The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a book by Anne Fadiman about a Hmong family from Laos living as refugees in California and their dealings with the American healthcare system. Their daughter, Lia Lee, is diagnosed with epilepsy and, through a series of incidents of mistrust, misunderstanding and lack of cultural understanding, she does not receive the necessary medications and her condition worsens. The book deals with the clash between cultures, their customs and science, and argues for cultural competence in the field of medicine.
Lia Lee (Romanized Popular Alphabet: Liab Lis , July 19, 1982– August 31, 2012. ): She was born in Merced, CA, and she was a Hmong child. She had seizures due to epilepsy.
Anne Fadiman : She is an author and narrator of‘The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down’. She wrote about her experience with Lia and her family. Through this experience, she learned the importance of understanding about diversity of culture between doctor, patient, and family.
Neil Ernst and Peggy Philp : They are Lia’s doctors at MCMC. There is conflict between them and Lia's parents because of Hmong shamanism culture versus western medicine. This leads to great misunderstandings between each other.
Foua Yang and Nao Kao Lee : They are Lia’s parents, and they love Lia very much. They only believe in their traditional approach to medical treatment, with a strong influence from shamanism.
Jeanine Hilt : A social worker who makes Lia her personal cause. She fights against the medical establishment on Lia’s behalf and cares for the Hmong as a significant culture.
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