My dad left Friday of last week by train to Shainghai, then by plane to ATL, then mom picked him up top drive home. It was pretty on Sunday and a group of people piled in Jack’s (Leee’s) SUV and went to a Safari park. Not to funm but? Rain Monday, cloudy and hazy Tuesday, pretty yesterday and today. Got haircut today then went to bank then to eat with one of the chinese drivers. Fifth spinal yesterday (Wendsday), so laid in bed from 3 to 9. Nurse heat up food I had to eat, then let me go talk to her untill midnight. Another nuseee was there and the on duty doctor. They were talking and laughing about having to put a catheter in some patient. They motioned me in and offered me watermelon and bananas. Nurse followd me to bed at midnight, gave me the liquid motrin and I was gone. Don’t have schedule for treeatment six,
May 28th, 2009
Friday morning I left for home. It was a very interesting adventure to say the least. I said my goodbye to Brad about 6:30 a.m. and left with a driver for the train station. I decided to see the culture and the world. I took the 7:40 to Shanghai. It was a very nice train trip and quite comfortable. I arrived Shanghai about 9:10 and walked to the bus terminal. I caught a bus that was just about to pull out for the airport supposedly about an hour away. It was standing room only. We were in rush hour so the one hour turned into an hour and a half. I had plenty of time to get lost so it worked out just fine. I arrived 3 hours before the plane left which allowed me time to go to Burger King.
The view from the waiting area was incredible as you watched planes landing and taking off in front of you. Not more than 200 to 300 yards from the runway is the coast and looking over the runway huge ships and barges were passing by as the shipping lane must be very close to the shore line.
The flight was 16 hours non stop to Atlanta. I left at 6:30 a.m. Xiaoshan China and arrived about 6:30 p.m. Atlanta on the same day. Atlanta is 12 hours behind China. So I traveled 24 hours and arrived the day I left. Sounds like an answer for a good riddle.
Well Brad was very glad to be on his own with out parents around. I don’t blame him one bit. The hospital staff could not be nicer although they did not approve of him staying there by himself. He had to sign a waiver that he was responsible for staying on his feet and NOT fall!!
Brad was scheduled to have his stem cell treatment on Friday afternoon, the day I left. He said he would up date the blog so I am hopeful that he will for us all to keep up with his progress.
Jet lag is setting in so better go before my eyelids do.
Craig for Brad.
May 24th, 2009
Brad completed his daily therapy yesterday and wanted me to go with him for a “foot Massage!” I didn’t complain once. We were advised as to which place was the best so off we went. I had James, Brad’s physical therapist, to write in Chinese what we needed to ask for. We showed them the note and we were ushered into a room with recliners and ottomans. Each had a computer screen with TV availability but all in Chinese so we turned it off. Two young girls who spoke no English began with a tub of some red looking water with what looked like rose pettels floating in it. They called it medicine. It was HOT! But after burning the nerve endings off our feet it began to feel pretty good. The girls started with our upper arms and shoulders with deep…very deep penetrating massage. I don’t know about Brad’s but the girl who worked on my arms some how had biceps in her fingers! What part of the feet included the shoulders arms leggs and later back and neck I have no clue. 90 minuters of pain and pleasure! At one point they pulled out round glass jar-like things and washed them very thouroughly, then poured lighter fluid in them and lit the stuff. With flame they quickly placed them on the soles of our feet. As the flame extinguished my foot began to be sucked into the jar-like thing. She had the nerve then to start moving it up and down the bottom of my foot! THEN she left for 5 minutes while our feet were getting permanent hickys! Then they returned to massage our feet. She used fingers that as I said has biceps, her nuckels, fists, forearms, and elbows to get to the really deep tissue that I did not until then know existed.
While waiting with feet sucked in jars we sipped hot green tea and nibbling on watermellon slices. What an experience! While a great experience I prefer the nice gentle massage where everything feels good.
Brad and I are going out for lunch experience to places unknown. More later.
Craig for Brad
May 20th, 2009
Just a quick update. Brad recieved his third umbilical cord stem cell treatment via lumbar puncture this afternoon. He apparently did not have difficulty as he experienced last time. He was not in pain but must lie flat on back or side for 6 hours. He had the drapes drawn and made it like midnight in his room. He has the fan on high and the thermostat on low. I went in to check on him and had to remove an inch of snow that accumulated in his room! It is freezing in there. He indicated he wanted it that way.
Thank you for praying for the treatment and continue to pray for its accurate results. YOU ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED!
Craig for Brad
May 18th, 2009
Saturday, Brad wanted to go out to see some new sights. We had heard about Old Town Xiaoshan which is on the other side of the mountain from the hospital. So we hired a driver to take us to Old Town. While there are old traditional Chinese buildings there, Old Town is quite modern with every kind of clothing shop you can imagine. Think of an outlet mall except it is block after block of stores. I pushed Brad in wheelchair through every one of the streets and some twice if not more. We had a very interesting time. We bought an ice cream from McDonalds. As you know Brad is not much of a spender. Well we were only about 5 miles we figured from the hospital so after walking at least that far in Old Town we started back. We arrived back at the hospital in time to rest before going out that night for dinner.
Brad invited Sophie, one of the nurses, to join us for dinner in Hangzhou near West Lake. There we met Brad’s friend, Mallory and her husband’s cousin. We ate in a private dinning room where in the middle of the table was a hole with a cooking pot. It was boiling with a broth and sliced corn on the cobb. The ladies ordered for all of us. Many dishes began arriving. There was beef that was on a cutting board that resembled sliced bacon and another of lamb sliced and rolled like lunch meat, yet raw. There was a platter of white balls about the size of a ping pong ball. We were told it was fish. There were mushrooms and clams along with a platter of long narrow clam like creatures. Clams and vegetables were put in the pot to cook as we talked and enjoyed exploring the food. We each had a laddle with holes in it and chop sticks (Brad had a fork). The laddle was used for cooking our bites. We would pick up a slice of beef and place it in the laddle. Then with chop sticks to hold it in the laddle would place it in the cook pot. We would check it and turn to insure it was cooked enough then back over our plates to be dipped in an sauce mixture of about 8 different things (who knows what) and very tasty. So bite by bite we cooked and ate for about and hour and a half. We could learn something from the way the Chinese eat. They focus on the company and savor the food. Both are enjoyed. The people are much more relational that we as Americans have become. We focus on the food and eat it in as little time as we can and avoid relationships. What an experience. And the clams as well as the long wiggly ones were all very good. There was a vegetable that looked similar to water cress but longer stem had a strong flavor so I passed on it but there was not much I passed on. I figured it the Chinese can eat this and look as skinny as they do then it couldn’t hurt me to eat that way.
We are planning on seeing Mallory again before I leave on Friday.
Sunday we with another mother and son (a bit younger than Brad) shared a driver to take us to church. Again the experience of being in worship with hundreds of Chinese singing praises to the Lord was something to behold. There was a woman pastor who preached this week and I understood no more this week than last. For those who may want to know the woman preached longer than the man!
After chruch the other family wanted to eat McDonnalds. So we did and ate as Americans some greazzzzy chicken. I am beginning to enjoy Chinese food better. I also drank a coke as the selection was limited.
Brad and I asked to be dropped off at West Lake while the others went shopping to places Brad was not interested in. So we walked the lake. It was cloudy at times but a mild breeze kept it from getting really hot. The area around the lake is concrete or stone walk ways and mostly shaddy with trees. We continued till Brad said “Want a cup of coffee?” We were out side a starbucks and I hadn’t noticed so we enjoyed a lattie.
When we got back Brad had had enough of me and wanted space and the feeling mutual. There was a couple from Canada who was planning to go to the night market. It was on my list of things to see and experience. So I went back to Hangzhou last night leaving Brad to watch a movie.
The night market is quite an experience. For about two long blocks are vendors selling everything imaginable. Like a flea market and jammed with people all around. If you looked at something too long they were putting a calculator in your hands punching their price and didn’t want you to leave till you make an offer. One lady was selling fans and wanted 85 RMB for it (about $12) I said I did not want it and she said make an offer so I said 15 rmb she kept coming down on the price and I really did not want it so when she put the calculator in my hand I still punched in 15 and walked away. She ran after me and said OK. So I bought a fan for $2.15 US.
It was quite fun and I came out of there having spent about $22.50 US. A good price for entertainment and some goodies to bring home.
Brad is scheduled to have his stem cell lumbar this afternoon. We are going out to get lunch early as he can’;t eat 2 hours prior to treatment. Please pray that it will go smoother this time and not be as painful. Of course we continue to pray for the treatment to be effective.
Thanks for praying.
Craig for Brad
May 18th, 2009
Greetings from Xiaoshan China! Again and always thank you for your prayers and support for Brad. I mentioned that he had back pain and went to sleep or tried to sleep following the treatment. Later he told me it took them 5 times trying to get the Stem Cell Lumbar puncture done. No wonder he was in pain. He was able to sit up about 10 p.m. and we ate supper then. Following supper since he had slept but was still in some pain, he wanted to watch a movie. He had it prepared to watch during the 6 hour flat on your back or side wait. We watched Run A Way Jury which kept us going till after 1:30 or later. He was still sore the next morning for his therapy but wanted me out of the way so I left the hospital with a group of family members from our floor and we toured Hangzhou. That was quite interesting.
Brad worked out his soreness with the therapy and was better but still depressed. He has made plans for us for the weekend but I will find out as we go. He wanted to go out to dinner tonight and invited James, his physical therapist to go with us. Which means they will recommend a place and take us out but the patient pays for their meal. James doesn’t speak English well so he invited some others from the floor staff to go with us. Well…remember the place I mentioned in the last update??? Well that is where he took us. But with a group who knew what they were doing made a lot more fun.
Our dinner party consisted of James and another physical therapist, a former nurse who is now scheduling the stem cells orders, and another man a bit older that I have only seen here a couple of times. I found out he is Second Head of the Department over the Stem Cell Department. We ordered from the prepared dishes in the other room, Brad ordered chicked and I was looking for Salmon. Well, sea food was ordered but not salmon. Others ordered vegetables and other stuff. The dinner took about 2 1/2 hours. We were seated in a private room with a lazy susan and the dishes kept coming. The Chinese dont serve their plates but turn the lazy susan to the dish desired and eat from there. Sometimes putting food on our plates or bowls. There was a lot of laughter which made it a lot of fun.
When my fish came, James honored Brad with the first bite and offered him the fish eye on chop sticks. He put it in Brad’s spoon and before I could get a picture or catch what was happening, Brad ATE IT! HE DID. I saw him. There were so many dishes that kept coming it was unreal. It was a time to relax and enjoy company and food slowly. Not the way we do it in America. I was teasing as said to one of the girls, “And this is the typical Chinese dinner and you do this every night?” She said yes. Her mother cooks many dishes and puts them in the middle of the table and it is a time to enjoy each other and the food. I am impresses. I ate things tonight as Brad did that neither of us have an idea what it was,
As far as I know Brad doesn’t have his schedule for next week so I don’t know what to tell you about the next lumbar puncture but please pray that they can get it in and it will do its intended task.
The plan still stands that I will leave next Friday and Brad will be on his own. We are both convinced he can handle it.
Kept In Christ,
Craig for Brad
May 15th, 2009
To bring everyone up to date since the last post, I have to tell you about last nights excursion to dinner. Brad wanted to go out to eat so we ate a sandwich at lunch. We hired one of the drivers since it was raining to take us to a moderately priced place that was recommended by the staff at the hospital. “Authentic Chinese Food!” We were dropped off at a large building and went to the 5th floor. The elevators opened and were were greeted by many, I mean about 30 to 40 young women in blue evening dresses and waiters dressed in black. I had asked about what we should wear and were told we would be just fine in shorts and shirt. HA! Not only were we out of place but we escorted into a HUGE dining room, elegantly furnished and were seated promptly. Instead of menues we were again taken (Brad swapping twice now back to wheel chair) into another ajacent room. On all sides were very eloquently prepared dishes including some on platforms along the isles. You would walk around the room and select the dish you would like and they would prepare you a fresh one like it. In the middle of that room were huge fish tanks filled with more kinds of fish than there are names for. In several of the acquarium type tanks were things like snakes… yes several kinds of snakes… yes and very much alive! There were octipus, and escargot. There were many other critters waiting to be eaten. As we walked around the fish tanks we came upon the section where they prepared FRESH, your selection. There was a huge fish that had donated a large chuck of its side and underbelly, with the heart completely exposed and yes, still beating. Having made the full round of the assortment of dishes, I asked Brad what he would like. He said “LEAVE!” So with many English appologies we left. The problem now was that our driver was to pick us up there in an hour and a half and it was drizzeling rain. BUT as the Lord would have it accross a major intersection was none other than a Pizza Hut! We made the dash in the dark and rain out in the streets with out light or horn and we survived to tell about it. We had a good pizza and once again made the crossing in time to meet our driver. If Brad had decided to order something at the first place I was wondering what I would do because there was not one dish that I thougth would interest me. Of course when we order out Chinese from the places on the street we are probably getting something similar but the thing is we don’t know it. Makes all the difference.
Brad had his first lumbar stem cell treatment about 3:00 this afternoon and it is a little after 5 now. He complained of pain in his back and they gave him 15 ml of something to help with the pain. He must lay flat on his back or side without pillow for 6 hours. He will be able to drink and eat after 2 hours but still be flat. I doubt he will eat until he can get up. He went to sleep following getting settled back in his room.
There are several families here from all over the world. The UK, Malaysia, Australia, Canada, and US. Some have small children here with CP, some with blindness, several are people with spinal cord or brain injuries. One young man was in the military 21 years old and suffered a stroke leaving him with paralysis and brain impairment. To my knowlede Brad is the only one with Ataxia here. There is at least one person with MS.
Oh I mentioned the size of Xiaoshan being like Atlanta, I looked up the population. Xiaoshan is a suburb of Hangzhou. Xiaoshan has a population of 1,185,000 prople registered. New meaning for Surburbia! Hangzhou’s population is 6,878,000, and has grown 1,045,900 in the last 10 yrs,
This is the one year anniversary of the earthquake in China. It has been in the news about the post traumatic stress and rebuilding of the area affected. It was very emotional around here. One of the ladies that cleans the rooms was in the community room alone watching the news with tears down her face. As many of you know I missed our disaster response training last week because of being here. The training prepares us to provide psychological first aid among other things. Even without an interpreter we were able to communicate about the earthquake. It reminded me of the one year anniversary of 9/11.
Pray that Brad can sleep away the pain in his back and that the results of the stem cells will go to the right place and bring healing in the cerebellum area of the brain.
Kept In Christ’s Love,
Craig for Brad
May 13th, 2009
Greetings to all and continued thankfulness for your prayers.
Brad had his first treatment of stem cells by IV yesterday. I found out they give the first treatment IV to make sure that there will not be rejection. All went well. We have been ordering out Chinese from places across the street. So far we have eaten very well. I continue my commitment to chop sticks. Of course I had to was my shirt after lunch yesterday. We watched Run A Way Jury last night as Brad thoughtfully packed some videos.
Sleep comes easy. There is a mountan about 3 miles away to where there are steps leading to the top. The mountain was calling me and Brad not wanting me around, I responded to the call. The temperture was in the 90′s but I had to go. I left about 2:00 and was wet before getting near the mountain. I stopped in a shop and bought a “farmers” hat from a woman. It cost 4 RMB! (Maybe 50 cents). Chinese people stare at you anyway but with the hat they added laughter to the stare. I laughed with them and went on. I made it to the top and got a view of the city of Xioshan. From the hospital I compared what I could see to Atlanta and Xioshan is a suburb to Hangzhou. When I got the panoramic view from the top of the mountain I saw the other side and the city continues for miles to a distant mountain range. I learned that this too was Xioshan! I can not estimate the size and have not learned the number of the population.
Brad is off to Physical Therapy this morning and will go through a lot each day. His first lumbar treatment is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
I got to the computer this morning to check e-mail and saw Carol, a mom here with her 21 yr old son she suffered a stroke. We talked and learned she is a beliver. We had a time of prayer together and noted other Christians here. We decided to ask others to join us at 6:30 for prayer each morning for our children.
Thanks for your continued prayers and encouragements.
Craig
May 12th, 2009
Goodmorning to all,
Today will be Brad’s first IV stem cell treatment at 2:00 p.m. here. We are 13 hours ahead of you on Central Time. Brad seemed discouraged this morning as he is looking at a very demanding day of physical therapy. He is not saying much about it but he just seems down. Please pray for him. Thanks so much.
Craig
May 11th, 2009
I spent my first night in the hotel and the bed was twice as hard as Jeanine descirbed it. The hospital bed was much more comfortable. When you enter the room with the key card you put the card in a slot to activate power. The windows had been open with a nice breeze during the day. After unpacking I closed the windows and tried the air conditioner. It worked very well with exception it was a smoking room and the smoke smell was terrible. I turned it off and reopened the windows. The combination of smell and hard bed led me to a grand scheme. Rather than exchange rooms for a non-smoking room, I tried a bribe. I rose early 4:44 a.m. to fireworks. By the time I got to Brads room at 6:30 he was up already. I tried the bribe. I offered to pay him the remaining hotel bill if I could stay in the room with him. He gave me several conditions and we struck a deal. I checked out of the hotel and moved in with Brad. All that and we still made it in time for chruch. So far so good.
The chruch service was good. The praise music was familiar and worshipful. The passage preached on was Prov. 31:10 ff. Since that is mostly for the women anyway we listened to a sermon in Chinese. People were very nice and a joy to worship with. A young lady in front of us offered us her English/Chinese NIV Bible. She had it all marked up with notes written throughtout. What a joy!
Craig
May 10th, 2009
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