VOL 39 NO 25 | JUNE 20 – JUNE 26, 2020

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA

The business articles are supported by SEATTLE METROPOLITAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

VOL 39 NO 25 JUNE 20 – JUNE 26, 2020 FREE 38 YEARS YOUR VOICE

Michael Flor beats coronavirus, comes home in time for Father’s Day “This Father’s Day is a celebration of the second chance in life as a family.”

Photo by George Liu

Seattle Chamber of Commerce wields influence for small businesses

By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

ernor’s Stay Home order, many restaurants closed and business was almost entirely delivery or takout. It has been one way for people to feed their families without the risk of leaving their home. Many third-party delivery providers also offered promotions to mitigate the financial burden on restaurants.

Some operators get around using food delivery services by enlisting family members and relatives.

With most of the staff laid off and the need for front-facing customer service eliminated, family members who may not be so great at

The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce scored a big win for local small businesses during a time of crisis.

Its biggest victory was engaging with the Washington state Congressional delegation to ensure that the need for extending the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) was fully understood. As part of its most recent advocacy effort, the chamber was one of about a dozen signatories to a letter written to members of Congress to change the terms by which the PPP was supposed to be paid back.

“The way the program was set up, small businesses needed to hire back most of their employees, but with reopening schedules, that was very hard,” said Alicia Teel, vice president of marketing and communications for the chamber.

If businesses did not hire back all employees on schedule, they would be liable for repaying the entire amount of the loan, rather than having it forgiven. This could have driven many businesses into bankruptcy.

“We advocated to extend the schedule,” she said. “The key is that they needed to meet that criteria for the loan to be forgiven, and it was very hard to meet that criteria with the original date.”

The chamber, along with the other organizations, advocated at the local and federal level to change the deadline. In the end, Congress did extend the deadline until the end of the year and made other substantial changes to make the program easier on small businesses.

Rep. Adam Smith, in an email to the Northwest Asian Weekly, said, “We value all the input we received from around the district, and always welcome feedback to ensure federal programs are working as intended for the community.”

The passing of the new version, called the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, on June 3, allowed small businesses much more time to rehire employees, and represented the biggest win for the broad coalition of advocates that included the chamber.

Beyond this, the chamber has written letters to local and national leaders advocating for increased funding for small businesses weathering the coronavirus pandemic.

Its advocacy work was in part spurred by the grim realizations revealed by a study it commissioned about the impact of the pandemic.

The study, undertaken by Community Attributes, found that 40% of jobs would be impacted, mostly affecting low-income households with annual income of less than $38,000. It also found that small businesses downtown were highly dependent on Amazon, which had the highest workforce in the state, of 50,000. Each employee was ending an average of $25 per day, generating total daily revenue of $2.6 million for small businesses in the area.

The state would be massively impacted, it predicted, since 71% of its budget comes from sales and gross

see SURVIVAL TIPS on 9

see SEATTLE CHAMBER on 4

Michael Flor and wife, Elisa Del Rosario

By Gayle Gupit Mayor NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Waiting anxiously at the hospital lobby of Swedish Issaquah, Beija Flor clutches a yellow sign with the handwritten words “BEST DAD EVER!”

Michael Flor finally emerges after a record-breaking 62 days in the hospital fighting COVID-19. He reunites with his wife, Elisa Del Rosario, and daughter Beija as applause erupts from the doctors, nurses, and caregivers. see FLOR on 12

Recipe for survival: What businesses are doing during the pandemic names in the news  2

Takeout orders spaced apart at Dough Zone

Jade Garden Restaurant customers waiting outside for their takeout orders

MATTHEW POLLY  5

BLOG  6

JAPANTOWN pictorial  8

■

Only one in five restaurant owners say they are confident that they will be able to keep their businesses running until normal operations resume.

That’s according to the results of a recent James Beard Foundation (JBF) survey.

Independent operators, on average, have laid off 91% of their hourly workforce and nearly 70% of their salaried employees, according to the JBF’s survey of 1,400 restaurant owners in April.

An informal survey of restaurant owners in Chinatown-International District revealed that most did what they had resisted before—signing up for all food delivery services just to get some money coming in. According to the website Yelp, food delivery orders doubled since the outbreak began. With the gov-

Photos by Assunta Ng

By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Dim Sum King rearranged furniture to facilitate social distacing

412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 • f. 206.223.0626 • editor@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com

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38 YEARS

JUNE 20 – JUNE 26, 2020

■ NAMES IN THE NEWS First Sikh woman to graduate from West Point

Second Lt. Anmol Narang made history on June 14—becoming the first Sikh woman to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

“I am humbled that in reaching this goal, I am showing other Sikh Americans that any career Anmol Narang path is possible for anyone willing to rise to the challenge,” Narang said in a news release from the Sikh Coalition.

A second-generation immigrant born and raised in Roswell, Georgia, Narang will complete her Basic Officer Leadership Course at Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma. Following that, she will then head to her first post in Okinawa, Japan, in January. 

Apolo Ohno thanks parents, teachers at PTA virtual meeting

Olympic medalist and Hall of Famer Apolo Ohno surprised a group of Parent Teacher Association (PTA) members in the Northshore School District at their end-ofyear virtual meeting on May 19.

Ohno expressed his heartfelt thanks to parents, teachers, staff, students, and community members for their teamwork during the closures. Drawing on his experiences as an Olympic medalist in short track speed skating, Ohno encouraged everyone to persevere and never lose hope.

“I think that we will rise up out of this a stronger and

hopefully more connected community of people. It’s up to every single one of us to ensure that we are impacting positivity in the world and pushing out there what we want to attract,” he said. 

$25K raised for Suginoko Preschool

Yamada said, “It is inspiring to think about the resilience of the trees and the new life these seeds will bring.”

The Seattle Japanese Garden is one of the most celebrated Japanese gardens outside of Japan. 

A GoFundMe campaign has reached its goal of raising $25,000 to help Suginoko Preschool in Bellevue.

The school, a nonprofit organization that provides early childhood education to Japanese-speaking children, was closed in March due to the pandemic. Like so many other early education programs, the preschool has struggled during the pandemic to cover its bills.

Organizers say the money raised in the campaign will be used to prevent the school from permanently closing. 

Seattle Japanese Garden celebrates 60 years

June 5 marked the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Seattle Japanese Garden. In Japan, the 60th year of life is called “kanreki” and a particularly meaningful part of the kanreki season is the launch of a partnership with the Green Legacy Hiroshima (GLH) Initiative.

The GLH is a nonprofit from Hiroshima that propagates seeds from trees that survived the atomic bombing. In January of this year, the Seattle Japanese Garden became the first partner in the Pacific Northwest to receive GLH seeds.

Seattle-based Consul General of Japan Yoichiro

Central District Community Preservation Development Authority

Gov. Jay Inslee signs HB1918 to form a Central District Community Preservation Development Authority

Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill last month to form a Central District Community Preservation Development Authority (CD-CPDA). Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos was the prime sponsor of HB 1918. The purpose of the CD-CPDA is to promote self-sufficiency of African descendants of the U.S. enslaved and other disenfranchised people, through the development of economic pathways to upward mobility. 

COVID-19

“ Why I keep 6 feet away... to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

Nesley Social Worker & Educator

Together, we can stop the spread. kingcounty.gov/covid

YOUR VOICE

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

JUNE 20 – JUNE 26, 2020

asianweekly northwest

3

Chinatown-International District restaurants reopen for dine-in service King County was approved to move to a modified Phase 1 and will now allow restaurants to begin opening indoor seating at 25% of normal capacity.

Restaurant owners in the ChinatownInternational District tell us it has been a challenge to stay open every day, since

they have had to cut down on staff. Also, most don’t have the space to allow enough distance to meet the six-foot distance requirement.

On June 15, King County applied to move to Phase 2 of its reopening, which would allow restaurants to accomodate

50% dine-in capacity.

As of press time, the following is a list of restaurants reopening for dine-in services in and around the ChinatownInternational District.

• Dough Zone • Harbor City

• Ocean Star • Pho Bac Sup Shop • T&T Seafood • Tai Tung • The Dolar Shop (reservations highly recommended) • China Harbor 

■ IN MEMORY OF ...

S. Kenneth Pai (1935-2020)

On Monday, May 25, 2020, S. Kenneth Pai, loving husband, father, and grandfather, passed away—one week before his 85th birthday. Ken married Julie Li in 1968, and raised two children, Ayesha and Derek. He received his Master’s in Urban Planning from Virginia Tech in 1964, and retired in 2001 as Director of International Marketing for the Port of Seattle.

Ken was born in 1935 to Zhang Fen Pai, a refined Southern lady from Zhejiang Province, and Chien Min Pai, a central government official and liaison to China’s Northwest frontier.

As a boy, Ken survived illness, Japanese occupation, and the death of his mother, eventually discovering his iconoclastic spirit while fighting for opportunities to go to school amidst the Chinese Civil War.

After majoring in Foreign Languages and English Literature at the National Taiwan University and completing two years of compulsory military service, Ken decided to pursue the American dream in 1961, eventually landing in Blacksburg, Virginia. At Virginia Tech, and later at Columbia and Harvard, he studied urban planning and began a career of public service in cities like Norwalk, New York, and Hoboken. His contributions to the “Model Cities” program helped attract a new generation of residents, businesses, and artists to Hoboken. He met Julie at Columbia University in 1965.

In 1980, along with their two young children, Ken and Julie moved to Seattle where Ken worked at the Port of Seattle until his retirement in 2001 as Director of International Marketing. With the normalization of U.S.China diplomacy, Ken turned his focus to Asia as it grew to become the Port’s primary market. He was instrumental in establishing and maintaining relationships with Chinese governmental and industry leaders, and played a key role in

bringing major airline and shipping line business to Seattle.

He later created a partnership between the Port, Seattle’s Chamber of Commerce and the local business community, and in 1990 co-founded the Seattle Trade Development Alliance, now part of Greater Seattle Partners.

Ken had a lifelong passion for learning and for building bridges where none had existed before. Fluent in American and Chinese cultural norms, he made friends so easily that one could forgive his thunderous sneezes and off-kilter baseball caps. Informed by decades of experience with both frontiers and obstacles, Ken was a teacher and mentor to many. He is survived by his wife Julie, daughter Ayesha (m.

Armando), son Derek, granddaughters Marisa and Bella, and three siblings.

Due to current social distancing guidelines, a memorial service is not planned at this time. Donations in Ken’s honor may be made to the U.S.-China Strong Foundation (100kstrong.org) and to the Parkinson’s Foundation (parkinson.org). 

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JUNE 20 – JUNE 26, 2020

38 YEARS

■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR JUN 18 SBA PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM 3-4:30 p.m.

Webinar Register at shorturl.at/itGM1

24 TAP-SEA: GAME NIGHT

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Register at ihollaback.org/ bystanderintervention

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THROUGH JUN 24

THROUGH AUGUST 16

EVERY WEDNESDAY COVID-19: PIVOTING TO RECOVERY AND SUSTAINABLE GROWTH Register at https://bit.ly/35ysQPz 5:30-6:30 p.m.

TADAIMA! A COMMUNITY VIRTUAL PILGRIMAGE 2 p.m.

Register at jampilgrimages.com/ virtualpilgrimageregistration

JUL

THROUGH JUN 25

BYSTANDER INTERVENTION TRAINING TO STOP ANTI-ASIAN/AMERICAN AND XENOPHOBIC HARASSMENT

Lake View Cemetery Seattle’s Pioneer Cemetery Est. 1872 An Independent, Non-Profit Association

7 JUL 7, AUG 4, SEP 1, OCT 6, NOV 3, DEC 1

27 2020 AAPI PRESIDENTIAL TOWN HALL 12 p.m.

Register to watch on

FREE HEALTH SCREENINGS Uwajimaya 9 a.m.

Featuring

Traditional Side-by-Side Monument Properties

206-322-1582

1554 15th Ave East

(North Capitol Hill)

■ LETTER Dear Editor,

My name is Linda Lee Cadwell and I was married to Bruce Lee. A Garfield High School friend of mine, Sue Kay, sent me an article about the many artists who have dedicated their time and talents to dressing up the damage to storefronts in the Chinatown-International District.

I want to applaud your efforts and those of all the painters to come together to inspire goodwill in the community. I especially liked the portrait of Bruce and Kareem on the Tai Tung storefront. They were good friends and always looked straight across at each other with no barriers between them.

Please pass on my appreciation to Shara Lee and Dozfy Nguyen for their artistry and to

SEATTLE CHAMBER from 1 receipts tax, compared to 41% for the national average of other states. The report strongly recommended that new funding sources and new approaches to the management of revenue be found.

In a flurry of letters to President Trump, the King County Council, and Gov. Jay Inslee and state congressional leaders, the chamber urged action to help small businesses secure more funding. Heeding their plea, the Washington State Department of Commerce brought together a coalition of groups to help local businesses navigate the hurdles to access federal funds.

The Small Business Resiliency Assistance program, as

Che Sehyun for his inspiration in promoting this project. The renovation of the CID is an inspiration to other communities to repair structures as well as relationships.

I spent a lot of time in Seattle Chinatown.

It is where I first met Bruce and started taking gung fu lessons from him. Tai Tung was one of our favorite hangouts. 

it is called, focused on “disadvantaged communities” by bringing together a list of organizations that would provide coaching, translation and other services.

The Department of Commerce also announced that the organizations joining the coalition would be eligible for reimbursement of “allowable expenses for translating information, conducting outreach and providing business coaching, mentoring and education on what assistance is available to small businesses now, and to prepare for the future post-COVID-19 emergency response,” according to the announcement.

Meanwhile, the chamber has also been offering webinars on its website to help small businesses navigate the challenges of applying for funds, avoid fraud rings, and

Photo by Assunta Ng

Artists appreciation from Bruce Lee’s widow

In appreciation, — Linda Lee Cadwell

apply for unemployment insurance. The webinars, which have appeared twice a week, now involve topics related to the opening up of the economy. On June 24, the chamber is offering a roundtable with leaders of the construction industry.

The Chamber has also delivered 6,400 bottles of hand sanitizers to area businesses, Teel said. It has distributed masks and is also making available 46,000 masks and face coverings to Washington businesses at businesshealthtrust.com/chamber-bht-cares.  Mahlon can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

View the solution on page 10

Assunta Ng

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The only weekly English-language newspaper serving Washington’s Asian community. The NW Asian Weekly has one simple goal: “To empower the Asian community.”

The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject any advertisement, letter or article.

Subscriptions cost $40 for 52 weeks of the NW Asian Weekly and $30 for 52 weeks of the Seattle Chinese Post. The NW Asian Weekly owns the copyright for all its content. All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be reprinted without permission.

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YOUR VOICE

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

JUNE 20 – JUNE 26, 2020

asianweekly northwest

5

Author of Bruce Lee biography discusses trip to Shaolin Temple, documentary

By Jason Cruz NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Matthew Polly

Matthew Polly picked up karate when he was 12 years old, as a way to avoid being bullied. Growing up in Topeka, Kansas, martial arts became a passion of his and as like most, he became a fan of Bruce Lee. It led to the most complete, authoritative book on the famous martial arts star and now a documentary on Lee’s life.

Polly’s biography on Bruce Lee was optioned for a chance to become a documentary. Of all the suitors to convert his work into television form, he chose Bao Nguyen, an awardwinning Vietnamese American filmmaker.

“When I met with director Bao, I told him that this was his baby,” said Polly, who received an executive producer credit for the documentary. “It’s the most complete and thorough documentary out there on Lee’s life.”

Polly’s role with the documentary was to mainly serve as a “rolodex,” in which he helped Nguyen and his staff

WE’RE HERE.

talk to those he had interviewed for the book. Polly interviewed many people that knew Lee, including his family, friends, and even training partners.

Polly’s interest in Lee took on grand levels. As with every other kid interested in karate, he had a pair of nunchucks like in the movies. But his interest drew him to follow his hero’s footsteps.

One of Lee’s most famous movies, “Enter the Dragon,” became a favorite of Polly’s. In the movie, Lee plays a Shaolin monk that learns kung fu at the Shaolin Temple and is picked to fight in a highprofile martial arts competition.

“The idea to where Bruce Lee was a monk...it captivated my young imagination,” recalled Polly. So interested in the movie, Polly took a leave of absence while in college to go to China to train with Shaolin monks.

Obviously, there was some question as to whether a Shaolin Temple actually existed and whether the monks taught martial arts, let alone teach it to a westerner.

Admittedly, Polly chalked up this adventure to being young and perhaps naïve. Without the itinerary fully answered, Polly left school and purchased a ticket to China. He had some money saved up so he planned on taking a year off.

Polly stayed for two years.

Polly attended Princeton University in New Jersey, where he was studying East Asian Studies and Religion. With an interest in Buddhism and the ability to speak Mandarin, he set out to find the temple where Lee trained in the movie.

Polly’s dreams did not resonate with his father.

“My father was a very conservative doctor and he believed he was sending me to college for an education and when I told him, ‘Dad, I want to be a Buddhist monk,’ he was less than happy.”

“That was a long argument and he didn’t talk to me for a long time after that.”

Sight unseen, Polly set out to find the Shaolin Temple.

He had not contacted the Shaolin monks, nor did he know

the location of the temple. In the early 1990s when Polly went to China, there was no internet and Polly noted that “36 Chambers of Shaolin” was the most you can do for research on the area.

“There were no books, you couldn’t go to a website, there was no Google Maps,” explained Polly about his quest to find a place he had seen only in a movie.

“I literally booked a hotel room [in Beijing] and asked the concierge.” After 5 days of looking and asking people in Beijing, he finally found an old lady who knew what he was talking about. “She said, I know where it is. It’s in my home province.”

He took a train to the capital city of the Hunan province and booked a hotel where he asked again about the temple. The woman working at the hotel told Polly that her brother worked there and gave him the information he had seemingly looked all over the country for.

“It took two weeks to find the Shaolin Temple, and I just showed up there.”

It (the Shaolin Temple) was being run by the Communist Party and they were interested in making money, said Polly. They told Polly that room, board, food, and training would cost $1,300 per month.

“If you got that, you can train here,” he was told. It was not until a couple months later that he learned that he was being “ripped off” as the actual cost was $500 per month.

He did have one-on-one training with a Shaolin monk for 6 hours a day.

Polly had trained for 3 years in a mix of martial arts, which included tae kwon do and Southern kung fu. Polly recalls that the monks were interested in learning more about this ‘tall, white American’ training with them. On the first day, one of his instructors asked him how long he trained, to which he responded, “about 2 years.” The monk see POLLY on 11

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38 YEARS

JUNE 20 – JUNE 26, 2020

■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG

From sportswear to masks Outdoor Research innovates during the pandemic

Drive-thru job fair at Outdoor Research on May 16

From left: Outdoor representatives Amy McClanless, Feng He, and Andrew Kutz.

Employees wear company-made masks.

and backcountry skiing and snowboarding.

Dan Nordstrom, a member of the wellrenowned Nordstrom family, bought the business in 2003. Outdoor Research also has a Korean partner, Youngone Corporation, a global manufacturer, which also has an office in Seattle.

Organizations love to innovate so they can thrive. But innovative ideas don’t come by easily. It takes lots of money and resources, and years of research and development. However, it could jump out of the blue effortlessly if the team knows how to encourage and inspire each other.

In Outdoor Research’s case, it began with the right questions during a management brainstorming session, according to Brent Zwiers, director of operations.

“How could we help those health care workers, first responders, and community members who were, and remain, on the front lines of battling this disease?”

“What can we do to help?” and “What is needed now?” are key questions to figuring out what a company can do to fill a need. It sets the stage for serious thinking.

What led to the conclusion of making masks was when management decided to shut down for two weeks to implement safety measures and clean the whole building. Management was working from home, while employees used their vacation time to stay home.

“The process was a very fast one,” said Zwiers. “We had closed our sewing see BLOG on 9

Photos by Assunta Ng

While countless companies are laying off workers and downsizing during the coronavirus pandemic, Seattle-based Outdoor Research is doing the opposite.

It is now hiring, expanding, and making masks.

Making masks? What comes to my mind when I buy masks to protect myself from COVID-19? “Made in China,” not the United States, and certainly not Seattle.

Can Outdoor Research compete with China though?

Creating manufacturing jobs right now goes against the norm. America’s factories are dying all over the country. To cut expenses, American manufacturers have outsourced their jobs to other parts of the world. Some have shut down factories in America, and favoring factories in countries like China, Vietnam, and Mexico.

Relying on outsiders to provide us with luxurious products, and even simple “essential” products like masks, seems to tell a sad story about Uncle Sam. So how does Outdoor Research buck the trend?

Photos by Assunta Ng

By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

How Outdoor Research discovered the mask idea

Started in 1981, Outdoor Research manufactures technical apparel and gear for outdoor sports, including alpinism, rock and ice climbing, backpacking, paddling,

The board of the United Chinese Americans of Washington would like to thank the following organizations for their donations to fight COVID-19.

Together, we raised $140,000 for Evergreen Health Medical Center to buy PPE and medical equipment. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Sponsor Organizations of this Fundraising: 1. United Chinese Americans of Washington 2. Guardian of Angeles Charitable Foundation 3. HUST Alumni Association of Seattle 4. Hubei Association of Seattle 5. Sea Moms club 6. Seattle Suzhou Fellow Association 7. Washington State Hunanese Association 8. Seattle Alumni of Nanjing University 9. Swiss Acupuncture & CWest Health LLC 10. Mercer Island Chinese Association 11. Rainier Taiji Foundation 12. Pacific Artists’ Alliance 13. Washington State Artists Association 14. Little Masters Club 15. Education Hill Learning Center 16. Olympia Area Chinese Association 17. Mingdao Classroom 18. Chinese Wushu & Taichi Academy LLC 19. Federal Way Chinese Village 20. Washington Advancement of Education and Culture 21. China, America, Canada Friendship Association 22. 505 Co. Group 23. China Tomorrow Education Foundation 24. Eastside Little Learners 25. Emerald Parents Association 26. T.E.A. Washington 27. Seattle Entrepreneurship Club 28. Northeast Chinese Association USA 29. Globenex Realty 30. Sichuan Fellowship of Seattle 31. Career Up Club 32. Chinese Young Professional Association 33. Washington Green Organic Institute 34. Northwest Chinese School 35. Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA) 36. Wells Chiropractic, Wellness Spin Clinic

Photo courtesy of UCAWA

Thank You

Representatives from the Chinese American community unveil their contribution. From left: Miao Wang, nurse; Qiong Chen, VP of HUST Alumni Association of Seattle; Hong Qi, secretary of UCAWA; Xiaoning Jiang, Deputy Director Information Technology at City of Kirkland; and Xuemei Su, nurse.

37. North America China Council 38. Chongqing People”s Association of Seattle 39. Northwest Chinese Dental Association 40. Shanghai Jiao Tong University Alumni Association of Seattle 41. Karen Tsuo International Image Institute 42. USTC Alumni Association in Greater Seattle 43. My World Mandarin Nature School 44. Rose Show Chinese Culture LLC 45. Grand JK Cabinetry, INC 46. Ying Tong LLC 47. Pacific Dragons Swim Team 48. Jiangxi Fellowship Association of Seattle 49. Sunny Language Academy Inc. 50. North Seattle Chinese Dance Group 51. Chanden Inc. 52. JiaoTong & Chiao Tung University Alumni Association of Seattle, including: • Shanghai Jiao Tong University Alumni Association of Seattle • Xi An Jiao Tong University Alumni Association of

Seattle • Beijing Jiao Tong University Alumni Association of Seattle • Southeast Jiao Tong University Alumni Association of Seattle • Xizhu Jiao Tong University Alumni Association of Seattle 53. Green Guava LLC 54. Yufeng Sinology Corp.

55. HiScore Learning Center 56. CONPAC Group 57. Guangzhou Association of Washington State, Guangfu Association of Washington State 58. Seattle Hop Sing Tong 59. Soo Yuen Benevolent Assortment 60. Seattle Suey Sing Association 61. Tai Tung Restaurant 62. Friendship of Gee How Oak Tin Association 63. Hip Sing Association 64. Chew Lun Association & Female Dept.

65. Teng Smiles Orthodontics

JUNE 20 – JUNE 26, 2020

YOUR VOICE

■ BUSINESS

asianweekly northwest

7

How Seattle banks have weathered the COVID-19 storm

By Alexander Chan NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY The COVID-19 outbreak has forced banks to alter the way they conduct business. Financial institutions that cater to Asian American and international clientele, such as Cathay Bank and HSBC, have been adversely impacted by the economic shutdowns. Cathay Bank is lending less money this year than it did last year and HSBC recently announced plans for deep job cuts. The sights of vacant and boarded-up banks across the country have been far too common during this crisis.

Through perseverance, creativity, and perhaps some luck, banks in the Seattle area with large Asian client bases have largely avoided the same fate that has befallen some of their national counterparts. Nathan Nguyen, the director of consumer and wealth management for the Northwest for JP Morgan-Chase, said, “JP Morgan has not had to furlough or lay off any of our employees. We’ve paid every single employee from a high-risk population who needed to stay home.”

Albert Chun, branch manager for the International District branch of the Washington Federal (WaFD) bank, said WaFD has done something counterintuitive.

“We have not reduced staff, and, in some areas, we’ve added staff to the bank. We allowed any staff Albert Chun member who felt unsafe coming to work to stay home for a month with full pay and we offered branch staff a 25% premium pay to keep

working in the branch to serve our clients.”

Banks were exempted from Gov. Jay Inslee’s Stay Home order from March as essential businesses. Most banks have remained open in the Seattle area throughout the entire COVID-19 crisis for teller services. However, some banks have adjusted how they conduct face-to-face meetings with customers.

David Kennedy, the Pacific Northwest Regional Communications Officer for Wells Fargo Bank, explained some of the challenges that Wells Fargo has faced with offering in-person representation.

“Throughout the country, including in Seattle, we have been and will continue to be open as an essential business.

Through at least July 31, we will continue with our current operating model, which includes about 200,000 employees working from home and maintaining safety measures in locations that remain open.”

Nguyen indicated that while JP Morgan has not had physical meetings, they’ve been able to provide financial services to clients through online mediums such as Zoom.

“We are leveraging technology through this crisis to interact with clients.”

Efforts by the federal government to provide Americans with a safety net through this crisis have elevated the role of banks in the economic recovery. The Payment Protection Program (PPP) provided qualifying lenders with the task of submitting applications from business owners for federal loans that would allow businesses to keep employees on their payroll through any economic shutdown. Processing PPP applications has kept banks in Seattle extremely busy during a time with limited economic activity.

Laura Suter, regional communications manager for KeyBank, said, “We have been able to process all of our approximately 40,000 applications to date for PPP aid, to-

taling about $8 billion through the SBA. We are continuing to process applications as long as funds remain available in the program so that we can help as many of our clients as possible.”

Banks have also provided relief to their clients for credit card, mortgage, and other loan payments. Nearly all banks have extended forbearance and deferral periods and waived late fees for customers during these difficult times. None of the banking representatives Laura Suter interviewed by the Northwest Asian Weekly indicated that there had been a reduction in their institutions’ lending.

Anti-Asian sentiment has increased in Seattle and across the United States since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. Asian small business owners have been targeted for hate crimes and racial harassment. None of the financial representatives interviewed by the Northwest Asian Weekly had heard of any instance of racial discrimination that occurred at any of their branches.

Business is expected to increase in Seattle now that King County has reached a modified version of phase one in Washington’s reopening plan. Banks in Seattle have prepared for a return to normalcy by installing plexiglass between tellers and customers at all locations, requiring employees to wear masks, enforcing social distancing between customers, and increasing the availability of hand sanitizer and sneeze guards at all branches.  Alexander can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

At the Chamber, we’re building a community that is stronger, more equitable, and more resilient than before.

Learn how we’re doing it at

seattlechamber.com

/seattlebusiness

@seattlechamber

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asianweekly northwest

■ PICTORIAL

JUNE 20 – JUNE 26, 2020

38 YEARS

#4BLM Community Art Walk in Japantown We walked through Japantown in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (ID) on June 14 to see the artists painting new murals. More than 200 artists and 1. Maneki Restaurant 2. H. T. Kubota Building 3. Detailing at Maneki needs a steady hand.

4. Artists flash the peace sign while painting a mural on the corner of 6th and Main.

5. Panama Hotel 6. NP Hotel with artist Kylie Lor, 12, and her cousin, Asia Lor

community members have gathered together in recent weeks to beautify the ID, which has been vandalized by rioting and looting.  PHOTOS BY ASSUNTA NG & BECKY CHAN

LOVE GOES THE DISTANCE

Just because we’re apart doesn’t mean we can’t stay connected.

Caring for our family and friends is still as important as ever.

So make time to connect, help plan out the medical care they need, and remind each other to stay safe and healthy.

Because staying connected is another way to say “I love you.”

Let AARP help. For tips and resources during COVID-19, visit aarp.org/coronavirus

JUNE 20 – JUNE 26, 2020

YOUR VOICE BLOG from 6 factory out of an abundance of caution as we designed, wrote, and practiced our procedure for reopening as safely as possible. While we were also doing this, we were discussing the ideas of making masks and what it would take.

“This was not a traditional process for starting a new business. We didn’t make a big plan, study for months or years [about] the market.” But management took immediate action, studying and researching on machines they need to buy, and learning how to make masks. The company has already sewn gloves and many other items.

“The process of making masks is similar to our other products in the sense that they both are making something,” said Zwiers. “It’s being in a factory, working with machinery and teams of people to make a tangible product. They are also vastly different. The materials are different, which meant finding and securing a new supply chain, the machines are larger, more complicated and automated, which means finding the machines, learning how they work, how to repair them and keep them operational.”

The rest is history. Today, the company has bought six mask-production machines from China. The machines were flown over to Seattle, rather than shipping them.

Timing and speed are important for an organization to succeed when seizing on a new market.

Zwiers said it’s “exciting and terrifying

to do something new and using our skills to help. The company has invested a lot, pushing hard.” To move fast, one entire floor (warehouse space) of the building, about 15,000 square feet, has been cleared for the mask department.

How are OR masks different from China’s?

“Outdoor Research’s masks are made in Seattle from materials that are completely sourced and made in the USA,” said Zwiers.

“We take great pride in the quality of all of our products and are excited to provide them to the organizations that need them in the fight against the virus.”

Feng He, a production manager and a Chinese immigrant, said Outdoor Research is still testing the equipment. Its machines produced 10,000 masks last week. If the machine is in full capacity, it can produce 140,000 masks a day.

The machines are automatic, but require operators to run them. It also has hired sewers to sew fabric masks. Outdoor Research will be producing both surgical and N95 masks. And it already has customers. They are selling wholesale to the federal and Washington state government. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is one of its customers. Outdoor Research has to hire over 100 new employees for its new mask department.

Outdoor’s accomplishments

During COVID-19, factory workers are at risk for infection as many plants’

SURVIVAL TIPS from 1 customer service can still chip in by helping to prepare takeout orders, or by delivering food, thereby cutting down on labor costs.

Another strategy that local restaurants have implemented to stay afloat is to limit their menu. With fewer dishes to prepare, owners don’t have to buy as much food. The

layout don’t conform to social distancing standards. At Outdoor Research, not a single worker has been infected, and it does not allow visitors.

The company has implemented policies to protect workers, such as providing rides to workers as close as ChinatownInternational District and as far as Renton.

All employees are encouraged to drive or have family members drive them to work. Employees are told to avoid public transportation. The employee’ lunch room with microwaves has been temporarily closed. Employees bring their lunches in warm containers. The restrooms are all automatic, including doors, flushing, and soap containers. No one has to touch anything when they go to the restrooms.

Outdoor Research has employed a lot of immigrants, especially Asians. Some immigrants got their first job with Outdoor Research, and have stayed there ever since.

I interviewed one of them, who requested I not reveal her name because she didn’t have permission for the interview. She has worked there for 20 years. And she raved about all the benefits she has been receiving, including dental, vision, and not just health insurance.

According to He, half of the company’s 300-plus employees, at its headquarter on 1st Avenue South, are immigrants. It also has a warehouse in Des Moines, and another location in California with over 100 workers What inspired me to write this story was Outdoor Research’s classified

operators we talked to have also kept their prices the same, so as to retain customers.

As demonstrated in the JBF survey, most restaurants will permanently close because owners do not have the financial resources to hang on. The ones who have no debt, have sufficient reserves, and own their own real estate (so they don’t have to pay a lease), are in a better position to survive the COVID-19 economic storm.

asianweekly northwest

advertisement in the Northwest Asian Weekly and Seattle Chinese Post. It said, “hiring multiple positions with a new face mask production department.” And “no experience necessary, with training and benefits.” And the company isn’t just hiring.

It has had no layoffs during the pandemic.

It might sound too good to be true! But it’s true.

When Outdoor Research advertised for a job fair a month ago, I was curious, so I went.

It was a drive-thru job fair held in an open parking lot. Streams of cars drove through. Four company representatives wearing masks greeted people inside their cars, asking them to fill out applications. I guess when a company is determined to get things done, no matter how challenging it is, it will get it done. They hired more than 50 people at that fair, and they still need to hire a lot more since mask machines can run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Yes, evening and weekend shifts are available.

And if you are looking for job satisfaction and pride, Outdoor Research might be one of those places. Making things from start to finish can provide huge satisfaction, especially products which can save lives.

And made in Seattle, from materials that are completely sourced and made in the USA, would change the narrative that America can manufacture, one mask at a time.  Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.

More than half of the operators who responded to the JBF survey said they have taken on at least $50,000 in new debt obligations due to the pandemic. Among respondents, 80% had applied for a new Small Business Administration loan, 58% had applied for an Economic Industry Disaster Loan or grant, and 34% said they had applied for a community-based loan or grant through their city or state. 

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Proposals will be received for E00675E20, Engineering Services for Lake Hills Interceptor Rehabilitation - Phase II; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, via email at procurement. submittals@kingcounty.gov, until 12:00 PM on July 9, 2020.

This contract includes development and submittal of an Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) Innovation Plan. The ESJ Innovation Plan details the approach, strategies, and actionable steps that will be taken to maximize the participation of Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Women Business Enterprise (WBE) firms. Both MBE and WBE firms

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Total Estimated Price for Phase 1: $400,000 Total Estimated Price for all Phases: $2,000,000 All solicitation documents are published at: https:// procurement.kingcounty.gov/procurement_ovr/login. aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fprocurement_ovr%2fdefault.aspx Contact: Regina Sparano, rsparano@kingcounty.gov, 206-4774807

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EMPLOYMENT

University UCC church seeks Interim Music Director, 25 hours/ week, $40,000 per year salary plus benefits. Email a resume and cover letter to office@unievrsityucc.org Find the full job description at www.universityucc.org/interimmusic-director UCUCC is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applicants of all gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ability, and religious background to apply.

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5(48(67 )25 %,'6 :RRGODQG 1RUWK ///3LV VHHNLQJ TXDOLILHG FRQWUDFWRUV LQWHUHVWHG LQ VXEPLWWLQJ ELGV IRU %XLOGLQJ (QYHORSH 5HQRYDWLRQ DW :RRGODQG 1RUWK $SDUWPHQWV :RUN LQFOXGHV EXW LV QRW OLPLWHG WR EXLOGLQJ HQYHORSH UHQRYDWLRQV DQG RWKHU WDVNV DV GHVFULEHG LQ WKH ELG GRFXPHQWV 7KH SURSHUW\ LV ORFDWHG DW 1( WK 6W /DNH )RUHVW 3DUN :$ 7KHUH LV DQ RSWLRQDO SUH ELG PHHWLQJ DW WKH SURSHUW\ RQ 7XHVGD\ -XQH DW D P %LG SDFNHWV DUH DYDLODEOH IRU GRZQORDG RQ .&+$ÂśV ZHEVLWH DW KWWS ZZZ NFKD RUJ EXVLQHVV FRQVWUXFWLRQ RSHQ ,I \RX KDYH TXHVWLRQV SOHDVH FRQWDFW 0LFKHOOH -DFNVRQ DW 0LFKHOOH-#NFKD RUJ

Housekeeper/caregiver needed in Everett WA. Light housekeeping, fix lunch, walk dog. $15-20.00/hour 30-40 hours per week. Position to start after resume and references verified. Must speak and understand English and have reliable transportation.

Call 206-799-4014.

Hiring

Subscribe to the Northwest Asian Weekly $40 for one year.

Name_______________________________ Address ____________________________ City _____________________________State________ Zip Code ____________________________ Phone ______________________________ Mail to: NW Asian Weekly 412 Maynard Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98104 or call 206-223-0623

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Call 206-223-0623 and ask for John.

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KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received for C01422C20, KCCH/MRJC 800 MHz DAS; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, via email, at procurement. submittals@kingcounty.gov, until 1:30 PM on JULY 9, 2020. Late bids will not be accepted.

There is a 15% minimum Apprentice Utilization Requirement on this contract.

There is a 5% minimum requirement for King County Certified Small Contractors and Suppliers (SCS) on this contract.

Brief Scope: Project consists of the installation of a Distributed Antennae System (DAS) in the King County Courthouse (KCCH), and in the Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) Courthouse and Detention Center in order to comply with 800 MHz radio frequency coverage requirements as mandated by King County and City of Seattle Fire Department.

Estimated contract price: $2,050,000 Pre-Bid: June 22, 2020 at 1:00pm. Bidders may attend via Skype by following this link: https://meet.kingcounty.gov/megsaunders/m5st7kgt or via telephone by dialing 1-206-263-8114. The Conference ID is: 4304561.

Complete Invitation to Bid Documents, including all project details, specifications, and contact information are available on our web page at: https://procurement. kingcounty.gov/procurement_ovr/default.aspx

SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 4.

JUNE 20 – JUNE 26, 2020

YOUR VOICE

■ ASTROLOGY

asianweekly northwest

11

Predictions and advice for the week of June 20–26, 2020

By Sun Lee Chang

Rat — Are you venturing into uncharted territory? Be prepared to play by a different set of rules.

Dragon — The pieces appear to be lining up almost perfectly, but you should stay plugged in until the goal is met.

Monkey — As much as you want to avoid a sensitive issue, there is much to be gained if you decide to tackle it.

Ox — Is there a lot of activity around you? Do your best to keep focused on what you need to get done.

Snake — Is the next best thing not good enough for you? Reserve judgment for now — you may be pleasantly surprised.

Rooster — Are you put off by what you see?

Initial appearances can be deceiving, so don’t abandon the effort just yet.

Tiger — The conditions aren’t exactly ideal, but there is still much that can be done with some ingenuity and planning.

Horse — A single reach out might not be sufficient for your purposes. Your persistence should pay off eventually.

Dog — The care with which you set the tone early on should help you significantly down the line.

Rabbit — Looking for something familiar, but with a twist? Try reworking a class to bring it up to date.

Goat — An opportunity for growth has come unexpectedly. If you decide to pursue it, be prepared for a wild ride.

Pig — People listen to your actions more so than your words. Your credibility relies on the two matching up.

WHAT’S YOUR ANIMAL SIGN? RAT 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 OX 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 TIGER 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 RABBIT 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 DRAGON 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 SNAKE 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 HORSE 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 GOAT 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 MONKEY 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 ROOSTER 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 DOG 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 PIG 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

*The year ends on the first new moon of the following year. For those born in January and February, please take care when determining your sign.

POLLY from 5 said, “It looks like about two weeks.”

Daily workouts would include calisthenics, stretching, and then practicing the various forms. Overall, Polly said that the monks treated him like ‘a big panda,’ meaning that they would never attempt to exert him or pummel him for the sake of

doing it. However, there were other training groups that would visit and want to spar with Polly, for the sake of a challenge and the belief that white people did not know martial arts.

Polly recalls the food being horrible.

“There’s a reason there’s not a ‘Hunanstyle’ Chinese restaurant here,” Polly joked about the less-than-appetizing food at the

temple. He did teach the monks how to cook French Fries, which amazed them due to the amount of grease used.

Polly eventually returned to school where he became a Rhodes Scholar at Princeton. He went on to write about his time at the temple in his first book, American Shaolin. He also wrote about his time as an MMA fighter in his second book, Tapped Out. For his third book, Polly said he wanted to write about something where he was not punched in the face.

The thought about writing a biography on Bruce Lee intrigued him because Lee was his idol. However, he thought that it was already done. It had not. Reaching out to a variety of people through interviews and communications over a lengthy period of time, Polly came up with one of the most comprehensive pieces on Lee’s life.

Entitled, “Bruce Lee, A Life,” it debuted in June 2018. The popularity led to its eventual move to become a documentary.

“I think the most important thing [from the documentary] is that it’s hard

to understand how difficult a thing it was that Bruce Lee achieved,” Polly said. “He was facing a level of racism that we can’t quite conceive.” Despite this, Lee became a movie star.

“It took an incredible amount of ambition, talent, and sheer will in his unwillingness to give up.” Polly added, “Some argue it’s what cost him his life as he spent all of his energy to achieve his dream.”

“It’s the story of what one single man can achieve if he’s willing to sacrifice everything for it.”  The documentary aired on June 7 on ESPN and is available on ESPN’s digital platform ESPN+.

Polly’s book, Bruce Lee, A Life, is available on Amazon and other online vendors. For more on Matthew Polly, visit mattpolly.com.

Jason can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

12

asianweekly northwest

38 YEARS

JUNE 20 – JUNE 26, 2020

FLOR from 1 “When they say that fighting this COVID-19 is going into unchartered territory, it is so true,” Elisa said.

Flor started feeling achy and feverish on Feb. 25 and after a few days of ups and downs, he was transported to Swedish Issaquah at 2:30 a.m. on March 5. Initially he was diagnosed with having pneumonia, but his results came back positive for COVID-19 the following day.

A few weeks after being admitted to the hospital, complications from the virus caused his major organs to fail. Data shows that the disease frequently leads to hospitalization and death in men over 60 years old.

“We were told to say our goodbyes on the evening of March 28,” Elisa said.

“No words can capture the depths of our despair that night because we couldn't even be with him. But nurse Louise, same name as his mother's, promised she would stay in the room so he wouldn't be alone.”

Flor’s stay in the intensive care unit, including 29 days on a ventilator, is considered the longest on record at Swedish.

While in the hospital last March 17, on Saint Patrick’s Day, Michael Patrick Flor turned 70. Elisa, Beija, and Beija’s boyfriend Sam sang together through the sunroom window, while nurse Missy held the phone to Flor’s ear.

“He may have been able to hear us.”

Even though Flor was still sedated, Elisa was hopeful.

Flor was born in 1950 and grew up in a mixed-race household. His father, Vincent, was from Iloilo, Philippines, and the ancestry of his mother, Louise, can be traced back to Baden-Baden, Germany.

Growing up, he naturally struggled with identity.

“I recognized that I was both of Filipino and German backgrounds, but didn’t know much about either. Having one foot in the Filipino culture and the other in a white culture was interesting for me,” Flor said. He grew up in Seattle’s culturally and ethnically diverse Central District.

“Parents watched and took care of all the kids and every door of every home was open to all the kids to run in and out of all day long,” Flor said. “My experience with the Filipino culture was family and community get-togethers … there were many social activities at the local churches—Maryknoll and Immaculate—as practically everyone I knew was Catholic.”

After graduating from Seattle’s Immaculate Conception School, Flor attended O’Dea High School.

“This was my introduction to being an “other” as previously, all my classes were predominantly made up of students of color,” Flor said.

Before beginning college at the University of Washington, Flor worked in the canneries of Alaska, where he experienced discrimination.

Back then, the sleeping areas and work at the canneries were segregated.

“The jobs for each were as segregated as the Filipinos worked sorting and butchering fish, the Natives did sliming and pulling fish guts and eggs, and the white guys supervised,” Flor said. “But despite this, I made friends with many manongs who made sure we were doing, or at least trying to do, the right thing.”

He often struggled with his ‘Filipinoness.’ “While I identified as being a person of color, an Asian American or Filipino, I often really didn’t know what that meant,” Flor said. “It wasn’t until I met my wife and we traveled through the Philippines in the late 80s that things came into perspective.”

Michael and Elisa met in 1987, when

The family visited Michael at a nursing facility during his recovery

they both worked for United Way of King County, and they eventually got married in 1990.

They have two children— Christopher, 26, who graduated from the University of Portland, and Beija, 24, who graduated from Lewis & Clark College. Flor doted on his children and taught them many life lessons.

“He was basically ‘Mr. Mom’ for 10plus years during our kids’ crucial teen years in middle school and high school,” said Elisa.

Christopher recalls the time when his dad taught him how to ride a bike at Lincoln Park. After falling repeatedly and feeling discouraged, his dad convinced him to persevere.

“I felt his hand guiding me forward,” Christopher said. “I looked back as if thinking, ‘let go,’ but there he was about 40 yards back, beaming with joy.”

Both Flor and his wife Elisa share an interest in working with underrepresented groups. Flor is the associate director at Southeast Seattle Education Coalition, and Elisa is the deputy director for the Asian Counseling and Referral Service.

“We are both committed to social justice causes and participate in rallies, marches, and demonstrations for equity and equality,” said Flor, who has worked for various nonprofit organizations for most of his career.

One of his earliest influences was Bobby Kennedy.

“While I was very young, I was taken by his passion and commitment to better our society for all people, but especially people of color,” Flor said. “Locally, I was influenced by the Gang of Four— Bob Santos, Bernie Whitebear, Roberto Maestas, and Larry Gossett—for their commitment to working on behalf of each other and to uniting communities of color towards a common goal. I was honored to know each of them personally and to work with them on different projects.”

Flor is an avid cook and enjoys entertaining friends and family at home.

He is someone that people enjoy being around.

“He nurtures by nature, through the food he cooks, the stories he tells, and the space he creates that welcomes people,” Beija said.

Before contracting COVID-19, Flor was an active soccer referee in youth and high school games.

“I was a referee for over 10 years and also liked mentoring new, younger referees and supporting their development,” Flor said.

During Flor’s absence from home, neighbors, friends, and family helped with groceries, brought prepared meals, ran errands, mowed the lawn, and helped with minor repairs in the house. At one point, a neighbor even fixed the family’s broken refrigerator.

“All that compassion, care, and support gave me strength,” Elisa said. She recorded the emotional journey through an online journal, which she described as being somewhat therapeutic.

He was treated with remdesivir and other off-label therapies as part of the treatment protocol. Countless doctors, nurses, and therapists were instrumental in his recovery from the illness.

“We can't thank the medical team at

Daughter Beija and wife Elisa welcomes Michael in front of his house when he was discharged from the nursing facility, with signs.

Swedish ICU enough for all they did for Michael,” Elisa said. “We owe a big debt to health care workers for their compassionate care, even in the face of danger and risk to themselves.”

On May 20, after 15 days at a skilled nursing facility, Flor made his long-awaited return home. His West Seattle neighbors came out in full force to welcome him.

“My dad has always taught me to show love and compassion. After he returned home, he has imparted that notion ten-fold,” Beija said. “He says that we always have second chances with all facets of our lives.

His experience with second chances was much more literal than what most of us will ever experience.”

Two months in bed at the ICU resulted in the loss of over 30 pounds, muscle atrophy, loss of endurance, and loss of balance. Flor will continue to receive physical therapy to build muscle strength and relearn how to walk. He will continue to receive dialysis treatments.

“My medical team was fantastic. … The emotional care I received from the team of nurses was beyond belief and helped me more than any physical care that they provided,” said Flor. “It could have been very

easy to be depressed, but my humor, the care I received from the hospital staff, and the love and prayers I received from my family and friends helped me survive.”

Although the Flors haven’t received the actual bill, the 181-page expense accounting from Swedish Issaquah amounted to roughly $1.1 million, which doesn’t include physician fees, skilled nursing facility stay, in-home physical therapy, and dialysis three times a week.

“While the costs are mind-blowing … I have Medicare and Medicare Advantage, which will cover most, if not all, of the expenses,” Flor said. “We understand that Congress also set up a fund for all COVID-19 expenses.”

Flor is optimistic about the future.

“Spending two months in ICU at Swedish Issaquah fighting and beating COVID-19 gave me a new perspective on my life and my relationships.” He and Elisa will be celebrating 30 years of marriage in August.

“At a minimum, I see Elisa and I traveling to visit all the countries we’ve talked about but haven’t had a chance to see yet.”

The family is well aware that thousands have lost their loved ones to the virus.

“While we celebrate my dad’s life, I am personally going to hold in my thoughts all of the grieving families who lost their fathers or loved ones,” Beija said. “This Father’s Day is a celebration of the second chance in life as a family.”

On the day Flor left the hospital, he wore a black T-shirt with the iconic ‘S’ logo— ‘S’ for Superman. This man—a husband, a father, a community advocate—had beaten the novel coronavirus beyond all odds.

On many levels, Michael Flor is, indeed, Superman.  Gayle can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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