Meet Hetty Wang mother of Olympic Gold Medalist Nathan Chen. She has been an integral part of his life and he owes all of his success to his mother. So, it is worth learning a thing or two about her.
This article covers information on Nathan’s mother. Keep on scrolling to learn more.
Meet Hetty Wang, Nathan Chen Mother
Nathan Chen doesn’t remember his first time being on ice but his mother Hetty Wang does. She told ESPN that her son was captivated by the experience that he wept when forced to exit the rink for the Zamboni machine. Chen was 3 when he skated originally for being a hockey goalie.
It was Nathan’s mother Hetty’s job to make sure nothing affected Nathan’s goal to become a renowned figure skater. They have been a team for a very long time. She drove him to the home rink in Lakewood, California every day. Nathan credits his achievement to his mother because it wouldn’t have been possible without her.
She played a huge role in sparking their interests. She has been an integral part of each of the kids’ upbringing. For Nathan, she made up games for him to follow and mimic on the ice as a kid. Nathan’s sister Alice told The Salt Lake Tribune, “I just think of my mom and Nathan living at the rink. That was our normal life.”
Hetty had never envisioned Olympics as an end goal for her son. She just wanted him to enjoy what he had wanted to do and didn’t care about medals or a podium.
Who Are Hetty Wang’s Husband And Kids?
Hetty Wang and her husband Zhidong Chen tied the knots some times before they immigrated to the states. She tagged along with her husband Zhidong who came to the states to earn his doctorate in pharmacy. Then they arrived from Tianjin, China in 1988 and first lived in Carbondale, Illinois. They knew nobody in the states and she couldn’t even speak English at the time which Nathan revealed during his interview with New York Times.
After Carbondale, the family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and has been settling there ever since. They raised their five children in Salt Lake. While speaking with New York Times, Nathan shared, “They tend not to talk too much about their struggles, but it must have been so difficult, coming to a new country, not speaking the language, not having much money, not having any friends. It’s amazing how they were able to fight through that.”
His parents’ struggle drives Nathan to be better and he credited them for supporting his every athletic choice.
Hetty Wang and his husband had five children. Nathan was the youngest of five. His other siblings are Alice Chen (@alicefchen), Janice Chen (@janiceschen), Tony Chen (@runtxc), and Colin Chen.
Their oldest, Alice Chen worked in social media for Apple News and resided in New York City. Also, he owned her own candle company called We Are Social Club, and has worked for Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club and production company, Hello Sunshine.
Below Alice is Janice Chen, a University of California, Berkeley graduate who went on to become the founder of Mammoth Bioscience. She’s also earned her Ph.D. from Doudna Lab at UC Berkley, and gave a TedTalk in 2018 about CRISPR diagnostics.
Tony and Colin Chen were also ice athletes who played hockey.
Hetty Wang Age
Born in 1962, Hetty Wang turned 59 years old in 2021.
Hetty Wang Job
Hetty Wang worked most of her life as a medical translator.
Related FAQs
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Is Hetty Wang On Instagram?
Hetty Wang doesn’t have social media accounts. But, she has appeared on at least five posts on Nathan’s IG. The most recent post which featured Hetty was on 10 February 2022 after his wife where Nathan wrote, “Thanks mom ❤️ couldn’t have done this without my family”.
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What Is Hetty Wang’s Nationality?
Born and raised in Beijing, China, Hetty Wang has been living in the United States since 1988.
