Gift card in hand, Paul and I made a trip to the local
Barnes and Noble bookstore. It had
been a long time since we had purchased books for pleasure reading; life had
just gotten the best of us (perhaps having three kids back to back every two
years might have something to do with it). But this gift card was a great excuse to jumpstart our
commitment to reading books again.
One of the books that we had been itching to read was one written by the
late Paul Kalanithi, a victim of Stage IV lung cancer who was diagnosed with
this terminal illness during his last year of neurosurgery residency. It was eerie to read about his long
journey of delayed gratification, only to find out as he was finally nearing
the end of it that he faced a terrible disease. He eventually passed away in March 2015, leaving behind his
physician wife and 8 month old baby.
Although When Breath Becomes Air
never made it to completion by the original author, his wife took it upon
herself to write the epilogue and ensure that the work was published. This book made me ponder life and its
importance, death and its inevitability, health and its fleeting nature.
You may notice that this last period of about 5 months has
produced no blog entries. The
silence was a result of not only the busyness of caring for a newborn baby, but
also due to health issues on many fronts.
The kids and I kept getting hit with rounds of viral illnesses at least
6 times in the span of 5 months, which continued to recycle itself over and
over again. I also had 3 bouts of
tonsillitis-turned-peritonsillar-cellultitis-versus-abscess in the month of
February (not fun). Baby Essie
also was sick 3 times in her 3 short months of life (perhaps this is inevitable
when snotty toddlers caress a cute baby’s chubby cheeks). And just to top it all off, Paul
managed to get a spontaneous retinal detachment (mac-on) requiring a major
vitreoretinal surgery in December.
That was frightening. It is
no exaggeration when I say that our combined household had more than three
dozen doctor’s visits over the course of 4 months. A few lessons were undoubtedly learned – don’t take health
for granted, eat healthily, take care your body, and handle life with prayer.
On to some updates.
Since the last blog entry left off in September (when we were still in
Zambia), we had a few visitors that came through to observe and help at Lusaka
Eye Hospital.
1. Anna
Ford. First was Anna, who is a
student missionary at Riverside Farms, who came through from 22 Sept – 6 Oct
2016 to learn more about eyes.
She’s a nurse and wanted to learn about cataracts and indications for
referral, as well as basic ophthalmic skills, diagnoses, and treatments that
she could offer for her patients that sought out services at the Riverside
Farms health clinic.
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| JoyJoy, Pamela, Jaycee, Janie, Sophia, Zachariah, Anna, Paul, Gary, Ana |
|
2. Sophia
Fang. I’ve actually adopted Sophia
as my little sister. From 25 Sept
– 7 Oct 2016, Sophia was a ray of sunshine in our home during her
rotation. A second year UC Davis
ophthalmology resident and an individual with a passion for international work,
Sophia observed, helped, and immersed herself at Lusaka Eye Hospital for a
period of 2 weeks. When not at
work, she was busy playing with Jaycee and Zach or in our kitchen, cooking up a
storm, making gourmet meals and even homemade ice cream for our family. What a delight it was to have her
rotate with us. We miss you,
Sophia!
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| Hanging out at Lilayi Lodge |
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| Girl shot |
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| Family shot |
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| Celebrating JoyJoy's birthday |
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| Playing in our pool |
3. Gary
Yip. It seems that when volunteers
come, they come in groups. Gary’s
senior LLU international ophthalmology elective overlapped with that of
Sophia’s for a few days, as he rotated with us from 3 – 20 Oct 2016.
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| With Gary in the OT. pc: Michelle Chiu |
He was great to have around, and we saw some interesting
cases. One such case was that of a 40-year-old female who had undergone
pterygium excision at another facility.
One of our surgeons excised the recurrent pterygium, but then
encountered problems with corneoscleral thinning/dellen formation at the
excision site. That area
eventually perforated (with iris prolapse) a few days before we were able to
perform this patch graft with glycerol-preserved corneal tissue. One of our volunteers commented that
this looked like a “double eye,” but at least this sealed the hole!
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| Perforated corneo-scleral thinning s/p recurrent pterygium excision |
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| POD #0: 6 mm patch graft with glycerol-preserved tissue |
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| POD #9 s/p glycerol patch graft |
It
was an added bonus that Gary's wife, Michelle Chiu, also made the time to come
to Zambia. She is a professional
photographer and volunteered her time and services to taking a photo shoot of
our family (I guess it’s technically a maternity photo session). Thank you for your amazing photos! And for the cute video you
made as your videography debut!
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| My first and only maternity photo shoot, thanks to Michelle Chiu |
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| Best friends |
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| Transforming our Eye Hospital grounds into a scenic backdrop |
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| Our little monkeys |
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| The family |
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| Hanging out with Gary & Michelle -- mmm, ice cream! |
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| Getting ready to say farewell to Gary & Michelle |
4. Kasanka. The last trip that we took before heading back to the U.S.
was one to Kasanka National Park, located north of Lusaka in the Serenje
district of Central Province. The
Busl family, Knowles family, Pamela, Ana Aguilera, Anna Ford, Nicole, and
JoyJoy joined our family for this trip, from 21 – 24 Oct 2016, as we caravanned
together on the long 8+ hour journey to our camp site.
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| Typical roadside scenery - the market stands lining the main highway |
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| This is how to take a road trip |
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| Finally here! Oh wait...we still have another 12 kilometres on bumpy dirt roads! |
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| An early morning boat ride with uncles Alan and Jabel |
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| Yoo & Busl kids |
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| Two peas in a pod |
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| Group Shot |
Here
we were able to witness a tremendous bat migration – known as the largest
mammal migration in the world.
Every year, between October and December, millions and millions of fruit
bats migrate to the Bat Forest within Kasanka National Park to feed on ripening
fruits.
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| Hauling the kids up 50 feet high in a chitenge - do NOT try this at home! |
It
was eerily silent, the calm before the storm, as we waited in a 50 foot high
treetop hide, waiting for any signs of movement below. Then, as the clock struck 6:05, as if
the bats had an internal alarm clock within, the swarms and swirls of bats
began to billow out of the bat forest, flying out to find their meal amongst
the sweet fruit trees.
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| From another viewing area down below in the Bat Forest |
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| Zach, trying to take a better look |
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| Bats |
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| More bats |
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| Even more bats! |
What
an amazing experience! And good
company! We even made it all the
way north to a town called Samfya, then on to a white sand beach at Lake
Bangweulu for an afternoon of swimming.
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| Alan & Michelle on the lookout for crocs |
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| Jaycee & Makenna, friends for life |
It
was truly an awesome trip – happy birthday to me. =)
5. Annual Leave. On 29 Oct 2016, our whole family took the long flight back
to the U.S. in preparation for the birth of our new baby.
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| Very long flight back - trying to sleep on the plane |
During
that time, we purchased a minivan, enjoyed time with family, and met up with friends. Playdates with other children were the
most fun activity.
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| Excited to see cousin Oliver again |
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| At Grandma's choir concert |
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| Haven't seen Gloria in ages! |
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| Second generation friendships blossoming |
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| It's always good to see some of our favorite people - the Lee family |
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| Thanks, Aunty Eunice, for the awesome gifts! |
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| Post-New Year's dinner with the Im family |
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| The Playground Gang sans newborns |
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| Special people (doctors) from CA doing a special work in Zambia - Bud, Yenjean & Ivan |
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| Patrick, slipping out of his LLU Board meeting to meet Essie |
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| Eden, Brinja, & Tealyn, thanks for stopping by! |
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| Tealyn & Essie - born 10 days apart |
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| My sailor/captain extraordinaire friend from childhood - Heather |
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| Hanging out with Kim, Robin, Blake & Perry |
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Going to church with Grandma
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| Photo op with Pastor Jenny |
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| Meeting Uncle Peter |
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|
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| Meeting the Daluyens at church! |
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| Aunty Helen! |
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| Reunion with Nicole & Emil - we finally made it happen! |
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| Great seeing ya, Nicole! |
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| Wonderful rendezvous with the Minors, who were visiting Loma Linda |
We
explored local attractions like High Five Indoor Playground, Jump ‘n Jammin,
local playgrounds, libraries, bookstores, the San Bernardino County Museum, Oak
Glen, and even the tidepools at Crystal Cove State Park.
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| High Five Indoor Playground |
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| Swimming in a pool of balls - every child's dream |
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| Third time's a charm - one push! |
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| Cute footprints |
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| Happy she's out! |
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| Papa holding Essie for the first time |
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| The burrito wrap |
This
godly physician exemplifies excellence and a true caring spirit; he also
managed to deliver all three of our kids.
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| With their delivery doctor - Dr. Balli! |
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| A+ Ob/gyn! |
Essie
was 6 lbs 10 oz and 19.75 inches at birth, and, most importantly, she is
healthy and sweet.
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| Essie's eye exam |
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| Enjoying the day-old baby |
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Happy grandparents
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| Big sister, so in love with the baby |
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| So cute |
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| Aunty Helen! |
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| Thanks for bringing Thanksgiving to us, Helen, Tae, & Taylin! |
|
Our
homecoming from the hospital was on Thanksgiving Day, and we realized there was
so much to be thankful for.
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| Getting ready to leave the hospital |
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| Jaycee at home, eager to hold Essie again |
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| Excited to have a new sister! |
In just 3 short months, you have grown so much,
Essie! You'll soon be walking and talking in the blink of an eye!
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| Week 1 |
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| Week 1 |
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| Week 2 |
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| 1 month |
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| 2 months |
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| 3 months |
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3 months
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| Essie 3 months; Zachariah 2 years; Jaycee 4 years (pc: Michelle Chiu) |
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7. Mom & Hubby birthdays. Every year on 27 November, my mom and
husband share a special day together – their birthday. Although we were just getting over the
crazyness of having a newborn baby join our lives, we had a small celebration
to commemorate the birth of these two special individuals. Love you both!
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| Kids love candles |
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| Mom & Hubby cutting the cake |
8.
Hawaii and the Medical Emergency. About 10 days after Essie was born,
Paul took a trip to Hawaii with Jaycee and Zachariah so that I could have some
dedicated time recovering with the newborn baby. They were able to reunite with Paul’s mom and aunt in
Honolulu, spend time at the beach, meet up with friends, and relax in the
Hawaiian sunshine.
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| With Chloe & Christian |
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| With Tayven & Veronica |
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| Looking forward to many frequent beach days |
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| Always a smile for shaved ice! |
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| Carefree! |
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| Enjoying home cooked meals - Zach |
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| Hanging out with Papa |
They
especially loved feeding the birds and seeing the fish at Sea Life Park.
They
all flew out to the Big Island to visit Paul’s brother, Jin, when the medical
emergency happened. A superonasal
shadow in the right eye. It seemed
so benign at first, just a little nuisance. Maybe a few floaters, but no flashing lights. But then the next day the shadow grew
darker and more noticeable. My
heart sank, as I knew from the description of symptoms that a retinal
detachment was high on the differential.
A few phone calls later, I was able to schedule Paul to see a medical
retina specialist who flies to the Big Island each Thursday from Honolulu;
fortunately it was a Thursday morning.
After confirmation that a retinal detachment was indeed the diagnosis,
Paul immediately got a red-eye flight back to California that night, and he was
operated on the following day.
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| Preop: in good spirits |
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| Rough postop recovery (s/p SB/PPV/EL/SF6 OD, prophylactic laser OS) |
We
are so thankful for Dr. Joseph Fan who performed Paul’s surgery. And we praise God that Paul’s sight has
been saved.
9. Christmas. This was the first real American
Christmas our kids have ever experienced, since this is the first time they
have ever been in the U.S. during the winter holiday season.
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| Making gingerbread cookies |
We traditionally would come back to the
U.S. yearly for the summer or fall season. But since Essie was born later in the year, our visit
finally coincided with a Christmas.
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Zachariah's first visit to the Mission Inn
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| Magical Cinderella Carriage ride |
|
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| Our two horses |
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| Mini Donuts |
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| Festival of Lights - Mission Inn |
Christmas Day...presents galore, Jaycee and Zachariah were
probably overwhelmed by the number of gifts they received. Most of the pleasure was derived from
tearing open the wrapping paper on all the presents.
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| Unwrapping frenzy |
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| Family shot |
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| Cousins |
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| Zachariah, looking dapper at church |
10.
Mountain High. Over the New Year weekend, we
ventured up to a local ski resort with my brother’s family to enroll Jaycee and
her cousin, Oliver, in a ski lesson.
Oliver, being one year older and having a more competent instructor,
seemed to enjoy his lesson more than Jaycee. Apparently, learning “pizza,” having little control on the
slippery snow, and falling down without being able to get up exhausted this
little princess, who, when asked if she wanted to go skiing again, tersely
replied, “Maybe when I’m six.”
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| Zach, watching from the sidelines |
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| Jaycee's first ski lesson |
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| Oliver & Jaycee, waiting for the teacher |
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| Excited to learn |
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| Pizza! |
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| Even Essie got a day in the snow |
11.
School. The next day was Jaycee’s and Zachariah’s first day of
school at the Azure Hills Children’s Center, who had agreed to take in our two
kids for the short two-month period while we were still in town.
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| 3 Jan 2017: First day of school |
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| Hanging out with Cousin Lyla during recess |
This
experience was a positive one for both little ones, as they enjoyed the
teachers, the schedule, and the new friends. They even got to participate in the school picture day,
where we were suckered into buying their cute, Old Hollywood themed
portraits.
We
brought in cupcakes on their last day of school to celebrate their departure,
and a good time was had by all.
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| Zachariah's "Ladybugs" Class (for 2-year-olds) |
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| Ricky, did you enjoy your cupcake? =) |
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| Jaycee's "Dragonflies" Class (for 4-year-olds) |
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12. Hawaiian
Eye Meeting (14 – 21 Jan 2017). In
January, I experienced my first flight alone with an infant as I headed to
Kauai for the Hawaiian Eye Meeting.
“Oh, are you alone?” the security officer or flight attendant would ask
me, looking surprised. “No, I’m
with her,” I would state as I pointed to my newborn.
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| Thankful for that empty seat on the plane |
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| Baggage claim |
Fortunately, my mother-in-law and aunt flew in from Honolulu
to babysit, so they were able to assist with the rest of my trip. I had a
little time to do some scouting for housing and schools for our future move to
Kauai.
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| Taking a stroll on the grounds of the Kiahuna Plantation |
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| Church at Lawai Valley with Pastor Douglas Na'a |
Being my first time at the Hawaiian Eye Meeting, I was so
impressed by the quality lectures with reputable ophthalmologists, the small
meeting feel, and the great weather. It was also great to catch up with ophthalmology
colleagues and friends, many of whom I had not seen in years (Drs. Narvaez,
Pereira, Tamesis, Teasley, Bowes, Rauser; Amy & David Kim, Loren &
Karen Seery, Pete Lombard, Priscilla Luke, Matt Brucks; Dr. Crane; Drs. Corboy
& Rutgard). I felt giddily starstruck when I had the honor of meeting
Dr. George Bartley, now CEO of the American Board of Ophthalmology (and former
Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Ophthalmology).
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| A row of cornea specialists - Dr. Narvaez, Seery, Pereira, Yoo |
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| Dinner with the Amy & David Kim & family! |
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| Lunch at the Club, at Kukui'ula |
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| With Dr. Tim Crane and Dr. George Bartley |
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| Enjoyed a delicious lunch with wonderful company! |
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| Lunch with the Rutgards, Dr. Corboy, and Darrah |
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| Having Amy & David's family over at our place this time |
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| Loren & Karen, so great to see your family! |
13. Hair. Every two years or so, I lop off my
hair. In the past, the hair had
gone religiously to Locks of Love.
However, this year, I felt compelled to donate to the Pantene Beautiful
Lengths program, and I have high hopes that this donation will actually make it
into the wig of a cancer patient.
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| Chopping it off for a good cause |
14. ACTivate. From 1 – 3 Feb 2017, Paul took a trip
to Kansas City for a dental seminar.
I was impressed when he reported, “Of all the dental continuing
education courses I’ve been to, this is the best one I’ve ever attended.” ACTivate is a “two-day dental seminar built to inspire teams and build key leadership skills needed to run a
thriving dental practice.” Business
tips, training in leadership/team-building, and simple life lessons were
imparted. Paul has promised to
take me next time he attends another one of these seminars!
15. Birthdays. In
preparation for upcoming birthdays, we had a small celebration for my brother
and sister-in-law. Happy birthday,
Linda & James!
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| Linda & James, Happy Birthday! |
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| Lookin' good for almost 40! =) |
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| Oliver & Jaycee love playing with Uncle James! |
16. Oral boards. On 19
Feb 2017, I had the privilege in participating as one of the examiners for the mock
oral boards at Loma Linda University Eye Institute. It was interesting to see this exam from the examiner’s
perspective, much different from what I had experienced during my frightening
real Oral Boards exam in San Francisco back in 2012. I was happy to see many community ophthalmologists who came
out to assist as examiners for this exam, some of whom attended residency with
me.
17. TruTV.
I’m not exactly sure how, but the video
I posted in the last blog about the elephants chasing us somehow got the
attention of a company called Jukin Media, a TV production company and viral
video marketing company. They reached out to me asking if I would want to
sign an agreement with them to license my video to various TV shows, sharing in
the revenue. I said, “Why not?” It’s interesting to think that
viral videos are often made viral by a marketing company who promotes them.
My video (click here for video) is
not yet viral (only about 320 views as of today), but it did air on TruTV last
month (24 Feb 2017)! Of course, I do not have cable TV, so I was unable
to see the show. If anyone manages to find the episode that features my
video, let me know!
18. 95
days. As you may know, Korean
tradition has it that the first 100 days of life should be commemorated by a
Baek-il, or 100 day celebration.
The fact that a newborn baby survived its first treacherous 100 days of
life without facing death was a huge deal back in the days of poverty-stricken
third-world Korea. As we were due
to be en route back to Zambia on Essie’s 100th day of life, we held
a modified 95 Days party. Thanks
to my mom who coordinated the entire effort, as I was down and out with my tonsillitis.
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| Almost too beautiful to eat! |
19. Zambia. On 1 March 2017, we made the long trek
back to Zambia, this time with my mother-in-law.
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| Essie did not like sleeping in her bassinet |
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| These kids always konk out on flights |
When I stepped onto Zambian soil and breathed in the fresh
air, I thought, “It’s good to be home.”
Unfortunately, our time at “home” is quickly coming to a close, as we’ve
decided that we will be moving back to a new home in the U.S. on 30 May
2017. These last few months will
be a time during which we can relish the community that we have grown to love
and enjoy, pack up our belongings, and say our final good-byes.
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| Kids will miss things like "riding the 'glory train'" at Central Church |
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| Essie gets to experience a few months in Zambia |
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| Essie, getting to know Aunty Annie & Satipha |
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| Baking banana bread and strawberry muffins - yum! |
As our time in Zambia comes to a close, we will also be
closing the chapter on this particular blog, Yoos and Eyes in Zambia.
This will probably be our penultimate entry. But if time permits, we just
might start another blog when we get to Kauai. So stay tuned.
