So Long, and Thanks for All The Fish

This entry is dedicated to our daughter, Andrea, who is a great fan of the Hitchhiker's series by Douglas Adams where the title of this entry originated.

As we wrap things up here at Nanshan, we thought that it's time for a bit of show and tell. This post will be light on text and heavy on pictures.


Nurses and Camillia (in pink). Camillia is the member of the Beike staff who exchanges your dollars for RMB/yuan.

Dr. Yang (the younger). The other Dr. Yang (the elder) is the chief neurologist.

The cleaning ladies. They have an extra set of the room keys and can help you get back into your room if you accidentally lock yourself out.

Dr. Kitty Guo (far left in stripe skirt), nurses, and Dr. Yang posing with a banner that we've presented to all the doctors, nurses and staff of the Stem Cell Ward to thank them for the excellent care that Richard has received. The woman directly behind Richard in the dark top is Lily, the head nurse. Dr. Guo is the Beike staff member who is in charge of scheduling the stem cell injections.

Big Dr. Lee, Little Dr. Lee, Dr. Wang, Dr. Shu and Dr. Ye with the banner that we've presented to Big Dr. Lee and Dr. Ye thanking them for the care they've provided to Richard.

Big Dr. Lee (PT & acupuncture) & Dr. Ye (OT) with banner.

With Dr. Ye and the collar that sends out electrical pulses to the throat.

Dr. Ye & Big Grace, the Beike program manager.

Little Grace and Cherry, the Beike staff member in charge of the PT & OT (4th) Floor.

Dora, Beike program patient manager and Jillian.

Nadia, Helen, Paola and Ylenia. Nadia & Ylenia are from Brembate, Italy. Paola is from Sardinia, Italy and Helen is from Florida.

John and Will from Thomasville, Georgia.

Ylenia and Fabio (Nadia's son) from Brembate, Italy.

Enid and her husband, Benny from Johannesberg, South Africa.

With Frank, the Ataxia patient from Hong Kong. All stem cell patients from Hong Kong and China are put on the 4th Floor of Nanshan.

The home stretch

These last two days have been a whirlwind of activity. We didn't think that anyone would notice that we did not post yesterday but Ernesto did! Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of my father's passing. My mother held a Buddhist memorial service in Hong Kong which lasted from 9am to 4pm. I went to Hong Kong in order to participate in part of the activities but hurried back just in time for Richard's 4pm LP. The procedure lasted a little longer than usual because Richard misunderstood the doctor's instructions and straightened out his back too soon during the injection. Luckily there were no complications and he had a restful night's sleep, waking up headache free.

Before going to bed last night, Richard was treated to Paola's homemade pizza. Paola is from Sardinia, Italy. She is accompanying her brother, Antonio, who has ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's Disease) to Nanshan for treatment. I got her some Italian pasta, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce and olive bread while I was shopping for groceries at Portofino. She was overjoyed because she couldn't find any of these ingredients locally at Nanshan. Thus, she returned the favor by making Richard the delicious pizza.

Today I went with my sister and brother-in-law to visit my father and grandmother's grave sites. They were both buried in Shenzhen. Richard, on the other hand, was invited to tour a new hospital facility in Shenzhen that Beike is considering as a potential candidate. The Beike staff wanted Richard to provide them with feedback from the patient's point of view in terms of accessibility and desirability of the facilities inside this hospital. As a result, he missed the afternoon sessions of both PT and OT.

We find that time seems to zip by as we head towards the home stretch of our stay in Nanshan. We've decided to check out of the hospital early to spend time in Hong Kong for some R&R and to visit my mother. If all goes as planned, we'll be leaving Shenzhen late Saturday morning for Hong Kong. Tomorrow will be our next to last day at the hospital. We plan to put it to good use as we bid our fond farewells to the doctors, nurses, staff and patients who we've grown very close to and fond of during our time here.

P.S. We've posted a sample of Richard's handwriting after 3 weeks of treatment at Nanshan in the right hand column under "Before and After". Is there improvement? You'll be the judge.

The bells of Portofino

Not too long ago, Shenzhen was a small, backwater fishing village with a relatively sparse population. When Hong Kong was still a British Crown Colony, people in China use to come to Shenzhen for a chance to enter Hong Kong illegally by swimming across the narrow body of water that separated the two cities. Many were bitten and killed by sharks that infested this area or drowned by the rip tides.

Nowadays, this ex-Tijuana of the East has become one of the major centers of China's high tech industries, attracting overseas Chinese from America and Canada and expats of all nationalities who make their homes here. Most of these foreign newcomers live in Shekou (Snake's mouth) which is just 15 minutes from Nanshan. For the prodigal sons and daughters of China returning from America, Canada and Taiwan, there is the Disneysque OCT (Overseas Chinese Town) in Shekou. Inside OCT is a small oasis called Portofino. It is a prestigious, gated community of homes, shops, cafes and restaurants built to resemble Portofino, Italy. There is even a miniature lake in the middle of the complex. By the lake is the town square complete with its own bell tower whose ear-splitting bell strikes every hour on the hour. Quasimodo would feel quite at home here.

Last Sunday evening, Richard and I decided to "go on a date" at the Portofino. We arrived in the late afternoon and strolled around. We bought freshly baked croissants and French jam for breakfast and foccacia bread, Barilla pasta and tomato sauce for dinner the next day. The entire complex was fully handicap-accessible with ramps everywhere. This is the first time that we've seen ADA facilities in Shenzhen. However, some shops and restaurants still have steps and thresholds that are challenging for the mobility-impaired. We spent the rest of the evening dining al fresco at an excellent restaurant with a view of the lake. It is amazing what a nice evening out can do for the soul.

My sister, brother-in-law, Aunt Lucy, Uncle Robert and cousin Mei Ling all came to visit us today. We're very lucky to have relatives locally. My sister and brother-in-law are visiting from Toronto, Canada and we were overjoyed to see them since it has been some time that we've seen them last. We are eagerly waiting for Richard's last stem cell injection by LP tomorrow. Wish him luck!

Top Ten Reasons You Know It Is Time to Go Home

When You Look Like Your Passport Photo, It's Time To Go Home - Erma Bombeck

You consider discharging goods you bought a few weeks back because of concerns of excess luggage

The delivery boy from Papa John's Pizza is on a first name basis with you

You are bored of KFC and McDonald's

You act out all your PT and OT exercises in your dreams

The person on the restaurant takeout phone says, "Oh, it's you again."

The following quote makes sense: "Healing is 90% attitude, 90% medication"
[ I had to insert this bit of Yogi Berra-ism ]

You know your way around Lo Wu City shopping center

The street vendors recognize you and refuse to bargain with you

You are greeted in every language except English

It was extra busy at PT and OT today because the interns have just finished their training and the doctors are left to tend to all the patients by themselves. Godzilla (the construction machinery) is again screeching for her young.

We had an interesting encounter in OT. We met a Chinese ataxia patient who is being treated with stem cells on a different floor. He is from Hong Kong and has SCA6. He says that there are about 100 known ataxia patients in Hong Kong. As we find out more information, we'll post it.

We're on the home stretch now. I'm feeling energetic enough to use my walker within the hospital building. In the evening, as I walked on the floor I heard one of the Italian patients called, "Bravo Ricardo!!" Subtle signs of improvement have been noticed.

The Caregiver

Usually a family member or close relative or friend, the caregiver will assist you with the basic needs that might arise. This is especially true for companionship. Depending upon who this person is, he or she may also act as the patient's advocate. She has the additional objective of looking out for the patient's interests during and after the treatment.

A true luxury is when the same person remains for the entire stay, normally a month. Very often, the patient will be escorted to/from Shenzhen but will have to hire a local caregiver. The disruption in work and vacation time for the caregiver may be excessive.

There also is the act of being away from friends and other familiar surroundings for an extended period. Living out of a suitcase, determining where your next meal will come from are all hardships. The disruption of "living conditions" is traumatic; after all, since when is a hospital setting the first choice for lodging? Also, Shenzhen is a very dense urban environment. There is only a fraction of the population that is comfortable in those surroundings.

Now add the ever present "foreign tongue". There are only several Asian countries that would be considered fluent in the Mandarin dialect.

I have been very, very fortunate. My wife, Lily, has performed so many of the above tasks flawlessly and I've benefited from a top notch advocate. We visited with local relatives and expect to see more in the coming days. However, dislocation from friends and familiar surroundings have taken its toll. We are anxiously awaiting our return home.

Friday was my fourth of five stem cell injections. No headaches and all is progressing without any complications from this latest lumbar puncture. The rash mentioned in an earlier posting has subsided. The last stem cell injection is due Wednesday.

We've noticed a little bit more choking/gagging during meal times. I think we correlated this with eating in the hospital room. Since unlike home, I cannot wheel up to the table in my wheelchair, I either have to crane my neck (and risk a gag reflex) or risk some spillage by bringing my food over my lap to my mouth (without craning my neck). In restaurants, I don't seem to choke because I can wheel up to the table. I'll mention my findings in one of my next posts.