Greetings from Seattle, Washington, USA...........

My Dear Friends and Family:
I hope this letter finds that you are all in great
happiness, health and spirits for this Holiday Season. The year 2011 has rolled by so fast for me
with so many events, issues and situations that I am truly grateful to be able
to write this letter to you right now.
I had skipped my yearly report for 2010 for I was in Zambia
for Peace Corps volunteer service, and I did not have the luxury of power,
internet, etc…..and all other excuses….although I kept my blog up to date as
much as possible.
Year 2011, my volunteer work was moving quite fine in my
village – Yasakwa, Luapula Province, Zambia, mainly on fish pond farming,
vegetable gardens and raising poultries for fish food and food security, plus
helping a village – Lukali for a community school, connecting villagers to Bee
Keeping, helping villagers on Children’s Nutrition and the awareness of
HIV/AIDS’s care and prevention.
Unfortunately on July 18th, I was involved in a
bush taxi accident on my way back from the Children’s Nutrition workshop in
Northern Province and extended two day trip visited Lake Tanganyika. It was a trip of over 1,000 Km but the
accident happened only 45 Km before I made it back to my post home.
It was an 8 seater
vehicle but there were more than 10 people in it and three were found dead at
the scene. I had blood vein cut off by
the edge of the windshield after the car turned side up and window blown out
when my left leg went out to scrape the pavement. I lost a large amount of blood, left calf
skin and a little of muscle, but I did not have any bone or tendons
damaged.
I am truly thankful that Peace Corps dispatched an aircraft
at once with Dr. Harry in it, to pick me up from Mansa, Luapula, Zambia, flew
me to Pretoria, South Africa. There I
had intensive skin grafts, and four weeks later flew me back to Seattle on
August 20th for further recovery and reconstruction surgery. All my friends and former clients are all
supportive and have treated me as a returned Princess, assisting me with
everything and helping me to deal with my temporary handicapped situation.
All my Zambian
contacts and friends are still keeping me in contact with the continuance of my
projects there. It tested out that the
Peace Corps’ way of teaching us was correct, and that when the Peace Corps
volunteer left the village the villagers are able to stand up with what skill
and knowledge have been passed on to them. I am proud of being one of the Peace
Corp volunteers that have made this progress.
Thanks to Bob that he opened his home to me and managed for
me to have gained fourteen pounds weight in the first four weeks, which pleased
all the doctors and nurses here, only tough out on my rapidly changing sizes in
clothing. I was out of my post home with
only 5 days clothes in my backpack to come back to Seattle.
Now all wounds are
sealed up and I still have the prescription to do physiotherapy and all
exercises that I would like to do. On
November 10th my last visit to the reconstruction surgeon, he was
happy to see my recovery but had to wait for another couple months to have my
wound progressed strong enough to consider for reconstructive surgery; he will
see me again on January 19th and he released the restriction of traveling
aboard. I did not waste any time to have
booked the first available ticket to Taiwan and Indonesia from November 26th
to December 21st. I was just
got back to Bob’s home last night.
I have had a wonderful time in both Taiwan and Indonesia.
All my friends and relatives are doing very well and they treated me as a lost
baby with all the goodies they can find and think to make up for my losses from
the accident, and my year in Zambia with no conveniences most of time on power
and running water.
A friend said, “Friends are like candles, you need them when
in the dark.” This has been my brightest year!!! I know it and I sincerely appreciate how
fortunate I am to have all my candles lighting up for me from all around the
world!!! I wish you all have been as
lucky as I am and wish that we will continue counting our blessings together
year after year. Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year to you all.
Love, Cheng 12/23/2011

Third visit to Dr. Freidrich..........

Dear friends and family: How are you? Hope you are all in
the good spirit and great health.

Just to update you with my condition changes…….October 27th when I visited Dr. Friedrich, I had rashes all over my left calf that I thought were from the cream the wound nurse used to massage my wounded leg on September 22nd.

On Oct. 27th Dr. Friedrich advised me to see a dermatologist ASAP, and then come back to see him a week after I have seen the dermatologist. He even sent out email, made phone calls for me from the office while I was there. That enabled me to have the appointment on
November 2nd with Dermatologists – Dr. Colvin (the specialist) and Dr. Chen (the resident at
Harborview) and they both thought that my rashes were common for around skin grafted area and not from anything I had used; what they call it “eczema craquele”. So I have continued using the steroid cream a few days more and the rashes were all sealed up. It was so embarrassing to go anywhere with the wounds and/or rashes leaking……

Today, November 10th, I have just come back home from Dr. Friedrich’s visit and he was happy that the rashes on my left leg had all sealed up, but the marks are still red all over, most of them turned brown. It is ugly and even darker brown than the skin grafted area that had healed up.
The edges of the grafted area are still rough and tough; therefore, Dr. Friedrich decided that I should see him again in two months … on January 19th...… at which time he might be able to schedule me for the reconstruction surgery.

I was prescribed again for Physical Therapy since I still had not granted with any ppointments originally prescribed by Dr. Friedrich two weeks ago. This time they gave me a few telephone numbers for me to call by myself or go find them personally. I will do whatever
makes me sooner be strong enough for the surgery to be done.

I told Dr. Friedrich that this week I had started going to gym with Bob and it was tough on my left knee and ankle. He said that I need to get over it only by using all those areas regularly….so I asked again if I shall be trying hiking when my left foot can slide into the hiking boot?…….and scuba diving??…..he said, “Why not!” He even took off the restriction of traveling aboard…… Wonderful!!! There are more things to do for me to look forward to exercise enough and do them all…..and ASAP………come join me for all these exciting activities???

So I will be in Seattle for another while yet……this past week the snow already has fallen in the mountains over 1,000 meter elevation …..I wonder if my left leg could be strong enough to try skiing before my return to Zambia???? Well, time will tell.

Wish you all have a wonderful day and the great weekend to come. Cheng 11/10/2011

Second visit at Harborview Burn Center

Yesterday I saw the reconstruction surgeon Dr. Friedrich the second time and I told him and shown him my rashes on good skin of left calf area from his wound nurse massaged my wounded leg with a new cream last time and it coasted the rash for the last four weeks…..it was so awful that I have not slept well all those time under the wound nurse Rhonda’s care in Federal Way UW clinic………

Dr. Friedrich wanted to send me to a dermatology doctor but I can’t have an appointment for
another 2-3 weeks or months, don’t know why, making an appointment to see a doctor here has to be this painful………..hope by the time I have an appointment my rashes will be all gone……

September’s visit to Dr. Friedrich, he looked at the size of my wound and said that he can only do the reconstruction surgery for me a year after skin grafted, for they need the grafted skin well massaged and be as soft as surrounding good skin so the reconstruction work could take place…..this time he was happy with grafted skin and surrounding area had greatly improved but he can only hope that I will be in good enough condition to receive the reconstruction surgery in another 3-4 months instead of a whole year from the skin graft surgery done in South Africa.

At the main time I should see the Dermatologist and have my rashes all cleared than have Dr. Friedrich reassessed again on my wound condition and the possiblity of schedule for
reconstruction surgery in early 2012.

I tried so hard not to be depressed for the last four weeks, not until Dr. Friedrich reduced the length of waiting for the reconstruction surgery from a year to six months after skin grafted in South Africa that kind of brighten me up a little……..now have to wait for an appointment for the dermatologist………..well, things just getting pilled up as always, isn’t it?……

This time they arranged me to see the physiotherapist too, for the first time to have my left toes and angle strengthen up, hope with this exercise I can bend my foot into my hiking shoes to try a real hiking for the first time.........but weather here gets gray and cold and rainy often times now.....hope by the time when I can fit into my hiking shoes, there will be good weather and good friends to accompany me for my first hike in the woods......

Hope you all are in great health and in wonderful spirits........I miss you all........Cheng 10/28/2011

I saw Dr. Freidrich at Harborview Burn Center today.

For the uncertain ty of the ongoing treatment on my left leg, it had been driven me nuts for 5 weeks.......

This morning I finally saw Dr. Freidrich and his assistant Dr. Jordan and wound nurse Kathy, after 99% of my wounds healed up and two months after the accident........They were all praising on how wonderful it is that my skin graft was done by Dr. Neumann in South Africa and the speedy healing that the wound nurse Rhonda in Federal Way had done and myself to keep up with the wound care.

They were all in agreement that I do not need further surgeries right now, even for the worst spots on the outside of my left heel. But they want to see me in a month to make sure that my condition of continue healing will be at the same speed as it has been up till now. If so, I should be able to do all activities as I wish and to wear any shoes or boots as I need to.

This is my prescription: "Continue your own wound care, there's no need to see a wound nurse from here and on. Go home and try to get into your best fitted shoes and walk in it, half an hour a day and increase the time of wearing it every day as the new skin on heel gets stronger. Those small wounds on the heel will be healed up and out of concern in a couple of weeks. No need to see any therapiest. Just keep on walking till we see you again next month."

So from here and on, I will have to nurse the wounds myself and to walk my injuried heel and leg out right STRONG!!! They also want to see me a year after, to see if the skin grafts need to be adjusted by trimming it tighter in any way to make it more action effective, etc.....

Sorry for it sounded so negative, but it was the fact. Cheng 9/22/2011

The moon festival dinner.......

Last three weeks I have not seen much of my friends except once a week or so, visiting wound nurse Ms. Rhonda Clayville and her assistant Shannon. Rhonda works with Dr. Gerber.

Rhonda is wonderful not only her skill on caring my wound, she shown and taught me how to wash my wound with water and soap and insisted that I take shower from that day and on, plus walk if possible not with crutches. She led my hand to to wash, apply medicine over it all than massage it, after wound dried I dressed it up and cover it with compression tube mostly by myself......

It was not pretty on my hand, in my head and my heart at all that first day, but I walked out of her office, with the feeling of "I DID IT and I CAN DO IT." Valentin and Didi took me to Rhonda's office that day, they treated me out for lunch before took me back to Bob's home.....only about an hour quiet by myself at home, my inside was bobbling up for no reason....times after nausea and vomitting repeated, I call the nurse's office and ask to see her again. Rhonda took me right in, once Bob got home from work........

Rhonda told me that there was nothing wrong of what I ate, it was only what I saw and touched earlier the day that I thought I have already knew and seen my wound from day one of accident and on......she continue to preach me to accept my wound in my head and my heart wholly and in peace.......she assured me that I was doing great from lots of others who would had passed out when they first seen or touched their wound in real.......whao.......so I am good, still.......

Believe or not, by Rhonda's talk, her assitant Shannon did her part on praise me on my strong spirit of taking care of myself and following Rhond's instruction closely. Therefore, in these three weeks I have gained 7 pounds, walk without crutches and faster everyday......I need to prepare more energy for the seeing Dr. Freidrich in week and a half.......

Last night was the first time I went out to see friends at Valentin and Didi's home for the Chinese Moon Festival - dishes everyone brought, moon cakes, fruits......old friends and new friends........interesting conversations........I was just realized how much I have missed all these good times for the Seattle weekends......the out door activities to jointing with all these guests.....to the mountains and the waters those are so close by from all around the city of Seattle.........

I've better enjoy all when my left leg is ready to joint them, before my village days to come again soon .........Cheng 9/12/2011

Three weeks back to Seattle.....

The last day (August 18th, there was a rainbow on the sky) I saw my South African Doctors - Dr. Neumann (most gental, possitive and sweetest famel skin graft doctor) Peace Corps Doctor - Dr. Erfan, who took me to most office visits, the wound nurse Ms. Rene and the therapiest Ms. Shannon, I just remembered to take a picture of theirs before I left their offices......at one point, Dr. Erfan took one for me too....

August 20th when I arrived at Sea-Tac Airport, John carried my backpack, Lucy chacing all to take pictures and their daughters carried my crutches and foot brace and medical supplies, while I was on the wheel chair and Bob was taking his car from the garage to take me to his home.....

Now three weeks in Seattle, I can still remember all that urging and inpatient for not able to have an appointment to see any reconstruction plastic surgeon earlier than October 26th at Virginia Mason Hospital in the fisrt week; end of the second week Dr. Freidrich of Harborview Burn Center finally granted me an appointment on September 22nd; I was excited and wanting to contact with Peace Corps officers for the insurance paper works prior to the date, but it followed by the Labor Day long weekend, than I couldn't contact with any officers in Washington DC for the whole week......Well, I will try my best to have all inusrnace paper work prepared for my seeing Dr. Freidrich.......

Well, in the distruction with all I was in, not once I have thought of to close this blog of mine for the unkown date of surgery(s) and therapies would take to see when would be the date of my return to Africa.......I will hold another week and a half to see how to continue this blog, or not.......Thinking possative and patience! Right? These, I had and needed to remind myself from time to time lately........

Well, hope you all having great time for the late coming of summer hot weather here or some told me Spring is coming to South Africa already.......You all enjoy the weather no matter here or there....until later....Cheng 9/12/2011

I am back in Seattle on August 21, 2011.

My condition is getting better - energy level is higher, body is more flexible everyday, but there are two spots of skin grafts did not heal as all the rest, right at the both sides of left heel......

Dr. Neumann - the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, and Peace Corps Doctors - Dr. Jaco and Dr. Erfan thought that I should have further care for the wound and if I will take the surgeries in South Africa, it will make my medical leave over 45 days that I will be transported back to Seattle during my recovery time from the surgery so they suggested that I come back to Seattle for the further surgeries and I agreed, for the experiences of to move around right after those surgeries I already had.....it was next to impossible right in the same hospital, not talking about 30+ hours of flight time back home here......

It was the record high temprorature of 89 degree Fahrenheit (29+/- Celsius) in Seattle this year, when I arrived in the Sea-Tac Airport. When elevator door opened, Bob and the Oman's whole family were waited there.........they brought me flowers, cherries, peaches......and urge me to go back with Bob to have rest and all will visit me when I am rested......what friends are for!!! Lucky me.....

The hot weather was only for two days, Monday and on it has being the usual Seattle days - gray and rained.....sorry, it is sun shinning out now.....hope it stays....I already miss the African Sun, even the last week it was whole week between 5 to 18 Celsius (uper 30s to lower 60s Fahrenheit) and one 24 hours thander and hail strom..........

I have seen general surgeon Dr. Gerber 7am Monday and she made referrals for me to see the specialists.....more than a day now I can't make any appointment with any plastic/reconstructive surgeons........I am still trying hard with Dr. Gerber's help.......and will keep you all posted on my achivements here.......

One thing to tell before I posted this note, that is my Counterpart, Ba Martin Kasompe, has been carrying on the schedule and projects with Luapula fishery officials and PLARD, Dr. Abila to have my farmers trained for the fishery activities for my villages.........I am so proud of him and all my farmers.......

That is what Peace Corps is working for......we leave the skills and connections to the villagers and hope all is substainable......and my Yasakwa farmers proved that skills and connections to the resources to give to the farmers who really want to work for themselves are way better than money and materials that they have had received over last 60 years........

For these, I am proud of myself being one of the volunteers for Peace Corps too and I am looking forward to go back to Yasakwa to enjoy the progresses with my farmers ASAP. 8/23/2011 Cheng

The Rose Guest House.......

Where all the PCVs in the continent of Africa who has medical issues are all staying in here.....so I have been depended on all of them to bring me stuffs or buy me food.....

First two pictures were from the step down house where I learned to get up and down the bed, use bathroom, etc....first time I was allowed to use a computer for internet connection......than I moved to Rose Guest House........My room has two large window to see the yard....now it is winter here but still green outside......

Here I met Tom from SA village and he did most of my food shopping for the first week and he is well enough to go back to his village. I won't bore you for all the stories that we are all here fir and at the same breakfast table........just that we had the luck to met the highest age PCV Jim, he is 84 and was here to adjust his hearing aide........so I am not the oldest for the first time in any group...... 8/14/2011 Cheng

If you don't want to see injoury pix, PLEASE scroll down fast.

The first picture with clothing on was taken at Mansa General Hospital, at the time Peace Crops Doctor from Lusaka, Zambia was at my side already. Dr. Harry with Mansa general hospital doctors, they did the quick cleaning and stopped bleeding than flew me straight down to Pretoria, South Africa.

I was straight transfered by ambulance to Unitas Hospital's "Theater" - the operating room and CT scaned, X-rays than the second cleaning to cut off bad tissues......I rested that way for one day than they did the skin grafts from upper thighs to cover the wounded areas.......None of any bones got damaged, only loss lots of skin and masucle, the slow growing soft tissues......

I am truly thankful that I can walk out of the accident by my own and Peace Corps scooped me up with in 3 hours after it happened, within 6 hours flight straight down for the world's first class medical care at Unitas Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa.

The rest of pictures were taken after skin grafted and I was braced up for two+ weeks till last Friday and told to take if off the brace in the day and exercise all joints.......Hope I will be able to bike and use pit toilet soon so I can go back to my villages ASAP.......

Please do not worry about me for all doctors and people around are so nice and helpful to me......currently I am in the Rose Guest House in Brooklyn, in Pretoria and be here till I can run again.....8/14/2011 Cheng

July 17th parted with Barbara and Mary Ellen

July 17th three of us took the same bus from the Lake back to Kasama. Barbara was the first off the bus at Kasama, another two hours Mary Ellen got off at Mpika, I got off another 3 hours after at Mkunda to wait for Jorden Bus to take me to Mansa which is about 350 KM northwest away yet.

The bus was more than an hour no show, and there came a Airtel vihecle that the driver came down to collect passsengers, when I got to the car, the 7 sitters had pilled more than 10 people and I offered myself to sit between passenger and driver on their arm rests.......2-3 hours gone by, I was start to check his gas and thinking 40 KM will be at my home, I will be there by before 5am, and another 20 KM he will have gas station to tank up at Mansa........than accident happened.....8/14/2011 Cheng

Lake Tangwenyika in Northern Province

We had long decided that Mary Ellen Reviera and Barbara Smith are to spent some time togather after the Children's Nutrition workshop, but we did not do that at the part one, so we get this idea to spend couple days all three of us togather to visit Lake Tanganyika 200 Km north from Kasama......se we did.......it was all beautiful and wonderful visiting the resorts and beaches all by three of us with the boat crew of 5.....I need to show this one sail boat's sail to those boat people at Lake Bangweulu that they can make the sail by the bag materials too.......8/14/2011 Cheng

Instead of going back to Yasakwa than come down to Kasama...

I was medically released on the Saturday before I have to go to Kasama for Children's Nutrition part 2 workshop, while I met Mary Ellen in Lusaka and she has the Peace corps vehicle to bring her back to site from her trianing of trianers for the last 2 weeks.....so I took the advantage and travel up with her on Sunday to Kasama and helping her to prepare her workshop on Wednesday and Thursday........there were great deal of info and hands on demo within groups and we have all the discussions and suggestions to one another how to prepare food for young children and how to have them react as a young children need to be.......8/14/2011 Cheng

Back at work in my villages - Katangwe.....

Ba Lloyd was so nice as usual to give my villagers garden workshop...and the villagers were so great to make us lunch.....but something not agree with me that only me got food poisoned....Dr. Harry told me to come down to Lusaka to get better so I did and that trip gave me chance to see Ba Gilly one more time for she was to go back to England with her father........Ba Shebo was nice to atten all my complians about my tummy over 2-3 days..... 8/14/2011 Cheng

Chilube Island......hope I remembered the name right.

At 5:30 only Casey and I were up, he was fishing and I was waiting for the sun rise........after breakfast Ba David came scort Maxie and I to bike around the island and he was in the suite, than he stopped at one church that we went in in the middle of their service.........turn out to be that the priest was his father and the whole family was more than half of the congregation........from the picture I just realized that I had my bike hilmet on at all times........sorry.......I was not expected all this........Maxie was more prepared that she even have a Nshitange the wrop around skirt to wear for the service........8/14/2011 Cheng