Editor’s note: July is Minority Mental Health Month. This year's theme, Be the Source for Better Health: Improving Health Outcomes Through Our Cultures, Communities, and Connections, is about understanding how the unique environments, cultures, histories, and circumstances of racial and ethnic minority populations impact their overall health.
Cathy Dinh believes in second chances.
Dinh was raised in a multigenerational home in Dodge City where the family primarily spoke Vietnamese. Her parents migrated to the United States from Vietnam, met in Wichita, and moved to Dodge City so her dad could work in a beef plant.
“I grew up poor,” she said. “Ten of us lived together in a trailer. I didn’t know any different.”
In high school, Dinh gravitated to the wrong crowd.
“We didn’t make the right choices as teenagers do,” she said. “That led to drugs and getting in trouble. I had no idea drugs would almost cost me my freedom.”
After high school, Dinh was arrested and court-ordered to go to rehab, which is how she ended up in Lawrence.
It turned out for the best, though Dinh didn’t see it that way when she was going through it.
Through the Kansas Sentencing Commission, SB 123 provides substance abuse treatment for offenders convicted of drug possession with no prior drug convictions.
“Thank goodness for SB 123, that helped me go to rehab,” she said. “Rehab was a good thing, though I didn’t think so at the time.”
Part of Dinh’s assignment was taking classes at First Step, a women’s only residential rehab in Lawrence. She later moved into Oxford House, where people who are in recovery can live and be part of a supportive community.
Looking back, Dinh said she didn’t know how to ask for help.
“As Asians, we don’t talk about mental health,” she said. “Mental health is taboo.”
Dinh said the focus of her culture was on getting an education and having a career.
During her addiction period, Dinh kept a journal. Now, reading what she journaled she can see she wanted to reach out but didn’t know how.
“I always thought I was so independent, but reading the journals I realized how co-dependent I was,” she said. “I saw moments where I was really crying out for help, I don’t want to do this anymore. But I couldn’t escape it on my own.”
As a parent of a 10-year-old, Dinh has a different relationship with her daughter from how she grew up. She makes sure to regularly ask how she’s doing.
“I always check in with her and we talk things out,” she said.
As a business owner — she owns Nail Therapy — Dinh is used to going a hundred miles an hour. But she’s learning it’s important to take care of her own mental health.
“I’ve learned I sometimes need to step back and prioritize, what do I really need to be doing,” she said. “The last couple of years, I’ve realized toxic is toxic. Now, anytime I see red flags, I step away. I’ve learned to say no. When you know there are people who are not good for you, just love them for who they are, be kind, but continue on your way.”
In 2023, Dinh joined the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center’s Endowment Board.
“I felt very honored to be asked,” she said. “I love being on the board, I love giving back. I am so impressed and in awe of everyone on the board and seeing how much Bert Nash has flourished. I am excited to be a part of it.”
Looking back, Dinh sees a much different person from the teenage girl who sat in jail, alone with her thoughts, wondering what was to become of her life. She is grateful she received a second chance.
“Everyone I have met along the way has helped me,” she said. “I am so, so grateful.”
