Day 14: DESTINATION-BANGKOK

February 28, 2008

Well today I started out with a bang and a goosh, and whoosh. I wonder who thought of the term “traveler’s diarrhea?” How appro po. I was the 2^nd one that I know of afflicted with this inconvenience on this trip. I won’t mention THAT other person but someone might ask “Ho was that?” Anyway I hope and I think that we should get hazard pay. Now I reported this to our team leader so that he may take epidemiologic statistics for future reference. He sympathetically replied, “Mark, I expected diarrhea of the mouth from you, but I didn’t expect this. I hope that it all comes out well in the end.” Touche! Shut me up! Well, I least my personal physician, Dr. Patton, was caring enough to prescribe me meds to stop up the dam while Pastor Jack hoarded the Depends (he learned from last mission).

ALL ABOARD!

According to our porter, Richard, all 36 bins and luggage are accounted for, and ready to go to the airport packed in a truck. A few from the LEC send us off from the hotel. One small problem. Someone rented the van that we were going to use to transport people to the airport. We scramble and flag down 2 tuk-tuks. How fitting and what a Kodak moment so now everyone has experience a ride in a tuk-tuk. I don’t want to be derogatory so I won’t say what it reminds me of but it’s a plastic surgery term. I can’t wait to go (literally). I’m tired of all this running around. We make it to the Laos airport and Ming does his usual group check-in expeditiously. If anyone wants to go to Thailand, et al, hire Ming, it’ll be worth it. On to Bangkok where we will rest, recover, relax, and regroup for a few days. It will be a stark contrast from the relaxed and quiet atmosphere from Laos. It is a welcomed retreat although some wished they could come home sooner, back to our loved ones. Some aren’t in a hurry because they brought their loved ones with them. We arrive in Bangkok uneventfully and it is one of the busiest cities that I visited. Picture congestion of LA traffic and New York people on the streets and the lights of Las Vegas with street vendors of, well, Bangkok, and you have Bangkok! We say our good byes to Luka our host in Chiang Rai who accompanied us to Laos. (Actually, he missed his flight and came back to see us. I really think he couldn’t bear to see us go.) We’ll see you this summer when FCBC mission trip returns to this same route to bring you Wheels to Heal, Wheels of Fortunate, or Chairs R Us (for wheel). Ming again uses his Thailand connections to arrange transportation to carry all of our luggage and all of us after again smoothly getting us through customs. You have no idea what a saving grace this is.

Bill rewarded us with another stay at the Grand Diamond Suites Hotel. We arrived in late afternoon and enjoy the luxury of spacious rooms and amenities and pampering after two weeks of roughing it. Andy quickly separated the king bed arrangement and put me downwind from the air conditioner to avoid my germs. Little paranoid? No pun intended (this time) but we’re pooped! We’ll plan the next two days according to our energy. Ming volunteered to provide some guided tours to the Grand Palace, Buddhist temples, Bangkok’s version of Epcot Center with architectural miniature versions of the various provinces. Some will catch a Muay Thai boxing match and others will go shopping with the remaining baht. How much difference 24 hours make.

As long as there is a reason to hope to help others we can dream to help. The members brought into fruition this mission to do what Pastor emphasizes: to serve and to sacrifice. You have heard our journey through my eyes and perspective and it is only part of the story. I have enjoyed writing this ejournal and I hope that you could have shared some of the emotions that we, as a team, as well as individually experienced. For those of you who have labored reading these lengthy entries thank you for listening; I hope that it helped some of you go to sleep at night.

I would like to thank a few people. They need no introduction and expect no accolades but when you see them please pat them on the back and say: Job Well Done!

Mr. Luka Chermu: Thank you for the opportunity to serve the Akha. You and your wife Ghan were terrific hosts and I thank you for your hospitality. It’s a pleasure to work with you and appreciate all the connections you had to make this trip a success. By the way, the ice coffee was NOT safe!

Britni Ho: Thank you for setting up the blogspot and taking these ejournals and doing what you need to do to make them available to our family and congregation know what we been up to on this lovely vacation sponsored by FCBC.

Pastor Danny Jack: Thank you for your vision and leadership in the church and the dedication for missions to allow members of the First Chinese Baptist Church Medical Team grow in Christ by this experience.

Mr. Richard Bruce: We appreciate both your brain and brawn giving advice and making decisions to keep the mission flowing smoothly. Your experience on these mission trips and knowledge of the geography was helpful and informative. Thanks for you concern about my health. I’m just getting old.

Mr. Ming Chong: As a member fluent in about seven languages, you are invaluable as a nurse, an interpreter, a resource, a guide, a food critic, organizer, custom agent assistant, and Thailand liaison (need I go on and on). You’re a good sport; we really didn’t leave you behind on purpose. Thanks for always being there when the team needs you.

Mr. Andy Alejo: Thank you for taking me back as a roommate. It’s difficult to be the one opening the floodgates and keeping the patrons behind the line. You were invaluable in directing traffic and assessing the patient’s needs, especially, the children. I’ll room with you anytime. Sorry about my mess and germs.

Mrs. Arlean Jack: Thank you for keeping Pastor in line. Your experience as a clinical nurse was helpful and you worked well in whatever clinic you were assigned too. I am sad we didn’t get to hear a duet with Rachel at the Akha church, maybe next time. Can I at least lip synch with you guys?

Mrs. Cindy Wu: It was great catching up during our 18 hours together. I’m sorry if you caught something from me, but I think I caught it back. Thank you for your laughter as it was always a joy and distinct. Your smile truly brighten up our days. As the better looking half (sorry Andy, I like hair) of the triage team your assessments help narrow down the problem and helped the docs get through the patients at a faster pace allowing us to see more patients. I look forward to working with you again.

Mrs Geraldine Jue: You are so pleasant all the time. I enjoyed working with you on these two missions because you start the day off with so much energy. You’re so nice and so kind; Ben you’re so lucky! You guys make a cute couple. (When can I get my “KEEP OUT” sign back? Thanks for keeping Ben company while David was away.

Mrs. Gail Ho: I’m so glad that you came along. I am sure Bill enjoyed you more than me as a roommate. When Bill’s happy, we are all happy. Your sincere affection for people and your empathy for the patients will have an enduring impact on the lives that you touched. You’re a really nice person and I know where Britni gets her sweetness from. Thank you for starting my day off with a smile.

Dr. David Chow: I didn’t know how funny you were. You kind of have my dry sense of humor. You’re my kind of guy, if I liked guys, but I don’t, but I do like you, but not in that way. You are a good natured guy willing to step up and pinch hit in the optical department without qualms or hesitation. Thanks for being flexible; the team and patients really needed you. Your desire to help patients was made perfectly clear.

Dr. Ben Jue: Thank you for your knowledge and advice of the different drugs and the patience to read all of our handwritings. Nothing seems to faze you. You are a great team player and I enjoy your laugh. You are a generous guy, hardworking, and dedicated.

Dr. Dennis Chinn: You have a no-nonsense approach to visual correction. Your experience over the years helped a tremendous number of patients. You gave them an immediate impact on the quality of their lives and literally allowed them to appreciate the world differently. Thanks for helping the blind so that they can see.

Dr. Akiri Tajiri: You are the epitome of stamina. You have a lust for perfection as a craftsman and optometrist. Thank you for challenging us to keep up with your pace and for the lifelong change to the people who can now see clearly.

Dr. Obregon: Thank you for your experience and the privilege of the FCBC members of working with you again. We gelled as a team even better this time around and we appreciate your leadership and coordination to allow this mission to be as successful as it was. I look forward to our next mission trip together. You are an inspiration for the dedication you have to help throughout the world.

Dr. Jack Patton: Thank you for being my personal physician and treating my ailments during this trip. I really didn’t mean to be a burden. Your soft spoken, Marcus Welby, approach to evaluating and treating the patient was exemplary. If only I could be so kind. Thanks for watching my back.

Dr. Doug Owyang: I would also like to thank you for keeping me out of trouble. Thanks for letting me toss ideas back and forth with you. It’s comforting to know that the patient can get a few opinions all under the same roof. Thank you for letting me know that you like to spend a lot of time on the computer yourself writing your own personal journal so that next mission YOU can be the designated ejournalist

Dr. Rachel Jack: It’s nice to see someone without gray hair on this trip. You remind me what I used to be at your age: energetic, eager to learn, and eager to perform new tricks. While only a rookie, you kept pace with the veterans. Thank you for reminding me what youth is and that I don’t want to act my age.

Dr. Larry Lowe: Thank you for always being helpful and able to troubleshoot any problem. You are a dedicated worker and seem to have that laughter and optimism no matter what happens. You never seem to complain (you leave that up to me) and just go with the flow. You’re just an all around nice guy and pleasant to work with.

Dr. Lester Lowe: You have a great sense of humor and are very resourceful and knowledgeable in just about everything. Thank you all the camaraderie that you’ve given me during these trips. I thank you for all the background time and effort in making those videos and I anticipate another one this year. It takes a lot of time to sift through thousands of photos and hours of video to make a succinct video and it will provide us with a nice representation and memories. Most importantly, it will be a lot easier watching your video than reading all these ejournals again!

Dr. William Ho: aka fearless leader. You really have to be fearless and confident to do the job that you do. You started with a desire and vision of not only seeing this mission trip to Chiang Rai but also to Laos. Not only did you have a vision for the medical and dental and optometric team, you foresaw the need for wheel chairs throughout this part of the world and have that in the works. For the past year you have been campaigning for the mission trips and part 1 has been successfully completely far exceeding our expectations. Although, “retired”, you are still working and you are a dedicated member of FCBC and God’s soldier. Being a team leader is an enormous responsibility requiring patience, flexibility, commitment, coordination, planning, politicking, and fundraising. You do this with economic considerations and practicality. You have been a great team leader and I am proud of you and proud to be on the team. Thank you for allowing me to be part of this team. Nice job, Bill.

Congregation: Thank you for letting me vent and letting me be silly. It help me document some things that I will forget later. Thanks for putting up with my typographical errors and misspellings and tangents and runs ons and so ons and come ons and going on and on and on. I know that I am usually a man of few words but what else did I have to do in my spare time? This ejournal allowed you to experience what we did almost in real time. I hope that you can appreciate the preparation and the sacrifices emotionally and physically and financially that the members of the team incur. The missions can always use your help because the budget dictates how far we can reach. The volunteer workers also have to be safe and comfortable so please support the missions by giving. The church accepts cash check, and credit cards with a photo id. Your hard earned dollars certainly got their money’s worth this time.

To my wife, Lena, Allison, Steven, Jennifer (who I may be able to go with next time): I thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers and emails and whose voices kept me going and lifted me up in times that I was down. I know that you worry when I am gone and I appreciate your concern. Thank you for letting me go on this trip especially during your birthday, Allison. I love you all so much and I can’t wait to come home.

As I gaze through my hotel window, I see a lit cross atop a church sitting in the middle of Bangkok. It is just a solitary light tonight, but with time, as we spread the Good News, we can hope that there will be more to light up the sky. As a congregation we all went to Thailand and Laos in mind and spirit and body. What a trip.

P.S. Good news. This is my last and final entry. Because for the rest of the time…What Happens In Thailand, Stays In Thailand!!!!!!!!!!

Day 13: DESTINATION: HATXAYFONG DISTRICT HOSPITAL

February 27, 2008

WALK IN THE PARK

This time we strategize our walk. Andy and I get a second opinion on directions and Dr. Owyang goes with us. We’re like the Three Amigos. I feel safe flanked by a kung fu master on one side and a black belt karateka on the others. Master, what is the best technique when confronted by a group of thugs?” I ask. “Grasshopper, your body is your temple and it is sacred. You do not want to blemish the outside fearing that you will have internal disharmony.” “In other words run your butt off and you make sure you are not the slowest one, Grasshopper.” We had a brisk walk to the Arche de Triomphe in Vientiane. The French influence is still apparent in names of buildings and businesses, like “La Petit Sushi.” There are a number of temples and the monks are seen leaving the temple grounds to go through their daily routine of walking and begging. Many people have already been to the market already and surprisingly, there are joggers. One in particular is running around the Arche and punching in the air a la Rocky Balboa. An elderly man is practicing his tai chi. We past the Presidential Palace, Laos’ version of the “White House”, and, curiously do not see guards or military presence. This is Laos PDR (People’s Democratic Republic) not referred to as the “C” word. I guess it is considered an alternative democracy. Lester and Larry have already had a head start and travel past the Arche and we can’t catch them. They get up most mornings and are even seen hitting the streets at night. Dave also likes to go out nights as well to hit the internet café. He had an encounter with a very friendly Laotian “lady of the night” the other night who grabbed his hand and greeted him with “$10.” “For what?!” he said as he grabbed his hand back.

BOMBS AWAY

We head out on the outskirts of the city near the Thailand border. We cross a bridge that connects the countries and is called the Friendship Bridge. Apparently where we are going they still have live ordinances from the Vietnam War in the ground and sometimes an unsuspecting individual will be killed or maimed when one of them explode. According to Richard and Pastor, Laos was the most bombed country in the world. What country in their right mind would have done that to this little country? US as in U.S. Who won the war anyway? Pastor, who is a lot older than me, gave me a history lesson. We travel down the road paralleling the Laos border. You can swim across the Mekong River about 2 miles wideif you wanted to escape Laos. There is not much separating the countries. It’s almost as easy to cross into Thailand as it is to cross the US/Mexican border. You can leave but you can’t come back. That’s the choice you make to escape the country. May you’ll never see your family and friends again. That’s the price of freedom here.

LAST STOP: HATXAYFONG DISTRICT HOSPITAL

Our last stop in Laos and our last day of mission work is at the Hatxayfong District Hospital. It’s somewhat comforting that there is a new addition being built. It is still a small building maybe 1500 sq. ft. The patients are already lining up outside jockeying for position. This is our last day in Laos so we are trying to see as many patients as we can. At first the workers did not seem to be happy that we were there. They weren’t smiling. I think we were more of an inconvenience since we had to move things around. In one “wing” there was a large bee hive with bees flying around INSIDE the building, so we had to BEE careful. I wanted to work over there in case there was a sting operation. The dentists are crammed into a room with a single dental chair which isn’t much use. Larry works in the aisle next to a door leading outside so there is good lighting with a slight breeze at least part of the day until the sun shifts. Rachel, Lester, and Bill are quite intimate by now and make do and it is getting hot inside their room. It’s a pretty routine day for the medical and optometrists. Clinic from my perspective is actually quite fun. I get to play doctor. It’s still a little our of my comfort zone because the perfect specialty for this job is family practice. But my surgical background also is invaluable if I had to do procedures and take it one step further. I have to dig way back into my medical school training to diagnose many ailments. Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria. What is that patient doing in our clinic when it needs the hospital? Whether or not we can treat a patient is another thing and how long we can treat it is even only a short time. Several patients wanted second opinions for upcoming procedures, like a back operation. Many patients have gone to other doctors and are asking us about their treatment plan wanting assurance from the docs. Even a government official opted to see one of the American docs at one of our clinics rather than see one of their own. The patients are fairly appreciative even when we can’t help. Some have strokes, yellow hand syndrome, or burn contractures. I saw a 3 year old with contracted fingers from burns and I saw a 50+ year old with a similar injury. He was afflicted with this contracture where he couldn’t extend the 4^th and 5^th digit since he was a child. “See, it works fine for me” he said as he demonstrated his limited hand movements that he has been living with for 50 years.

AMAZING GRACE: THAILAND 1194 LAOS 891

As far as we know we have just established a position in the Guiness Book of World Records. We have treated an incredible and unfathomable 2085 patients in a week and a half in Thailand and Laos. During the last mission trip we treated about 1000 patients. We’re cooking. While we pat ourselves on our backs for far exceeding our expectations and well surpassing last years numbers we still are saddened by the numbers that were either not seen or we couldn’t offer them assistance with what we had. However, we did offer them a level of sophistication unequalled by their own current health care system. Some countries are sophisticated and still can’t get adequate health care to everyone, although it is available. A small country west of here, USA, comes to mind. The country is impoverished and the health care is a reflection of this state. Some live on $100 US per month. Many have their own businesses or “shops” as part of their home to supplement their usual day job. It was disheartening to see a frail looking mother with her 3 very young children begging at the entrance of the hotel. She apparently was going door to door looking for handouts. If was difficult to see and you struggle with giving them money or food if anything. As I do at home, I like to buy food rather than give them money, lest they use the money for drugs or alcohol or cigarettes. My prejudice extends abroad and I choose to give her food. There is a lady in front of the adjacent building cooking corn and something like a hot dog on a stick. I quickly deal with the lady to give me 4 corn husks and 3 food sticks as I loose sight of the family making way down the street. I catch up with them a few doors down and proudly give her the two bags. I don’t see a smile, nor expect one, or acknowledgement. My act of giving was my satisfaction. Money is the only common language and I didn’t understand what she was saying but what followed was unexpected. I turned back to the hotel as she continued her journey. I glanced back at her and she threw the bag of food sticks to the ground as if in disgust rejecting my hand out. Now, I don’t get it. There are 3 hungry looking children that could have eaten the food. Were they vegetarian? Did she rather have money than food? Isn’t that the essence of survival-food? I wonder if strategically, if she didn’t look impoverished walking around with bags of food in her hand, others would not give her money. I try not to second guess her anymore since it’s not my position to judge but I see this at home where people use different techniques to beg at the mercy of our sympathy. I have seen more beggars in San Francisco than I have seen here, clutching their small baby or reading the newspaper next to the collection cup as they sip their coffee from McDonalds. I think is a difference in work ethic.

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

For you enquiring minds who want to know the FCBC Medical Mission Team made the Lao newspaper, “People”, I guess their version of People Magazine. There was a nice photo of the dentists working under the tent from the previous day. It shows Lester working away, and Bill posing for the camera with Pastor Saykham. He was still wearing his mask because he didn’t want to show off his perfect set of teeth. Now, my Lao isn’t very good but loosely translated the article seems to talk about a medical team from America, starring William Ho, DDS, who have come to help people of Laos. Over a three day period the team composed of medical, dental, and eye doctors went to three places: Nashay Church, Xaysettha Hospital, and the Hatxayfong Hospital. The team spent 3 days with people and helped 1700 kids (political propaganda) with a budget of 70,000,000 kip (about $9000 US). People tried to come up to Dr. Ho for autographs and pictures but you know Bill, he’s paparazzi shy.

POLITICS

We had a very nice dinner at one of the local restaurants, Salongxay Restaurant, located in the Lane Xong Hotel. (Bill, remember this one for the summer trip, only $33 US per night.) There was about a 7 course meal for $5. We had a joint dinner with several governmental dignitaries including Minister of Health, pastors from the LEC, and VP of LEC. They exchanged pleasantries and Bill presented the Laotians with tokens of appreciation. Pastor Jack presented them with a framed letter from the American Baptist Church with regard to having the privilege to work here in Laos. They had expressed something to the effect of “looking forward to working with you soon, or else.” We had a enjoyable dinner with about 35 attending. There was a nice show of Laotian dancing and international singing and a contortionist that was a little twisted. As we left I couldn’t help but notice a elderly Caucasian sitting with a young pretty Asian girl at dinner time. They made an odd couple, I thought. Then after dinner she “escorted” him upstairs, I presume for a night cap. Dave, you can ask that fella what $10 got HIM.

It’s time for my night cap…Geritol.