I am a Survivor Part I: Khmer Rouge

This will be my first ever post as a blogger.  The goal of this blog is to share my knowledge and experiences as I live my life with a spinal cord injury and as a person who uses a wheelchair.  So hopefully the read will not be too dry.  When it comes down to it, why should you read my blog?  Who is Steve Lau?  It just depends on who you ask.  I have a very unique perspective in life because of my life experiences.  I am usually not too open about my past because it is so painful, but this blog will expose many of my past life experiences that can be personal, painful and intimate.  This way you can understand where I'm coming from and why I am who I am.

So who is Steve Lau?  I really hate using labels, but to describe myself and explain who I am to you, I will use one label.  I am a Survivor: Khmer Rouge, murder/suicide, and a spinal cord injury.

Tragedy #1: I survived the Khmer Rouge regime.

I am a Cambodian Refugee who was born in a refugee camp in Thailand in September of 1980.  The Khmer Rouge regime was a communist party that wanted to bring the Cambodian society to "year zero" by killing all of the citizens who where educated, business owners, and who can stand up against them.  My father was targeted because he was educated and a successful business owner, from the stories my father and other family members told me, he was quite wealthy in Cambodia.  My father, mother (about 6 months pregnant with me in her womb) escaped Cambodia in 1980 and left their home in Phnom Penh to the Thailand border by foot with many days of monsoons, the lack of food and sleep, the fear of the Khmer Rouge military catching up to them, gunfire in the distance, and military shells falling from the skies.  After I was born in the refugee camp, we were sponsored by a family in Lansing, New York and we escaped, survived, and had new hope for a prosperous life in the United States.  We only stayed in Lansing, New York for 3 years.  My sister Lynda was born in Ithaca, NY in 1982 and my dad decided to move us across the country to join some family and friends that settled in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Oakland, CA is where we settled down and I love this city.  I currently live in San Leandro, CA, but my wife and I plan on moving back when we can afford to buy a house in a safe neighborhood.

There is a lot more to say about this life experience, but I just don't have time to discuss this further.  Maybe one day in a book.  I've had numerous people tell me I need to write one, I'll start with this blog.  The next installment of "I am a Survivor" will be a hard one to write, give me a few days to put my thoughts down on paper.