Patrick Lam from Chatham, Illinois, was just nine years old in 1979 when he was forced to leave Vietnam. 

Patrick Lam was just nine years old in 1979 when he was forced to leave Lái Thiêu, Vietnam by his grandmother who had organized an escape by boat. He left with his uncle’s family leaving behind his mother and three siblings. After being rescued at sea by the captain of an oil rig, Patrick and his relatives were taken to Kuku Island where Patrick learned self-sufficiency.