ABC 7 Chicago's Judy Hsu hosts 'Our Chicago: Asian Voices'

CHICAGO (WLS) -- In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, ABC 7 Chicago presents "Our Chicago: Asian Voices," a program that shines the spotlight on Chicago's Pan-Asian American community and the uplifting, fun and inspirational ways the community is leading the way in Chicago.

Hosted by ABC 7 anchor Judy Hsu from the Art Gallery, a beautiful new space in Chinatown, with contributions by anchor Ravi Baichwal, reporters Eric Horng and Cate Cauguiran, the special airs Saturday, May 22, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 29, at 4:30 p.m.

Also coming up, "Our America: Asian Voices" will air Sunday, May 16, at 4 p.m. on ABC 7. Judy Hsu will contribute a story on James Beard award-winning chef and "Top Chef" TV finalist Beverly Kim. Kim is leading the national culinary campaign called #DoughSomething, to stand up against racism and hate. This hourlong network special will also be available on ABC 7's connected TV apps including Roku and Amazon FireTV.

This edition of "Our Chicago: Asian Voices" kicks off the incredible story of physician Dr. Ankit Bharat, who performed the first bilateral lung transplant in the United States on a COVID-19 patient. His patient, a Chicago paralegal fighting for her life with the virus, is alive today because of Dr. Bharat. Born in India and drawn to medicine after his brother suffered a traumatic brain injury, Dr. Bharat has now performed 20 bilateral transplants on former COVID patients. That first patient, Mayra Ramirez, and Dr. Bharat hope to mark the year anniversary of her transplant by skydiving together.

Ed Marszewski, a Korean-Polish restaurateur from Bridgeport is doing something incredibly tough in these harsh economic times. He launched Community Kitchen out of his Korean/Polish fusion restaurant, Kimski, to help the hungry. Community Kitchen dispenses 2,000 meals a week to those who need food. Eight Chicago restaurants have joined him in his efforts, and Marszewski hopes more local restauranteurs will develop similar community programs.

For photographer Peter Tsai, the sky is the limit. Tsai has captured moments with A-list celebrities and has hung out on airplanes to get amazing aerial shots. But his passion is Chicago and capturing spectacular vistas of skyscrapers shrouded in fog. He'll wait for hours camped out on some of Chicago's highest perches to get that perfect shot. Tsai shows off those amazing photos and talks about what drives him.

Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the world and more women die from it than men. Dr. Annabelle Volgman, a Filipina physician who leads Rush Hospital's Heart Center for Women, vows to reverse that trend. She promises to wear red every day of her life until fewer women are dying from heart disease.

Next, Asian Voices feels the beat with the Kokyo Taiko Japanese Drumming. Although they have had to pause live performances during the pandemic, they are still practicing their unique and mesmerizing brand of this ancient Japanese art form.

Holly Grisham and Justyna Syska are the producers of "Our Chicago: Asian Voices," which will be available on-demand at abc7chicago.com.