My Story

When Strangers Become Family

My Mom & Me

My family arrived in the United States as Vietnam War refugees, with a few pictures and hope of what tomorrow might bring. We arrived safely in Sacramento because of a local church group, a circle of strangers who decided our future was worth their time. They did more than sponsor us. They taught my parents English, helped them find their first jobs, and in the end became an extended family. I have spent my life dedicated to offering that same kindness to others.

Not long ago, I received a message from a member of the Church congregation that took us in. It was a message from the woman who first asked the church to help sponsor our family. She could remember me as a baby and ensuring my family had a crib for me to sleep in. "Your family had very little," she wrote, "but every time we visited, your mother was so gracious. She served us what little she had and would not let us refuse." She remembered the day my mother received her American citizenship and how proud my mother was that day. Every year, my mother sent the congregation a gift of thanks, a small token to show our family never forgot her, or the church. The note was signed, “Your family is my family forever.”

The Power of Community

My 2nd Birthday

Growing up in poverty was tough. My father worked long hours at a gas station, and my mother did odd jobs for neighbors. No matter how hard my parents worked, we continued to struggle. I can still see my mother holding her head high even when we picked up the food stamps that fed our family during our first years here in America.

When we were robbed of what little we owned, a neighborhood boy quietly handed me his own yellow toy car and told me to keep it as long as I needed. A kindness that I didn’t even know I needed. That same night I overheard my father tell my mother that as long as we stood together, the world could not break us. I learned early that grit fuels you, but a community can save you. 

In elementary school, being from a different culture was its own daily struggle. English as a Second Language classes were my doorway to school success; once I learned English, I took the opportunity to make sure I learned all I could. A 6th grade teacher saw my potential and recommended I participate in the Gifted and Talented Education program. This allowed me to explore advanced subjects with a group of peers more interested in complex problem solving than cultural differences. By middle school, teachers were nudging me into advanced classes and by high school, I was tutoring classmates, excited to be in the position to now support others.

A Life Dedicated to Helping Others

I was accepted into UC Davis and worked to pay my way through school providing campus tours, working office jobs, and taking tutoring shifts, ultimately earning a double major in Biological Sciences and Civil Engineering. I decided I could do the most good as a medical doctor so I went on to medical school at UC San Francisco, completed my Internal Medicine residency and Medical Oncology fellowship at UC Davis Health, and trained in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at Stanford University. 

Medical School

The strangers who sponsored my family did not know what I would become. They simply believed the right support, at the right moment could change a life. They were right.

For twenty years I have practiced as an oncologist. I sit with cancer patients on the hardest days of their lives: the day of the diagnosis, the days of treatment, the day a family asks the question no one wants to ask.

All my patients have unique stories. I remember a patient who had exhausted every available therapy and was admitted to hospice. His daughter was pregnant and he was expecting his first grandchild, but he was heartbroken that he would not live to meet her. After watching the family sit with that grief, I brought in the same handheld doppler my wife and I had used during her pregnancy, and I showed him how to hold it against his daughter's belly so he could hear his granddaughter's heartbeat for himself. I stepped out and left them with the sound. His family later told me he could not stop smiling. They recorded video messages for the baby to watch one day, and he passed peacefully a few days later. Years afterward, an email arrived with a photograph of a beautiful toddler and a note of thanks for helping them through a difficult time.

Family Life in Pleasant Hill

My Daughter & Me

I married my high school sweetheart and we chose Pleasant Hill to raise a family. Our daughter started at Center of Gravity Early Childhood Education, attended Valhalla Elementary School, and swims every summer with the Pleasant Hill Dolfins [sic]. We were drawn here by something I recognized from those early years in Sacramento: a community that genuinely cares about its neighbors. We’re here to contribute to what makes our city great. On Community Service Day we rake leaves for seniors, cheer at Pleasant Hill Baseball Association games and Pleasant Hill Dolfins [sic] meets, and love attending city events like the Pleasant Hill Night Market with neighbors.

Over a Decade of Service

For more than a decade, I have served Pleasant Hill on local boards and commissions, guided by a single conviction: no one in this city, from our youngest students to our most senior residents, should fall through the cracks. I have brought that belief to our parks, our schools, our library, and our 50+ community.

World Fusion Festival

• Earned the trust of voters and served in leadership roles as Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary of the Pleasant Hill Recreation and Park District helping guide decisions that shape our public spaces.

• Championed seniors through seven years on the Pleasant Hill Commission on Aging, including as Chair to advance Aging in Place policies and improving mobility so older residents can stay connected and independent.

• Built inclusive education opportunities as a founding member of the Family Advisory Board at Center of Gravity Early Childhood Education, I worked to expand access to STEAM learning for all children.

• View my full record.

Why I'm Running

From arriving in this country as a war refugee to building a career as a physician, I've seen firsthand how hard work, compassion, and engaged leadership can make a difference in a community.

In Pleasant Hill, I've put those values into action, strengthening our parks, supporting families and seniors, and creating programs that bring neighbors together. Our city deserves someone who not only understands how to work through challenges, but who knows how to work with the community.

If you’re looking for someone who cares about the community, shows up even when others don’t, and spends time listening to residents before making a decision, you can trust I will.

I’m Dr. Quy Tran, your friend, your neighbor, and your candidate for Pleasant Hill City Council District 4. I’ll always start with a simple question: How can I be of service?

Website Accessibility

This site is built with accessibility in mind, and I'm committed to making sure information is easily available for everyone in District 4. As a physician and former Chair of the Commission on Aging, I've seen firsthand how barriers to information affect our choices and ability to participate.

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Get in Touch

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Email: Hello@DrQuyTran.com