Archive for October, 2009
I can only say that our stay here has gone much faster than anticipated. As our friends from the UK would say, “It’s been a lovely time.” We have loved meeting all the families from around the world and hearing their stories. We will miss hanging out in the common area of the VIP Ward. We will miss the amazing staff of Beike, the nurses, translators, drivers, doctors, etc. We will miss all the free time we have had as a family. We will miss the experiences we’ve had, but mostly we will miss the dear people we connected with here. This has been a once in a life time experience and we thank God that we’ve gotten to do it.
Thank you to all the people back home who have been faithfully following our adventure. We really feel very supported through your comments of encouragement. You are the reason we want to come home. (And because we are getting sick of the food. Adam is going crazy from not having any outlets like basketball and we can’t handle the smell of the water any longer). Truly though, THANK YOU.
Lastly, why we came… We came for a chance to give our daughter Hallie more vision. We came without expecting Hallie to have results right away. During our stay here there have been two people with ONH (Shannon, 40 and Lilli, 
both had improvements while they were here. They were also older and able to voice what those improvements were. They both took a VEP test that measures how much light is going from the optic nerve to the brain. Again, both had significant improvements while they were here. We had a VEP test done with Hallie before we came and will do another 6 months post op. (It’s harder to do with little ones that don’t sit still 
The small improvements that we see in Hallie will probably not be very noticeable to anyone that doesn’t know Hallie personally. But we are still hanging in the balance of hope and patience. Most ONH patients don’t see significant results until 3-6 months down the road, and then even up to 18 mo. post op have others seen more improvements. So this next year will be one filled with anticipation as we wait and learn what Hallie will see with her eyes. Adam and I came here knowing that we had to offer Hallie this opportunity. We have done that, and feel so confident that this was exactly the path God had planned for us. Whether or not there will be any HUGE changes in Hallie, we know that God has this little girl in the palm of his hands and will do amazing things through her life.
Colorado or bust!
love, Katie & co.
This is Carter's idea of helping pack. First, climb into the suitcase without my diaper on and pee inside it. Second, get my diaper on and continue to climb back into the suitcase every time my dad takes me out. Thank you to the Hulseys for letting us borrow the suitcase.
October 31st, 2009
Friday was another eventful day for us. We hired a driver that was a friend of one of the drivers here and it was just weird to have a man we didn’t know take us downtown. First, we were planning to go to this one art store to check out some of the calligraphy pieces that are famous here. But when we got there, we found out that is was an entire street of stores that sold traditional artwork, jade stone sculptures, and even big boulders. Katie and I have coined this “The Art District.” Needless to say, Katie was in absolute heaven. She could have spent an entire week going up and down the street, but I was really proud of her for holding back and staying on task. Next, we went to McDonald’s for lunch. The kids love the little play area there and we like having the American food. Lastly, and most important we went to Polar Ocean World. Carter and Hallie could not get enough. The animals, which included dolphins, turtles, sharks, etc., were amazing and would come right up to the glass. Carter insisted on yelling at the animals like they could understand what he was saying.
Saturday, was a pure packing day. When you are packing eight suitcases, a carry-on bag, and a backpack, you need all day to get it done. Here it is 8:11pm on Saturday and we still have some packing to do on Sunday.
Sunday, we are planning to have another prayer breakfast/church service. Alice, one of the translators who is also a Christian, is going to come and answer questions we have on the Christian culture in China. It will be wonderful to have an in depth conversation with her to get an insight into what it means to be a Christian in China. Besides this, we will be finishing some packing and preparing ourselves for the 18-hour trip back to America. The trip back is actually six hours less than the trip here, so that’s good. We are praying that everything will go as well as it did on the trip here, all things considered. Our kids were easier to take care of than we thought and the time actually seemed to pass as quickly as 24 hours of traveling can. So here is hoping for the same results tomorrow!
With love and God Bless,
Adam
Just saying hello to the little boy who is yelling at me in excitement.
Hallie and Carter checking out the sharks.
I took this photo of myself while getting eaten by Jaws!
We even went to a dolphin show!
Hallie with her mama
Hallie hanging out by the fish. We didn't notice her putting her face up to the glass as much, because it was pretty dark in there.
Another attempt at a family pic.
October 31st, 2009
First off, I would like to apologize for our inability to make this a daily blog. That being said, here is an update on the past five days:
Friday, was Hallie’s fifth stem cell treatment. My beautiful daughter and I are becoming really good at this whole process. Here it is. The nurses come in and it doesn’t take Hallie long to realize what is happening, the crying and body throwing commences. I proceed to lay on Hallie while holding her shoulders down with both of my hands. And when I say lay, I mean use most of my 230 lbs. in body weight to settle “The Fish Out of Water” thrusting. As you heard before, she refuses to calm down while she is getting poked. Therefore, I let her cry and continue to try to wiggle out of my grasp. After the IV is put in, I play a movie, give her the audio recorder filled with clips that she loves, or let her play with one of her favorite toys. It takes her a couple minutes to completely calm down, then I usually don’t even have to touch her and she will stay still for the rest of the 30-45 minute treatment.
On Saturday, we took the kids swimming in the morning and went to a souvenir shop in the afternoon. Besides that, it was another lounge day.
Sunday was a very big and inspiring day for us. About two weeks ago, Katie and I were praying about asking God to have a Christian family come to the hospital. A week later the Broadhursts arrived. We quickly started to get to know Jennifer (the patient with a spinal cord injury) and her sister Becky. It did not take long for us to figure out each other’s faith in God. So Saturday night, Jennifer and the Kemps organized a prayer breakfast/church service in the common area for all the stem cell patients. Katie and Jennifer put together a lesson on prayer and produced flyers, and I got the food and handed out the flyers. The next morning, six families out of estimated 11 english-speaking families showed up! We did some quick introductions, heard Jennifer’s prayer lesson, played some music, and Katie and I shared some scripture. During this whole time, you could tell people were walking by listening and wondering what was going on. It was very encouraging to fellowship with these six families, one of which are not even church goers. To bring God to the forefront of this hospital was an amazing opportunity and experience for Katie and I. I am sure Katie will have more to add to this, but maybe not.
After our prayer breakfast, we hired a driver and went downtown. Our first stop was Mary’s Market, the American import grocery store, for one last comfort food purchasing. Next, we went to “The Diner,” which was American food restaurant. This food was not that great and was another example of the Chinese version of American food. After lunch, we realized that May 4th square was right by the diner. May 4th Square was were the sailing competition was held for the 2008 olympics. We made our way down, got mobbed by all the people wanting to see our kids, took some pictures, and headed back to the car. Our last stop was the Ge-Mo market. This is another huge market were you can by pretty much anything you want to. I like these market because you barter. After all this, we were completely spent, but were happy that we had such a fulfilling day.
Monday we…, we…. What did we do? It is Tuesday night when I am writing this and Katie and I could not remember what we did yesterday. So that is just a testament to how scatter brained and busy we are doing this whole China thing with our two kids.
On Tuesday, I went to a different souvenir store, by myself. My amazing wife gave the kids a bath, so I could have some “no kid” time. I love her. After that, we went to the park that has become infamous in this blog. We rented another paddle boat and then the kids got ride these two little mechanical cars. On our way back to the hospital, we stopped by the mall to do a little more souvenir shopping.
So, there you are. You are now updated on what we have been doing the past 5 days. Except for Monday of course.
Wednesday is Hallie’s sixth and final stem cell treatment!
Adam
P.S. We will return to the good ole’ U.S. of A. on Sunday.
Fish at the supermarket- seafood is huge here.
Here is one of the 'VIP ward' cleaning ladies.. she's in love with Carter!
Outside Pizza Hut... A sign with lights.
Lit sign
Here is the loading into Charlie the driver's car.. for our day downtown.
May 4th Square- these are some ladies dressed up for a dancing show.. Hallie loved feeling their dresses. She kept saying to them, "You're bea-tiful!"
This is at Ge-Mo. Hallie started playing and soon after a small audience formed to watch this blonde beauty preform!
Carter helping push the water jug.
Carter loves getting his temperature taken. Every time he's by the nurse's station he point to his ear in anticipation!
On the boat ride again.. Carter's sleepy.
Attempt at a family pic!
The kids went on these rides 4x! They are missing parks back home.
October 27th, 2009
I wrote a previous blog about how I thought Hallie could see fish in the aquarium at Lotte Mart. I video taped her that day and as I reviewed the clips I noticed her eyes really have changed from the treatments. They move together and hold their gaze toward the fish. On our website we added two videos. On the second one, Hallie was walking along the tanks and she paused, put her face up to the glass and said, “It’s blue.” and after, “I see with my eyes, it’s blue!” I know this seems like something small, but we are so encouraged b/c I know pre-stem cells she would not have paid as much attention to the tanks (except maybe noticing the lights and then would have gotten bored). We hung out looking at the fish for about 20 minutes. I wish I could upload the video on this blog, but it the file was too big, SO:
Go to our website, www.hopeforhallie.com for the videos. Click on the link “Ni-Hao China” on the left.
Enjoy,
Katie
October 26th, 2009
Today is Friday already, and we don’t know where the week went! On Monday Hallie had her 4th treatment. She had to be poked twice, bur other than that all went smoothly. There have been subtle changes that are really hard to explain, but that we have noticed. She says the phrase, “See with my eyes,” more often than before we came. Today I took Hallie to the Lotte Mart (kind of like Wal-mart) and we went to look at the fish. Hallie stood at the fish tanks and put her eyes right up next to the glass and talked about seeing with her eyes. Obviously it’s hard to know WHAT she is seeing, but she is noticing something. The fish were bright orange and the tank was lit up, so it’s very likely that she WAS seeing.
So I will go through our week and tell you all about the adventures we had. Like I said, Monday was treatment day. Tuesday we went to the ‘outdoor market’ which was quite an experience! (see below) Hallie was a little fussy b/c of the immense smell and b/c she had to stay in the stroller the whole time we walked around (the ground was not the most cleanliest of places.) Wednesday we went shopping at the Mall that is across the street from the hospital and to the famous park we have talked about many times on here. Hallie loved discovering the statues this time; feeling the face, hands, hair, etc.
Playing discovery.
Amusement park in the Mall
Thursday was the best day! We went to the Yellow Sea shore. The view was exquisite. The drive along the water was beautiful with the fall trees changing colors. I’m so glad I didn’t miss fall! Ginko trees that are everywhere are turning yellow and there are a few other trees changing to reds and oranges. We made our way down to the beach where we dug our toes in the sand and played in the water. Hallie & Carter loved getting dirty and wet. Carter raked the sand with his hands and managed to eat only one handful. Hallie LOVED the water and the waves made her giddy. She would walk into the sea and then her and Adam would anticipate the next tumbling wave together.. oh it made her come alive! It was a beautiful day, but not warm enough for swimsuits so we just waded in the water. After getting cleaned off we went downtown to Qingdao and ate at McDonalds (which was an American treat for sure!) Adam went to a 3 story electronic store where he died and went to electronic heaven. He got Wii games for less than a dollar and some gifts for PSP players. ( I will get pictures from the beach uploaded later..)
But for now, here are some pictures from everyday life… enjoy!
Carter, Hallie & friend Lilli
Jaoquim- beautiful boy!
Hallie and Jasmine (her massage therapist). Hallie is trying on a headband for electrowave therapy... which she hasn't done yet. But the headband is the 1st step of the process
Carter, the next Dr. Tony
Street vendor making squid & vegetable stir fry
Handsome Husband
Our kids, playing under the table... it's one of Hallie's favorite hang out spots.
"Special Red Blankie" is taken everywhere we go.. thank you Grandma Mary!
Goodbye for now.
Katie
October 23rd, 2009
Hello! How are you? this may be a greeting that we use in America. Here the translation is “Hello, have you had lunch?”
For the last 20 days we’ve been living in a completely different culture. We’re dedicating this blog to inform you all about what we’ve experienced in this new world (while still being respectful to their culture).
First, everyone here is very kind and warmhearted. All the staff- from nurses to drivers, even doctors play with our kids. Family is huge here, as is respect. Women dress very modestly and everyone is a healthy looking thin (I’ve seen maybe 2 overweight people total). They walk or bike everywhere!
The food is probably the most notable shock factor. We went to the ‘outdoor market’ two days ago. Lining the sidewalk are people selling anything from dried seafood to cooked dog heads. There was a cage of chickens and ducks that buyers pick out right there, they chop its head off, and take it home for dinner that night. The smell is indescribable… especially in the seafood section. Everything is layed out in the open where bugs and flies can linger. There are all kinds of fish, octopus, squid, clams, eels, catfish, bottom sucker fish (i don’t know what they’re called) and many other tentacle type seafood that is scary. At the supermarket there is a huge aquarium where you can pick out the live fish you want to buy (not as a pet, but as lunch.) All the meat is laid bare and out in the open on ice, where it is self serve. Even though they eat EVERYTHING from chicken feet to rodent testicles, they do eat a ton of fresh produce. Street vendors sell roasted tomatoes on a stick and sweet potatoes instead of the hotdog stands you see in america. So very little is processed here. One more thing I love.. the tea is amazing and so fresh! At the market they sell huge barrels of tea leaves and dried flowers/herbs so you can create your own blend. So cool!
One thing that I have appreciated in this Eastern culture is talking to the doctors. Their mindset is much different than in the West. They look at the whole body rather than just the symptom. We have experienced stomach sickness and the kids have had a cold the last few days. The doctors prescribed herbs from the pharmacy and gave us a lot of practical advise like having the kids breath fresh air in the morning sunshine to specific food to eat. They also have been very encouraging about Hallie. A team of doctors or her main doctor visits her everyday to answer questions and examine her. A few times Dr. Tony (her main dr.) has noticed her pupils dilating. They are still sluggish, but the other day I even noticed them dilate a little. The room was dark when he shined the light in her eyes, but it was exciting for me b/c I’ve never seen Hallie’s pupils dilate.
Back to the culture shock. We learned very early on that it is not rude to stare here. We are glared down and pointed at everywhere we go. Sometimes its hard to push the stroller if a crowd has formed around our celebrity kids. Other pre-potty trained kids here don’t wear diapers.. (i think to cut down on waste). They have little slits in their pants and go anywhere that is convenient (even the grocery store floor, or the middle of the walk way). There are always janitors mopping the floors, so it doesnt’ stay on the floor for too long, but still!!!!!
Signing off for now, I have to get the kids in bed. Adam has been wrestling and entertaining now for some time.
love,
Katie
Seafood Market with a Wonderful Smell!
Chicken or Duck Tonight? Just order, they chop its head off, and you have really fresh chicken or duck at your table!
Lost in Translation. Don't drive your vehicle onto the park grounds!
October 22nd, 2009
On Friday:
We “hired” one of the drivers, Sam, that is employed by Beike (the stem cell company) to take us downtown since it was a free day. A free day is when Hallie has no treatments, acupressure, or doctors visits. The first thing we did downtown is go to “Mary’s Market,” which is an American import grocery store. We were craving actual American food, not the Chinese version of American food, so we went “hog wild” and bought enough groceries that I had to go to an ATM to get more cash. Next, we drove to a beautiful boardwalk that is along the ocean in this great area. We got the kids out of the stroller and let them play in the sand a little bit, where we even found seashells! Of course, during this whole time we had probably ten spectators watching our every move. It was a great day and the breeze from the ocean was so refreshing.
BEAUTIFUL!
Board walk
Playing in the sand
On Saturday:
We had lunch at the Food Court in the huge shopping mall that is right across the street from the hospital. We did some shopping and then made our way to the park. Carter slept about half of the time we were at the park so it was nice to have both parents focus on Hallie for awhile. All in all, Hallie rode the carousel 4 times, the airplane ride 3 times, and the train ride once. We had so much fun at the park that Katie got a little motion sick. After the park, we went to the Holiday Inn to rest. On our way in, we had to stop for the greeter girls to drool and kiss all over Carter once again.
Train ride
Airplane ride
The ladies man
On Sunday:
It was our day of rest. We had breakfast with Hallie’s friend Lili and her family at the Holiday Inn. They leave to go back home on Monday afternoon, so we had to have one last opportunity to hang out. We are sad to see them go, but we are already trying to plan a time we can get Hallie and Lili, the soul mates, back together again. We took the afternoon to lay around and do nothing, but we did take the kids swimming before dinner.
To see pictures, go to our website, www.hopeforhallie.com. Click on “Ni-Hao China” on the left and follow the links.
We have realized Hallie is noticing walls and tables that are in front of her more frequently. She still runs into some, but she usually puts her hand out right before she hits them now. Before we came, she very rarely would notice them enough to put her hand out.
Thanks again for the support and encouragement,
Adam and Katie
October 18th, 2009
This might be my only blog that I get to write completely by myself, so I am going to try and make it a goodie!
First for the Hallie update:
Hallie had her third stem cell treatment today! The whole process went as smoothly as possible, so thank you for all of your prayers for Hallie. She got poked (only once), had the treatment in our room, and had the IV removed all within one hour! As many of you know, kids can be freakishly strong if they need to be. Therefore, I literally have to lay on Hallie when she gets poked, but she always calms down and snuggles with her da-da. I absolutely love this time with her, because she just melts in my arms.
We think Hallie is more self motivated to use her vision, but it is difficult to know for sure if there have been improvements or not. Obviously, we are still very early in the process as she could continue to have improvements up to a year after these treatments. We are always on the lookout for improvements and we definitely keep everybody updated.
And now for the family update:
Carter is… you know what there are no adjectives to explain this little boy. So I will explain him in statements and you can come up with the adjectives. He has a cough and liquid poop coming out of his butt and this kid does not want to sleep. He would rather climb over his mom and dad, get into everything, and play all day. There is no stopping that kid. Carter is going to have find something like running across the Untied States to get rid of his energy. Hopefully once he gets good at running, I can start my sports drills with him. My wife will hate that I am training another sports freak, but at least it will be another avenue to get his energy out.
Katie is getting better, but she is still feeling a little weak. She gets very little sleep, see above, so she doesn’t get the opportunity to get well fast. I am constantly amazed by the woman my wife is. She is a wonderful mother and I am eternally grateful for that. Our kids health and development are products of her hard work. She cares so much, she feels she doesn’t give enough to them. I have told many people that God made Katie to be a mom. It is cliche, but Katie’s picture should be next to mom in the dictionary. Kaite has filled her free time by caring about every soul here and as you know that is not out of the norm for her. I still to this day cannot fathom how she continues to take on so many stories and never get burned out. I get burned out after talking about emotional stuff for 30 minutes, but I am “mental man” as I have deemed myself. God really knew what he was doing bringing us two together. (that paragraph should buy me some brownie points, wink, wink!)
I am starting to go through no working out and no basketball withdrawals. Actually, I am fine with it, because I know there are more important things to be doing now. I also am enjoying all the time I am getting with my beautiful wife and constantly growing up kids. I know they are both still young, but now that both of them are walking well, it really has hit me on how fast it goes. My school work has taken up most of my free time these days as I am in grad school trying to get my MBA.
Thanks again to everybody for your continued prayers, support, and encouragement. All of you make it a lot easier to be here!
God Bless, Adam
Sorry that this is such a long blog, but I had to take advantage of my opportunity.
October 14th, 2009
This morning Adam and I woke up with a new outlook on life. We feel more refreshed physically, the antibiotics the doctor gave us yesterday started working. We are back on track as a team… I know this b/c we even got through a poop explosion of Hallie’s together! (which requires changing sheets, bath etc.)
Us, able to stand next to each other and smile!
Best of all, we feel like our spirits are renewed. We want everyone that has been praying for us to know how grateful we are for all of you. Last night I sent out an email in desperation and it was returned with a mighty wave of prayers. I ultimately give that glory to God as He brought us out of the pit! I woke up this morning and I knew a new light had dawned. Adam and I read together over 20 emails with scripture and encouragement. It was an awesome reminder of how real and alive our God is. We know we are ready to take on the last few weeks here.
Today we got out of the Hospital, went for a walk and out for lunch. It was really windy and Hallie kept giggling and putting her hands high in the air like she was riding a roller coaster.
Hallie LOVES feeling the wind
Carter would rather sleep upright in the stroller than in his bed at night!!!
Tomorrow is Hallie’s 3rd treatment. We’ll keep you posted on how it goes. We’re going to have the pediatric IV specialist always do Hallie’s IV from now on, so we’ll let you know how it goes.
Hope all is well back home.. we sure miss everyone.
love,
Katie & Co.
October 13th, 2009
We have been hit with a few trials the last few nights. I’m going to share so that all the Hallie fans can be praying for our family. Three nights ago Adam was awake most of the night with a migraine. The next night was after Hallie’s SCT so her and Carter were both stirring the whole night. (if one sounds the alarm, then they are both awake). Then yesterday I, (Katie) got sick with a stomach bug and went to bed early with Carter who is teething & crabby. Oh the list goes on! I don’t want to be negative b/c it is a blessing to be here. I am asking for prayers for endurance as Adam and I have hit the breaking point. I am so thankful for my husband too as he has been such a servant here and always quick to be on kid duty. Today is Sunday and we have a free day which will be a great recovery day.
Hallie received her second stem cell treatment on Friday. She is a fighter and squirmer. Her IV came out a number of times and the poor little girl had to be poked again and again. The nurses finally got a good vein in her foot and life was better. I started out holding Hallie down, and found out I’m just not strong enough anymore… so holding her down will always be Adam’s job. It’s still too early to tell if there is any significant changes but we’ve been encouraged by a number of stories here. For example, Hallie’s friend Lily is one treatment ahead of Hallie. She came with only light perception and could see bright colors. Yesterday she could read large print!!!!!!! It’s incredible! I’ve talked about another lady, Shanan, who is 40 with ONH. Since being here she has doubled the distance she can see the eye chart. We are so encouraged. These stories are what keeps us going through the sleepless nights!!!
Sending our love to all.
Katie
October 11th, 2009
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