Phan Thị Ngọc Thuỳ, was known and loved by many as Andrea and just as many more knew her as Thuỳ or simply Thuy. On June 13, 1970, Andrea was born into a loving family with an older brother and two older sisters, a family that observed two spiritual traditions, honoring the faiths of her Buddhist mother and Catholic father.

Born in Nha Trang, in the southern coastal province of Khánh Hòa. She told of getting up early, before sunrise, and going to the beach with friends to swim and play until the sun heated the sand too much, then home they’d go, to eat, relax or maybe go back to sleep. Her early years were influenced by being with her young sister when she died of a ruptured appendix, and later her father’s fatal heart attack when she was 13 years old.

Fourteen year old Andrea, Thuy, became a professional athlete, playing volleyball with a team whose members developed deep bonds – friendships that have lasted not years, but decades. During her final year, Thuy had in-person visits from teammates in the US and video visits with others in Vietnam. Their bond, forged in competition, lasted through the years and lifted her spirits and, simply put, made her happy.

In the early ’90s, Thuy with one sister and her mother made the life-changing journey to the US. During the early years, while they lived with their older sister and husband, Pam and Thu, Thuy and her sister Lucy worked at their stores meeting a wide cross section of LA society, learning a bit of Spanish and even being held up at gunpoint.

Later she moved to the Bay Area and in the 2000’s worked for a high-tech company in San Jose where she, again, made life-long friendships. While at the nursing home in 2025 a group came to visit and spend time cheering her up. Another former workmate who lives in Berkeley and I know only as “Winney”, would send Thuy a message every morning, forwarding an internet post of warm and happy encouragement. Another former co-worker, Jessie, took Andrea on adventures to San Francisco, Sacramento and elsewhere in recent years, and during her confinement to hospitals and nursing homes made a point of visiting and bringing food and treats and a smiling upbeat spirit.

Andrea stood resolute and confident all 23 years that she battled brain cancer. Three surgeries, chemo therapy, radiation, and then rehab, learning how to cope with the significant loss of right-side functions. But she did it. The third time, though, the cancer won. On July 10, 2025, with her boyfriend/partner, Rick, her sister Lucy, niece Victoria and her boyfriend Max, Thuy passed away, surrounded by love and supported in her journey forward.