julie got too sick in the last several months to write it. There's this intellectual curiosity about it, but there's also this appreciation and reverence for kind of the unwinding of the miracle. Julie's family went back to their home in Tam Ky. 8 months after, which was on the 6 th of January 1976, the author named D. L. Thanh opened her eyes to this world. Diep Ly Thanh was born in Tam K, South Vietnam, the daughter of Diep The Phu (Peter Yip) and Lam Que Anh (Ann Yip). I promise. [1] In 1979, she escaped Vietnam with dozens of family members, in a fishing boat. Yip-Williams died of metastatic colon cancer at age 42 in March 2018 . I know my kids better than anybody else. She emigrated from Vietnam to Los Angeles when she was nearly four years old and grew up in Monterey Park, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. You have your whole life to decide how you feel about this.Yeah, I was gonna say, Get back to me in 40 years, I hope. I was honoured to witness your and Josh' beautiful wedding. Julie's older sister had been born with a mild form of congenital cataracts, and when the paternal grandmother held Julie, she realized that this baby, too, had vision problems. She touched thousands of lives with her blog and her brave fight against Stage IV colon cancer. The Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After, by Julie Yip-Williams Random House. What strength Julie Yip-Williams and her husband had. In a blog entry written last July, she addressed her daughters, telling them about the instructions she had left (from who your dentist is to when your school tuition needs to be paid) and the videos she would make (about all the ins and outs of the apartment). She was told of it only after the death of her grandmother. Or if Id had a particularly exhausting day at work, maybe the next day. As your mother, I wish I could protect you from the pain. Although she was born with congenital cataracts and was not able to recover normal vision following emergency surgery during her early days in the United States, her limited vision never stopped her from living a rich life full of adventures and accomplishments. She drew so much strength from writing this blog and was deeply appreciative of her readers and the meaningful relationships she forged with so many of you. NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Read with Jenna Book Club Pick as Featured on Today As a young mother facing a terminal diagnosis, Julie Yip-Williams began to write her story, a story like no other. Gratitude cannot exist without deprivation. This interview has been edited and condensed. Book Depository is the world's most international online bookstore offering over 20 million books with free delivery worldwide. Below, we get to hear from another uncommon voice that of the bereaved. You will understand that joy cannot exist without sadness. Julie Yip-Williams, 1976-2018. Are you protective of the story in some way? She was only 42 years old. Tanya and Bianca. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. You would be foolish to expect fairness, at least when it comes to matters of life and death, matters outside the scope of the law, matters that cannot be engineered or manipulated by human effort, matters that are distinctly the domain of God or luck or fate or some other unknowable, incomprehensible force. Well, look, I dont want to come off the wrong way, but its really hard for me. But in the meantime, live, my darling babies. The mystery! I'm sort of watching it happen as an observer. Julie was a corporate lawyer and also an author. I call it the evolution of the soul. Rounding up our favorite funny videos of the month. Relief cannot exist without pain. It might be while youre standing atop a mountain, marveling at exceptional beauty and filled with pride in your ability to reach the summit, or when you hold your baby in your arms for the first time or when you are crying because someone or something has broken your tender heart or maybe when youre miserably pulling an all-nighter for school or work. She is also survived by her siblings Lyna Yip of New York and Denton Yip and his family (Angel Moon, wife, and Carter and Adrian Yip, Julies nephews) of Palos Verdes Estates, CA, as well as by her parents Peter Yip and Ann Yip of Monterey Park, CA. Retrieved 2020-07-12. Watching her, I always wondered what it would be like when it actually happened. And I'll think about all the nights that they'll sleep in this bed, and I'll think about, you know, how I won't be here. she said at a fund-raising event sponsored by the law firm in 2014. Julie Ly Yip-Williams, beloved wife, mother, sister and daughter, passed away on March 19, 2018 at the age of 42, following a long and fierce battle with advanced colon cancer. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Something that really struck me was how practical Julie is. Rejoice in life and all of its beauty because of it; live with special zest and zeal for me.. RIP Gordon Pinsent! [2], Yip earned a bachelor's degree from Williams College in Massachusetts, and a J.D. They have two daughters. We were lucky because we were not forced to engage in cannibalism, as some other refugees were.. The lessons that blindness and then cancer have taught me are too many for me to recount here, but I hope, when you read what follows, you will understand how it is possible to be changed in a positive way by tragedy and you will learn the true value of suffering. She was born in war-torn Vietnam with blinding cataracts, and her grandmother insisted that Julie be taken to an herbalist who would feed her a poisonous tincture, thus removing the burden of a helpless girl. March 25, 2018 / 10:23 AM / CBS News. (LogOut/ So that was my greatest gift - tangible gift. You will feel alone and lonely, and yet, understand that you are not alone. But also I think she really, really wanted to leave a tangible legacy, particularly for the kids. [9], Julie Yip married fellow lawyer Joshua Williams. I didnt read the post that she wrote to me titled, Love the last or second-to-last post she wrote until months after the fact. She met Mark [Warren, her editor] after she had made a comment on an article that Mark had written about Stephanie Lee, who was a stage-four colorectal cancer sufferer down in Mississippi. Julie, as our daughter Belle was so fond of saying, we all love you to infinity and we always will. Interesting Facts About HGTVs Jenn Todryk Her Age, Kids! Cancer is completing my life, making it whole. Julie was many thingsa brilliant scholar, a talented attorney, a fantastic writer, a lover of life who traveled to places as far-flung as the South Pole, Egypt, Jordan, Bangladesh, the Galapagos Islands, Paris, China and Vietnam, among many others, a lover of fine food, a fantastic cook who owned probably fifty cookbooks and could produce (good) restaurant-quality food, a voracious reader and yet also an avid and unapologetic binge television-watcherbut even more fundamentally, she was a loyal and loving person who put her family first. But I dont know if its really answered any of my deeper questions about the afterlife. Not BFFs Anymore! Jordyn Woods Shows Her Subtle Support to Selena Gomez amid the Singers Online Feud with Kylie and Hailey! I hope the family is thriving . It all makes sense now. Julie went to Williams College in Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard Law School. Be stronger people because of it, for you will know that you carry my strength within you. And that is an incredible, beautiful, glorious thing to be able to say. But this story isn't about the fact that Julie died. Award-winning actor dies peacefully in his sleep aged 92. Monday, 01 March 2021 Live a life worth living On 19 March 2018, almost five years after being diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer, thirty-eight-year-old Julie Yip-Williams died, leaving behind a husband and two daughters. Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window). It's a letter to prepare them all for her death. Julie Yip-Williams dies at 42. It seems to have a life and will of its own that I cannot control through the sheer force of my mind. For a child, there is nothing worse than being different, in that negative, pitiful way. Julie didnt really come from religion, but she had an Eastern philosophical mind in that sense. But it would not be my choice. To raise their three children, Ms. Yip-Williamss father became a wholesale vegetable buyer and her mother a manicurist. In July 2013 she was diagnosed with Stage Four colon cancer. My mother didnt think it worthwhile to have me study Chinese after English school, as my siblings did, because she assumed I wouldnt be able to see the characters. SHAPIRO: Yip-Williams wrote and recorded that letter after being diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at age 37. Many may disagree, but I have always believed, always, even when I was a precocious little girl crying alone in my bed, that our purpose in this life is to experience everything we possibly can, to understand as much of the human condition as we can squeeze into one lifetime, however long or short that may be. 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