Day two was a day of preparing to get set up for my daily routine. I was told to buzz for the nurse as soon as I woke up so she could come draw blood for some tests. I also had to give a urine and stool sample for additional tests. Oh Yeah!! A nurse comes in about 3 times a day to take my temperature and pulse, which are apparently always perfect. My doctor visited me again but this time walked in with an entourage of about 10 others. It was kind of strange, I don’t know if they were residents or what. It’s still somewhat difficult to communicate but I think I may have my first stem cell treatment tomorrow.
I was also given a physical therapy assessment today which was basically testing my leg strength and flexibility so they can come up with a routine for me. I’ve been through several physical therapy programs in the past but none of them are even similar to what I’ll be going through here. They are really focused on working on my strength and balance and I’ve been told it can be somewhat of a gruelling routine. If I’m not doing physical therapy then I’ll be receiving acupuncture treatment. I will receive a schedule for my daily routines tomorrow.
TK has gone to the big store to pick up some groceries and supplies; I think she will try to start cooking tonight. She is a great cook but the kitchen facilities are somewhat limited. The store is huge, a Chinese Wal-Mart of sorts and sells everything from clothing to food. All of the typical traditional Chinese weird stuff included like chicken heads and snakes! One of the patient coordinators named Rebecca (everyone on this floor has chosen a Western type of name) told me a story today about one of the physical therapists on the floor. While walking home last night he saw that someone had found a turtle and bought it, not for a pet but to eat! There is definitely a culture clash on many levels here. I’ll always be looking forward to see what tomorrow brings!
LC
Monday, October 6, 2008
HELLO CHINA!
We finally arrived in China October 5th at approximately 11 am, what a trip! Our plane left from LAX at 11:45pm October 3rd destined for Hong Kong. W-Five was at the airport to film TK and I starting off on our journey so we tried to exploit the situation by attempting to get upgraded to business class given the national media exposure created for Cathay Pacific but is was sold out. Too bad because even though I thought Cathay was a good airline, the seats in economy were not very comfortable! The flight to Hong Kong was over 14 hours which seemed much longer! We left in the dark Friday night and didn’t see the light of day until Sunday morning due to the change in time zones! We had a 2 hour layover before boarding another plane for Hangzhou at 7am when the sun was finally coming up. I think I only had about 4 hours sleep as a result of my aching butt and lower back, stiff legs and other problematic MS symptoms but I was able to take in 3 movies! The next leg of the trip was much shorter and we arrived in Hangzhou at 9:30 to be greeted by a driver from the hospital and a translator. After a 40 minute drive we were in the hospital and checking out our room for the next 30 days!
The stem cell treatment centre is located on the 20th floor of the hospital and our room overlooks the city of nearly 4 million people. Looking out our window we see a very diverse cityscape of 30+ story buildings, 3 story dilapidated apartment complexes, an inner city garden plot taking up approximately 10 square blocks and a river canal system meandering through the entire area. It’s all very interesting and unique! It is about 20⁰ Celsius, humid and very hazy outside. Apparently they don’t really get to see blue sky, the moon or stars here.
For the rest of our first day we toured around the facility, met some staff and patients, I was examined by a doctor and basically just got settled in. TK and I took a ride on a 3 wheel cart which is like a chariot towed by bicycle or moped about 3 blocks to a large department store looking for a restaurant...what an experience! You really take your life in your hands on these streets, it’s crazy! Other than the 20th floor of the hospital, you don’t see any other Caucasians and no one speaks English. We finally found the restaurant and managed to order some food, it wasn’t easy but kind of fun. Everyone was looking at us, smiling and laughing. I guess it was quite a unique site to see a big breasted blonde woman being tailed by another blonde gimped up guy hobbling around on a cane. Turned out to be quite an adventure for our first day!
LC
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Another success!!!
I held my second fundraising events on September 13 and again not knowing what to expect and trying to avoid expectations, I was blown away! This fundraiser was held at the WildFire located in Langdon and raised $7,570. Again the showing of support and generosity was phenomenal. I'd like to thank Sammy and the wildfire for hosting the event and for all the donations he kicked in. I was amazed at the amount of auction items that were donated and just like last time things all came together in the final stretch. There are so many people to thank but for this blog I'll cover it all with one broad stroke. A huge thank you to everyone who donated auction items and to everyone who showed up at the fundraiser. I had a really good time as I'm sure everyone there did as well.
With some other donations that I recently received my total now stands at $39,970!! I figure I will need another $4,000 to $5,000 to cover all expenses which is minor when you take the whole picture into account. Going to China for treatment was something I had to do for myself even though I knew I could not pay for it myself. Having never done fundraising like this before I'm thrilled with how everything turned out! In two weeks from today I will be boarding a plane to begin my quest.
I can't thank everyone enough who has contributed to my cause! This is not just in terms of money donated but for the moral support and encouragement and most of all for everyone's prayers! Please continue to pray for me and my sister as we embark on this journey of Hope.
LC
With some other donations that I recently received my total now stands at $39,970!! I figure I will need another $4,000 to $5,000 to cover all expenses which is minor when you take the whole picture into account. Going to China for treatment was something I had to do for myself even though I knew I could not pay for it myself. Having never done fundraising like this before I'm thrilled with how everything turned out! In two weeks from today I will be boarding a plane to begin my quest.
I can't thank everyone enough who has contributed to my cause! This is not just in terms of money donated but for the moral support and encouragement and most of all for everyone's prayers! Please continue to pray for me and my sister as we embark on this journey of Hope.
LC
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Ready to go…
Well time sure does go by fast, it seems like just yesterday that I was setting up my website and beginning my campaign. Now summer is over, kids are back in school and in less than a month I’ll be leaving for China. I made my final payment to Beike Biotechnology yesterday and our flight reservations are all confirmed. I leave Calgary on October 2nd and arrive in Hangzhou October 5th and enter the hospital that day.
People ask me if I’m getting nervous but I’m more excited than anything. I know October 2nd will be here in no time meaning I have very little time to raise additional funds. So far my total is $28,500 which is awesome but not quite enough. I am having another fund raiser September 13th at the Wildfire located in Langdon. There will be another silent auction and hopefully a great turnout. I don’t think I’ll raise as much as my first fundraiser but hopefully I can hit $4,500 to pay down what I’ve put on my credit card so far. I know I’ll still have many thousands in expenses to come. At least I’ve paid for the hospital and treatments because that has always been a bit of an uncertainty since it had to be in US funds. Fortunately our Canadian dollar has been up and even above par but of course it fluctuates daily. I’ve been exchanging currencies as I’ve had it and watched the dollar carefully. I was able to exchange $6,000 at an even rate but not as lucky on the rest. It cost me almost $1,900 in Canadian dollars to pay Beike in US dollars.
In other news, it looks like I’ll be getting additional media coverage from CTV. They are running a follow up story to a bone marrow transplant story they aired last year. In doing some background research one of the associates from W-Five came across my blog and emailed me. I should be doing my first interview September 18th or 19th and then they will follow my progress and treatment in China. CTV will be setting my sister up with a camera for shooting while in the hospital so this is all very exciting! The W-Five episode will not air until I return from China but may be beneficial if I still need to raise funds to pay off loans and debts from the trip. I think it will run as an hour long program with the last half hour dedicated to my story. I will be posting information when this is going to happen.
Hopefully there will still be people reading my blog! I will be posting progress updates while I’m in China on a regular basis so stay tuned.
LC
People ask me if I’m getting nervous but I’m more excited than anything. I know October 2nd will be here in no time meaning I have very little time to raise additional funds. So far my total is $28,500 which is awesome but not quite enough. I am having another fund raiser September 13th at the Wildfire located in Langdon. There will be another silent auction and hopefully a great turnout. I don’t think I’ll raise as much as my first fundraiser but hopefully I can hit $4,500 to pay down what I’ve put on my credit card so far. I know I’ll still have many thousands in expenses to come. At least I’ve paid for the hospital and treatments because that has always been a bit of an uncertainty since it had to be in US funds. Fortunately our Canadian dollar has been up and even above par but of course it fluctuates daily. I’ve been exchanging currencies as I’ve had it and watched the dollar carefully. I was able to exchange $6,000 at an even rate but not as lucky on the rest. It cost me almost $1,900 in Canadian dollars to pay Beike in US dollars.
In other news, it looks like I’ll be getting additional media coverage from CTV. They are running a follow up story to a bone marrow transplant story they aired last year. In doing some background research one of the associates from W-Five came across my blog and emailed me. I should be doing my first interview September 18th or 19th and then they will follow my progress and treatment in China. CTV will be setting my sister up with a camera for shooting while in the hospital so this is all very exciting! The W-Five episode will not air until I return from China but may be beneficial if I still need to raise funds to pay off loans and debts from the trip. I think it will run as an hour long program with the last half hour dedicated to my story. I will be posting information when this is going to happen.
Hopefully there will still be people reading my blog! I will be posting progress updates while I’m in China on a regular basis so stay tuned.
LC
Monday, August 25, 2008
What’s new in MS research??
It is often difficult to learn of new research in multiple sclerosis. The veil of secrecy seems to be draped over new drug trials and until a new treatment is through phase III trials, we don’t hear much about it. There is some valid reasoning behind this like not promoting false hope or disseminating inaccurate and unproven information. However I believe there is also a lack in the sharing of information not only between researchers but with neurologists and other medical establishments. I guess researchers want to keep the glory for themselves if there happens to be a breakthrough in something.
I believe Canada is well renowned for our work in MS research and advancements but I recently learned of an ensuing lack of researchers in MS due to fewer young scientists willing to focus their career on MS and the nearing retirement of many researchers. Fortunately this has been recognized and a new campaign designed to recruit and train a new generation of researchers has been established named endMS.ca. The MS Society of Canada plays a critical role in this kind of foresight and proactive work.
The MS Society also just recently announced over $9 million in funding grants and research scholarships. One study to gain funding is focused on the injection of adult stem cells into mice that have exhibited demyelination and MS characteristics in an effort to show repair of damaged myelin. While I commend the MS Society and the researchers who are beginning to investigate stem cells and MS, I believe it is something that should have been high on our research priorities years ago. Fortunately East Asian countries have been researching for years and stem cell science is driving the biotech boom. In Singapore the government built “Biopolous” is home to some of the largest biotech companies and this hi-tech hub is attracting scientists from around the world. The Chinese government expects biotechnology to generate 60% of economic growth by 2020.
Ever since I became aware of the possibilities of stem cell treatments in the mid to late nineties thanks mostly to the exposure created by Michael J. Fox, I have felt the answer to MS and many other diseases would be found in stem cell research. I believe there is great progress being made but more cooperation and collaboration is needed between all research bodies. A good beginning to this cooperation was started in July, 2008 when over 300 of China’s top stem cell biologists and researchers from around the globe shared their latest results and held China’s first ever symposium on advanced induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell research during the first annual Stem Cell Technology Forum at the China Medical City complex in Taizhou, China. Some of the world’s most respected researchers presented their latest laboratory findings and clinical trial results in using stem cells to treat common ailments like heart disease and nervous system diseases such as cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, muscular dystrophy, and optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH). Biologists attending the forum came from leading research centers in nearly all of China’s major cities, and as far away as the United States, Canada, India, Australia, and Malaysia. The event was hosted by Beike Biotechnology which is the company responsible for my treatment in China.
There are already many successful medical treatments attributed to stem cell transplants and with continued collaboration between the world’s best scientists, I believe many cures are coming soon!
LC
I believe Canada is well renowned for our work in MS research and advancements but I recently learned of an ensuing lack of researchers in MS due to fewer young scientists willing to focus their career on MS and the nearing retirement of many researchers. Fortunately this has been recognized and a new campaign designed to recruit and train a new generation of researchers has been established named endMS.ca. The MS Society of Canada plays a critical role in this kind of foresight and proactive work.
The MS Society also just recently announced over $9 million in funding grants and research scholarships. One study to gain funding is focused on the injection of adult stem cells into mice that have exhibited demyelination and MS characteristics in an effort to show repair of damaged myelin. While I commend the MS Society and the researchers who are beginning to investigate stem cells and MS, I believe it is something that should have been high on our research priorities years ago. Fortunately East Asian countries have been researching for years and stem cell science is driving the biotech boom. In Singapore the government built “Biopolous” is home to some of the largest biotech companies and this hi-tech hub is attracting scientists from around the world. The Chinese government expects biotechnology to generate 60% of economic growth by 2020.
Ever since I became aware of the possibilities of stem cell treatments in the mid to late nineties thanks mostly to the exposure created by Michael J. Fox, I have felt the answer to MS and many other diseases would be found in stem cell research. I believe there is great progress being made but more cooperation and collaboration is needed between all research bodies. A good beginning to this cooperation was started in July, 2008 when over 300 of China’s top stem cell biologists and researchers from around the globe shared their latest results and held China’s first ever symposium on advanced induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell research during the first annual Stem Cell Technology Forum at the China Medical City complex in Taizhou, China. Some of the world’s most respected researchers presented their latest laboratory findings and clinical trial results in using stem cells to treat common ailments like heart disease and nervous system diseases such as cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, muscular dystrophy, and optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH). Biologists attending the forum came from leading research centers in nearly all of China’s major cities, and as far away as the United States, Canada, India, Australia, and Malaysia. The event was hosted by Beike Biotechnology which is the company responsible for my treatment in China.
There are already many successful medical treatments attributed to stem cell transplants and with continued collaboration between the world’s best scientists, I believe many cures are coming soon!
LC
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Fringe Benefits
I began my fundraising campaign to obviously raise money to fund my trip to China and I am very pleased with how that is going. However along the way I have received many other unexpected blessings. It really has been amazing the amount of people I have come in contact with again. Some friends that I've lost touch with for between 10 and 25 years have suddenly turned back up in my life. With some of these friendships it seems we haven't missed a beat regardless of the amount of time that has passed. I've had the most enjoyable conversations and busted a gut laughing over some of the silly stories that I've had a chance to reminisce about. Reflecting back to my childhood years and young adult life has made me realize how blessed I have been.
Another benefit outside of all the money raised is the outpouring of love, generosity and acts of kindness that I have witnessed over the last several months. It really is heartwarming to have received so much encouragement and support not only from family and friends but from complete strangers. My faith in the human spirit has been rejuvenated! This world we live in can appear pretty ugly sometimes. The news is filled with stories of death, war, crime and an endless myriad of evil acts and events. If one were to interpret life based on the news our existence would seem very depressing.
Fortunately most of us don’t view life based on what we've seen reported in the news. Happiness and joy are all around us, we just have to learn how to recognize it and even more vital, how to display it. My experiences relating to my cause thus far have been very uplifting and inspirational. For this I owe thanks to everyone who has touched my life with such kindness and generosity. More importantly than all, I give thanks and praise to God!
LC
Another benefit outside of all the money raised is the outpouring of love, generosity and acts of kindness that I have witnessed over the last several months. It really is heartwarming to have received so much encouragement and support not only from family and friends but from complete strangers. My faith in the human spirit has been rejuvenated! This world we live in can appear pretty ugly sometimes. The news is filled with stories of death, war, crime and an endless myriad of evil acts and events. If one were to interpret life based on the news our existence would seem very depressing.
Fortunately most of us don’t view life based on what we've seen reported in the news. Happiness and joy are all around us, we just have to learn how to recognize it and even more vital, how to display it. My experiences relating to my cause thus far have been very uplifting and inspirational. For this I owe thanks to everyone who has touched my life with such kindness and generosity. More importantly than all, I give thanks and praise to God!
LC
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
FUNDRAISING CAN BE FUN
I held my first fund-raising event on Friday, July 25th at the Old Mill pub in Strathmore. It was made up of the band Foolish Heart playing the music, a silent auction and many very generous and kind people having fun. I must admit I was a little nervous having never done anything like this before and having difficulty getting items donated for the auction. Everything came together the day before the event with some last-minute donations of some great items. I was able to raise $7,800 which far surpassed anything I could've expected.
I would like to thank everyone who donated items for the auction, William and Tricia Hebert of the Old Mill Pub and everyone who came out to the event. It was really great to feel so much support and encouragement and to raise that much money just blew me away. The evening gave a much-needed boost to my fundraising bringing my total to around $24,000!
I'm now beginning to plan my next fund-raising event which will be held in Calgary towards the end of August. It will be a very similar event with another silent auction. Stay tuned for details…
I would like to thank everyone who donated items for the auction, William and Tricia Hebert of the Old Mill Pub and everyone who came out to the event. It was really great to feel so much support and encouragement and to raise that much money just blew me away. The evening gave a much-needed boost to my fundraising bringing my total to around $24,000!
I'm now beginning to plan my next fund-raising event which will be held in Calgary towards the end of August. It will be a very similar event with another silent auction. Stay tuned for details…
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