What is the main theme of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down?
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a moving story that highlights the importance of acknowledging and respecting people’s beliefs as part of their health care — in other words, cultural competence. And thanks in part to this book, cultural competence is now a required lesson in many medical schools.
Who are the main characters in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down?
Lia LeeNeil ErnstPeggy PhilpNao Kao LeeFoua Yang
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down/Characters
How old is Lia in the spirit catches you and you fall down?
thirty years old
Lia Lee 1982-2012
Lia Lee died on August 31, 2012. She was thirty years old and had been in a vegetative state since the age of four. Until the day of her death, her family cared for her lovingly at home.
Is The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down a true story?
The story of Lia, the severely brain-damaged daughter of Hmong refugees who had resettled in California, became the subject of Ms. Fadiman’s first book, “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down,” published in 1997.
Who is Neil and Peggy in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down?
One of Lia’s primary doctors (along with his wife, Peggy Philp) at Merced Community Medical Center. Neil is a highly intelligent and inquisitive pediatrician who specializes in infections, asthma, and allergies.
Was Lia’s life ruined by cross cultural misunderstandings?
Along with the language barrier, there was a great deal of “cross-cultural misunderstanding” (Fadiman 262) regarding the treatment of the child. Fadiman thinks that “[Lia’s] life was ruined not by septic shock or noncompliant parents but by cross-cultural misunderstanding” (262).
How does the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down End?
The Spirit Catches You closes with a neeb ceremony—a Hmong religious ritual meant to bring Lia’s soul back to her body after a big seizure leaves her officially brain-dead. As an outsider, author Anne Fadiman is our gateway into these proceedings.
What happened to Lia in the spirit catches you?
Ms. Lee was born July 19, 1982. The day before Thanksgiving in 1986, she suffered her near-fatal seizure at the family’s kitchen table. Her father declared, “When the spirit catches you, you fall down,” meaning a powerful spirit was locked inside her body, Mai Lee said.
What’s Lia’s initial diagnosis?
That’s certainly true the first time Nao Kao and Foua bring Lia to MCMC. Because neither parent can speak English—and Lia’s seizure has stopped—the doctor doesn’t realize that she’s epileptic, instead diagnosing her with pneumonia (don’t ask us how they got those things confused) and sending them on their way.
What was Lia’s diagnosis by her American doctors?
Lia Lee was born July 19, 1982, in Merced. When she was 3 months old, she had her first seizure. American doctors eventually diagnosed epilepsy.
Was Lia’s life ruined by cross cultural misunderstanding?
It cannot quite be argued that the cross-cultural misunderstanding “ruined” (262) Lia’s life, since the outcome may very well have been the same even if the misunderstanding was resolved, or even worse. However, Fadiman seems to believe that the cross-cultural misunderstanding indeed “ruined” (242) Lia’s life.
How did the Lees View Lia’s epilepsy?
How did the Lees view Lia’s epilepsy? They were concerned for her health but also proud, as epileptics are often chosen to be shamans and can see things others cannot.
Why did Lia’s family think her seizures started?
Lia’s own family believed her seizures were caused by her soul leaving her body, which could be returned to her via animal sacrifice. Throughout the book, we see Lia’s Hmong family constantly questioning the doctor’s intention as the doctors uselessly battle against the family’s inability to carry out instructions.
Who is the only one to ask what the Lees are doing to heal Lia?
Jeanine Hilt was the only one who ever asked the Lees how they were treating Lia’s developmental delays. She had secured them their disability money and so was held in high esteem.
What did Lia do when she sensed a seizure?
Foua and Nao Kao knew when a seizure was coming on, because Lia knew. The aura, a sense of premonition common to all epileptics, could be seen in Lia in a strange, scared expression, and they would pick her up and gently lay her down on a mattress in the living room, placed there just for that purpose.
What do the Lees believe is the cause of the seizures Lia suffers from?