She lost her battle with cancer, and died on Mother's Day in 1994. She died without ever sharing her indigenous voice with me. She kept her true heritage a secret until she passed on. I never saw my mother fulfill her lifelong dream of returning to her home in the mountains.

I was very close to her, and felt much sorrow over her passing, but the worst feeling was not being able to fulfill my promise to her. I made a promise to myself to continue to Taiwan without her and discover my family and heritage.

Thanks to a generous aunt and uncle, James and Yu Yin Lytle, I was able to make the trip in May of 1995. It was a trip that made a lasting impression on me. I was greeted warmly by dozens of relatives, many of whom remember me leaving Taiwan as a 3 yr-old. They were generous, and shared so much with me, including their unique indigenous culture. To my surprise, I learned that my ancestry was not that of the mainstream Taiwanese, but of the indigenous Formosan tribes, whom I have never heard of. The one-month trip of discovery opened my eyes to the beauty of their culture and made me painfully aware that it was in danger of disappearing forever.

I could never understand why my mother kept her heritage a secret from me. I found out that many indigenous people from Taiwan keep their heritage hidden from the public and I wanted to know why. I committed myself to traveling to Taiwan to understand the culture of my heritage. But I wanted to do more than just understand the culture. I created the non-profit company, ATAYAL, Inc., and took on a mission to empower the indigenous tribes of Formosa and give them the tools to be heard throughout the world. I have dedicated myself to this mission to preserve this beautiful culture for my son and many generations to come. I have taken on my mission to honor my mother and to make up for all of the silence she endured in her lifetime. This is the mission of my life.