Posing for a picture by Moraine Lake in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, provided a brief pause in a busy trip for Dr. Nguyên Thảo Thị Nguyễn ’16, M.D.’21 and her favorite adventure buddy – her mom, Lisa Le. Nguyễn carefully planned a full itinerary of hiking, camping, brown-bag lunches and dinner splurges for the trip, one of the four she plans each year for herself and her 69-year-old mother. These trips are a token of gratitude for her mother, who lives with Nguyễn and takes care of cooking nutritious meals and household chores, allowing Nguyễn to fully focus on her residency with Duke Health. “My mom grew up in rural Vietnam, and she never really got to vacation while I was growing up,” Nguyễn shared. “I just really want her to see the world.” Nguyễn keeps a list on her phone of future trip ideas, and both mother and daughter are looking forward to exploring their next country: Colombia.
