Chris Hrabik’s SCI Blog

Day 36 - Farewell to China

The day has finally arrived: time to go home. I did not have any perceivable changes since I got my 5^th injection on Monday, but I have had a lot of energy. I done some shopping, went to restaurants, harassed nurses, doctors, and patients, and got my stuff all packed. Dad completed some last second gift shopping, completed the last English class, took a bunch of pictures, and got all his stuff packed.

We received a nice send off from many of the Beike staff, nurses, doctors, therapists, patients, and new found friends. Sid rode with us to the airport and helped get us through check-in and we got a warm goodbye from him. This place just would not have been the same without Sid.

I could rave for several paragraphs about this trip because we learned so much, not only about the history and culture of China, but about life. Instead, I will share what dad wrote as a farewell to the doctors, nurses, therapists, and stem cell staff of the 10^th floor:

We deeply appreciate the efforts of the nurses, doctors, and staff of the 10^th floor, 463^rd Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army.

You gave us more than medicine, you gave us hope, you gave us memories, and you gave us friendships. You are a beautiful people in a beautiful land, rich in history, and admired for your tradition.

It is our sincere wish that we remain friends through time, and that our governments will remain open and respectful of the people of each country so that we may forever hold hands across the ocean between us.
The Hrabiks

October 26, 2006

2 comments November 5th, 2006

Day 35 - The “Pai House”

It has been a few days since my last injection. I am feeling really good, but I haven’t any new movement to report. I am ready to get out of the hospital some before we spend umpteen hours on planes to get back home. So, while I do some gift shopping and make my rounds seeing fellow patients a few more times before our departure, I am turning over the blog to my dad so he can descibe his visit to Mr. Pai’s house:

A few days ago, when I was visiting Ms. Pai, we were looking at images of our house Linda had sent via the internet. We had a good number of people crowding around my computer in the hospitality room. Among those examining the images was Mr. Pai. Mr. Pai asked several questions about the kind of trees growing near our home. He asked me if I would be interested in coming to his house because he had some trees that he thought would interest me. How could I refuse? So, today Mr. Pai, Dr.