Thuy Doan passed away at age 25.
Thuy Doan, the young female poker pro who immigrated to the United States from Vietnam at the age of 7, has lost her battle with cancer. Thuy got seriously involved with poker and improved her game to the level of top professional while in college in Virginia, coming into her own at the same time as her classmates the Dang brothers. She found success at $10/$20 live and was a regular in the Las Vegas cash scene. Thuy also played various tournaments around the country, and was a blogger for PokerRoad.com.
After being diagnosed with cancer in late 2009, Doan continued to blog for Poker Road and continued to pursue her poker dreams, despite her cancer getting worse, radiation treatment, and having one of her legs amputated. Doan’s courage in the face of adversity inspired many in the poker community, as can be seen by hundreds of poker players today on Twitter. They are not only expressing their sadness at hearing the news of Thuy’s passing, but also sharing the impact that Thuy had on their lives.
Thuy was close friends with Barry Greenstein. In December 2009, a host of poker pros shaved their heads, to show support for her struggle with cancer, including Barry Greenstein, Doyle Bruson, Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Eli Elezra, and Elky Grospellier. The outpouring of kindness from the poker community touched Doan very deeply, and gave her the strength to continue fighting.
After taking nearly a year away from poker to battle cancer and undergo rigorous treatment, Thuy was in the process of making a strong comeback to poker, doing her best to beat cancer even under the worst circumstances. Always keeping a positive attitude in public, Thuy was smiling during interviews and was an eternal optimist. She was determined to use her pain to bring joy to others.
Many in the poker community today are feeling the loss and consoling one another. The news of Thuy’s passing was first heard from Barry Greenstein, via Twitter, “I never found anyone who didn’t like Thuy Doan. She died of cancer today at the age of 25. I wanted her to keep battling even though she told me she only wished for the nightmare to be over.”
The amount of success Thuy Doan had in poker in such a short period of time, combined with her stunning good looks, lead us to believe she was a rising star in the game whose time was cut short. Until three years ago she had been a full time student, and much of the time since then she was away from the game due to serious illness. Despite that, Thuy was able to relocate to Las Vegas and establish herself as a force to be reckoned with in some of the toughest games running. Upon her cancer diagnosis, when the doctors told her there was a chance she wouldn’t live another three years, Thuy expressed sadness that she might not get to fulfill her dreams. Thuy wrote that she would trade everything she owned, for just five more years of life.
Thuy’s life lasted a mere 25 years. Her fight with cancer lasted only two. But in her short time here on earth, Thuy was able to touch many people’s lives, with her courage, determination and positivity. Thuy Doan is gone but not forgotten. On behalf of FlopTurnRiver, rest in peace.