Beautiful Shore

My dad's ashes were strewn at the sea on Saturday (11th July 2009). It was indeed beautiful to see his ashes flow with the flowers above the sea.

In the sweet, by and by
we will meet on that beautiful shore...

Once again, I would like to thank everyone for your support & prayers. May God bless you and your family abundantly.

You may keep yourself updated on the Woo family happenings on my blog.

Take care. :)

The beginning of a new life in Heaven

My dad left earth and gone to heaven to be with God at 4am, 8th July 2009.

He was the first man that I fell in love with, my mentor, the one I turn to whenever I'm faced with a problem, the one that would always pamper me, the one that I could sit down with without saying a word to him for a few hours, the one that corrected my English when I speak/write, most of all, the person that I admire the most.

I love him and I know he's up in heaven watching over us.

Even during the tough times, he could still teach me some "life lessons" and he left some sweet memories.

He was very grateful that I took days off just to take care of him. He was initially afraid that my decision would jeopardize my career. However, after taking care of him for a few days, he told me to share my passion for family with others so that everyone knows that family should always come first.

He told my husband that he loves him. That three simple words touched me as I would never have thought that my dad would accept my husband as his own son.

He told us not to procrastinate when we do things and always think carefully before making any decision.

There are many more sweet memories that will be kept in my heart forever.

I love you daddy and I know you are now in a more comfortable place. May you be with God and watch us from up above.

I miss you.
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Dear family & friends,

On behalf of my late father, I would like to thank all of you for your concern. For supporting him and my family throughout his life especially through the tough journey.

I thank you for being here with us to mourn our loss. Your company has made all of us stronger.

We will take some time to adjust to this new life. Please continue to pray that we'll be blessed with abundant strength from God.

Now that daddy is with God, may you remember him as a man that is as cheerful & bright as a sunflower, a man who loves technology, a man who is famous for his "dracula" teeth when he smiles, a man who only cracks intelligent jokes, a man who would always put others first before him, a man who would always give more than a 100%, a man who never likes noise, a man who always took care of his family & friends, a man who would never give up and the "gentleman" hunter.

Please forgive him for not allowing any visitors during the past 6 months. He would like all of you to remember him as the healthy Vincent Woo.

May the best memories of my dad stay with you.

God Bless you and your family.

Love,
Yi Lei

Rest in Peace daddy.
I love you. *hugs*

Mircale of Jeanne Jugan

Article taken from:
http://www.littlesistersofthepoor.ie/component/content/article/123

Cure of Doctor Edward Erwin GATZ
of an Adenocarcinoma of the Oesophagus


Doctor Edward GATZ is a retired anaesthetist who lives in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States of America. He was born on 19th April 1937 in O’Neil, Nebraska.

At the age of 51 he began to feel dyspeptic (digestive) problems with a loss of weight and the appearance of growths on his hands. The diagnosis was interpreted as a paraneoplastic syndrome due to an occult cancer.

An endoscopy on 9th January 1989 revealed the presence of a cancerous lesion in the lower part of the oesophagus. Dr Gatz was hospitalised at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and had surgery on 18th January 1989 for a partial oesophago-gastrectomy. The biopsy showed a 3rd degree adenocarcinoma, and the examination specified that there was an aneuploid tumour. Doctor Gatz was advised to have chemotherapy but he refused. He also refused to have radiotherapy.

On the day that Dr Gatz’ cancer was diagnosed his wife spoke with a priest, Fr Richard D McGloin SJ to tell him about her husband’s illness and to seek some consolation. This priest encouraged Mrs Gatz to pray, and gave her the novena prayer to Blessed Jeanne Jugan, whom he knew through the Little Sisters of the Poor, since he had formerly been their chaplain at their Home in Milwaukee, and whom he held in veneration. Along with him, Mrs Gatz began to pray to Jeanne Jugan every day, even after the check-up on 8th March.

In fact, the first endoscopic examination took place on 8th March 1989. The biopsy showed the presence of chronic gastritis, but no signs of recurrence of the tumour.
All the doctors had agreed that Dr Gatz would not live more than “six to thirteen months”. Yet he is still alive and well today and plans to attend the canonization ceremony on 11th October with his wife.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Novena Prayer to Blessed Jeanne Jugan

Jesus, you rejoiced and praised Your Father for having revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. We thank You for the graces granted to Your humble servant, Jeanne Jugan, to whom we confide our petitions and needs.

Father of the Poor, You have never refused the prayer of the lowly. We ask You, therefore, to hear the petitions she presents to You on our behalf.

Jesus, through Mary, Your Mother and ours, we ask this of You, who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit now and forever.

Amen.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear friends,

You may not be a Catholic but I pray that you will pray for my dad.

If you are a Catholic, please recite the Novena Prayer to Blessed Jeanne Jugan every day with my dad in your mind.

We need all the prayers that we can have so that daddy will be blessed with a miracle.

I strongly believe in the power of prayer. May your prayer be touched by God.

Love,
Yi Lei

Blood transfusion went smoothly

Just thought I should update everyone that my dad's blood transfusion went smoothly.
He had to use 2 bags of blood. (Our relatives were kind enough to donate it back to the hospital.God Bless them.)

We are now praying that this blood transfusion will help my dad regain his energy level.

He still has discomfort with his back & bones which we hope, with the help of a physiotherapist, daddy would be able to get rid of the discomfort.

On behalf of daddy and my family, I would like to thank all of you for your prayer and concern.We truly appreciate it.

God bless you and your family.

Love,
Yi Lei

Say a prayer for daddy

Dear friends,

My dad will be undergoing blood transfusion today. Please pray that the blood that he will be receiving is free from any disease and there won't be any complication throughout the process.

May this blood that my dad will be receiving help him regain his strength, energy & health.

God Bless.

Love,
Yi Lei

Short update

Dear friends,

I have not been able to update you on my dad's condition as we were all busy as a family. Here are some good news.

My dad has been discharged from the hospital since last Friday (5th June 2009). He is still adjusting to the weather at home and we are doing our best to accommodate to his changing body temperature.

He received many calls and messages from all of you and he would like to thank all of you for your concern and your thoughts. He is currently still trying to adjust to things and it would be great that you visit him only when he has stabilized.

The other good news is that our family is now tighter than ever. We are all trying to adjust our lives (career & personal) to accommodate to daddy's condition and as we adjust we got closer.

We, the Woo family, thank all of you for your prayers. May you continue to pray for daddy to be blessed with abundant strength. 

God Bless!

Love,

Yi Lei

Dear Scribble Book...

I left an empty note book for my dad to scribble last week. He finally put it to good use. He started scribbling yesterday. His first 2 pages contained the list of food that he is craving for.

Daddy's Cravings!

In case you can't read his writing. Below is the list:
1) Chee Cheong Fun - sauce? (Dad is not sure what sauce he wants)
2) Stir Fried Maggi Mee
3) Potato Bun
4) Ham Chim Peng
5) Roti Canai + Dahl?
6) Omellete (plain?)
7) Japanese Spanish Mackerel
8) Yong Tau Foo (Tau Foo Pok, Bitter gourd, Brinjal)
9) Tau Foo Fah - hot
10) Cendol (no ice)
11) Coconut Water (Fresh Thai King)
12) Lo Hong Koh Drink
13) Ling Chee Kang drink (warm)
14) Red Bean soup (hot)
15) Kraft's Cheddar Cheese
16) Sweet Potato (whole)
17) Wan Tan Mee (dry)
18) Mushroom soup (Canned?)
19) Pumpkin seeds (organic)
20) Apricot seeds (organic)
21) Orange fruit
22) Peach fruit
23) Mango fruit
24) Bread (for sandwich) type?

He listed down 24 types of food that he would love to have. Well, it's now on his blog. So when he's back, he'll be able to take a look at what he was craving for and satisfy his cravings. :)

My dad also monitored his own progress yesterday. By jotting down what he had orally and how much milk he is taking. He's also monitoring his amount of urination. (The nurses jots down in his chart but dad would like to keep his own record.)

Daddy's progress on 26th May 2009

Tonight was a different experience for me and I think for all of us too. After dinner, daddy shared with us his experience last night and this morning. He had difficulty passing motion and also difficulty breathing. He gave credit to one of the nurses who was there to accompany him throughout his ordeal. After the ordeal, he felt much better but very tired. He then rested the whole day.

It came to his mind something that my sister shared with him last time. Happiness is about having something to do, someone to love and something to look forward to.

Daddy said he knows that he has more than just one person to love. So that's something that he already have.

He needs something to look forward to. He asked his dietitian to help him draft out a schedule of how he should be progressing, so that he has something to look forward to.

As for something to do, he found the "Scribble Book" a good way for him to keep himself occupied. He also thought of studying Sudoku. So he asked us to print out manuals or basic rules of Sudoku, so that he can learn a skill while he is resting and it will also help him keep his mind occupied.

Daddy also shared with us the new regime that he has worked out with the dietitian. They planned the regime properly and daddy is hoping that this new regime would help him.

Total of 1425 calories & 83 g of Protein a day!

I'm very happy that daddy manage to talk to us for a good 30minutes today. He felt much better pouring it all out. He said that he would love to do this every day provided that he has the energy to do so.

The moment daddy ended his sharing session, I thank God for all that He has done. He has given all of us strength & patience. I know that daddy may/may not share as much tomorrow but I'm just thankful that he was given so much strength to pour his heart out.

Daddy, you are indeed my hero! I love you daddy!

I'm confident that the day for you to say "I'M BACK!" will be arriving soon! :)

From 60 to 70

My dad increased his milk intake 2 days ago. He started off with 40ml an hour then the dietician increased it to 60ml per hour. Now he is consuming 70ml per hour. 

So far his body is accepting it well. We are thankful that daddy can take in more these days. He drinks half bowl of soup for lunch & dinner orally. A few sips of water orally every hour. 

His abdominal area is slightly smaller now. Perhaps the body has regained strength and the fluids will slowly drain out by itself just as how the Dr has said. Praise the Lord!

Prove of achievement! :)

Let's Exercise!

My dad is more hardworking now. He will make sure that he exercises every 1-2 hours. The physiotherapist would introduce new moves to him every morning and he will have to do "today's move" continuously throughout the day.

I believe I can fly!

Here's one of the "moves" that he has to do. 

He doesn't converse much these days because he will cough when he speaks. So he will usually just answer us with sign languages or if he have to, he will speak slowly. He wasn't coughing that much yesterday when I met him. 

Let's pray for his lungs to relax soon. :)

Let me check who texted me.

My dad playing with his HTC Touch. Keeping himself updated by logging on to the internet using his phone. :)

Updates: Small Surgery & Ham Chim Peng!

My apologies for not updating daddy's journey, it's difficult for me to update at night without my laptop at home. My dad is still in the hospital and every day he has something new. I shall just wrap them up from where I've left.

My dad went for a small surgery last Friday (15 May 2009). He had some pain at the end of his scar. When he showed the Dr, Dr immediately knew that it was the leftover thread that is inside his abdominal muscle. The thread was suppose to dissolve by itself but because my dad is skinny, it didn't.

So Dr performed a short surgery (only lasted for 20 minutes) on him on that very day.

WARNING: The image below may be too much for some. Do continue reading with a brave heart!

The part that caused the pain. Can you see the black spot? That's where the thread is.

After the surgery, my dad was given Antibiotics. The Antibiotics made dad cough a lot. He had trouble sleeping at night for the next few nights until he asked the Dr if he could stop taking the Antibiotics. The Dr grant him his wish.

One day, I was telling my parents about my dream. I woke up wanting to eat something. As I said "Hey mummy & daddy, I woke up from my nap and I thought of eating... " then my dad proclaimed "HAM CHIM PENG" before I could finish my sentence. (It's a chinese delicacy. Red bean covered with flour and deep fried.) That put a smile on my face. It's good that he's craving for food.

The next day, my mum told me my dad wants to have "Yau Char Kuey". His love for these fried fritters is back! Unfortunately, he'll have to wait patiently.

The next day, he told my mum that he would like to have some cake. :) My mum was craving for Pandan Layer Cake. So she asked my sister to get Pandan Layer Cake. So they had Pandan Layer Cake for dessert (I'm not a fan of Pandan Layer Cake.) and my dad got a few mouthful of it too. :) [In case you are worried, we have asked the Dr's permission before feeding daddy Pandan Layer Cake.]

YUM! Pandan Layer Cake time!

My dad is currently doing some exercises on his bed and also some recommended exercises standing up and walking by the physiotherapist. So far the exercise is helping him but it does make him cough. Perhaps his lungs are exercising too. 

I thank you all for your concern as I can see that many have visited the site and left with disappointment. My apologies once again and I will do my best to update everyone more often. :)

Day 12: Spanish Mackerel

We were watching tv in the hospital and daddy suddenly told me "I miss the Japanese Spanish Mackerel (Saba Teriyaki)."

I told mum and she said that I can buy it for lunch and let him have some.

Before having some Saba, he asked if he could try the hospital's Egg Mayo sandwich. I gave him one small bite and we have to keep reminding him to chew before he swallow. I had Udon for lunch, he asked if he could have a strand of noodle. So I gave him one. 

After 20minutes, he wants the Saba. I gave him bit by bit. After 3 bites, he asked if he could finish the whole fish. My mum went.. "NOooo!!! not everything!" (She's afraid that he may feel bloated.)

Then he decided to have a "look" at the fish and ask me to hand it to him. He said he wants to have the skin and again my mum stopped him. (The fish skin is burnt. No good for cancer patients.)

Mmmm...can I have it all?

Daddy feeding himself one last bite before mummy stop him. He didn't take anymore solids for the rest of the day. Not too much in one day. 

Bit by bit.. as the Malay saying goes "Sikit-sikit, lama-lama jadi bukit!" 

(Well of course, daddy can't have a mountain of food. :P )

Day 11: Shall we dance?

My dad is taking the tube feeding well. His daily intake is 1,500 calories. The dietician said that it's more than the expected calories per day. So he should be building muscles.

However, his belly is still bloated. Bigger than before he was admitted into the hospital. Dr said that the only way to take the fluid is out is through medication. He don't want to puncture daddy because it may cause complication and would make things worse. Patience is the key!

Here's daddy, taking his daily 15 minutes walk. The dietician suggested him to consult a physiotherapist but dad said he would do exercises himself. He does some stretching exercises when he is lying down or sitting down.

Shall we dance?

Daddy look like he is dancing with his feeding tube when he moves up & down holding the tube in one hand. :)

Day 10: No more drips!

The Dr removed the drips yesterday. Hopefully daddy's belly would be smaller now that there isn't anymore fluid pumping in.

Dr is happy with daddy's progress. He will start daddy on soft food and monitor him for a few days before sending him home. :)

Let me guide you!

Daddy asked the nurse to remove the tube from the machine because he needs to use the toilet. He had to teach the nurse how to wrap the end of the tube so that milk won't spill out. The nurses here are very humble, so they just follow his instructions. :)

AHhhhh.. relieved!

Daddy resting after using the toilet. He is sitting on a tube (the head nurse suggested him to sit on it whenever he sits on a chair). Spot his right hand? No more drips! :)

I can't wait for daddy to be home so that I can spend more time with him. Even though we don't usually talk when we are together (my mum calls it "heart to heart" talk). Silent but yet we understand each other the best. Probably because I'm not much of a talker and so is my dad. We can spend a few hours in the same room, not saying much. Especially in car rides, we can be silent throughout the journey. Yet, I'm daddy's girl. :)

Day 9: Room 6335

My dad was moved from Level 5 to Level 6 yesterday. Right after daddy moved to his new room, the nurses check his back. (Afraid that he may get a bed sore.) They saw red spots at this tail bone & pelvic bone and they immediately informed the head nurse.

The head nurse then came to suggest my dad to apply a certain type of cream to prevent his skin from rotting and change his bed to air bed (which cost RM39 extra per night). My dad agreed to her suggestion cause he wouldn't want to deal with another type of pain.

So far, he's feeling comfortable with the cream and the air bed. At least his backbone feels more comfortable now. (Thank God for the nurses. They are so caring! God bless them.Well, they could have just left my dad there and don't bother to check his back.)

My mum likes the view in this room. It is a better scenery. However, it is very warm in the afternoon as the sun would shine in. They will have to turn on the air conditioner.

The HTC boys!

Han asked daddy about an application on his phone (which is also a HTC). Daddy was showing him the application on his phone. (They look like they are playing a game together.. hahaha..)

Touch here then there. :)

He has been playing with his hp and also watching tv more often now. He even asked me to bring his spectacles today so that he could read the highlights shown on CNN. (He have to strain his eyes to read it at the moment.)

The dietician increased daddy's milk intake. She also added Prosure into the mixture. It gave daddy discomfort initially. He just started yesterday, so hopefully he didn't have any discomfort at night. Soon the Dr would remove the drips, which would help daddy to reduce the fluid in his abdominal area. 

Let's pray for daddy's body to be able to adapt to this new recipe. :)

Comments disappeared

Hey everyone!

I could not trace back the comments made on the previous posts. Something must have gone wrong when I was exporting and importing between blogs.

My apologies for the technical error. Your previous thoughts and wishes will be kept in my heart.

Cheers,

ce5nt's daughter

The end of the 1st of trimester..

My dad ended his first trimester taking chinese herbal medicine given by the Acupuncturist.

Here are some photos of him taking his chinese herbal medicine...

Herbal Medicine Tarik!

He will "tarik" the medicine himself so that the medicine won't get stuck at the bottom of the cup.

Daddy's favourite: Black Dates!

As he eats this, he would repeatedly tell us that this is the best food that he has ever tasted since his operation. It's easy to eat, nice and he don't mind eating it the whole day. The pleasure on his face when he eats it is priceless! He'll go "Mmmmm, this is nice! Mmmmm, this is the best!" :)

The start of the second trimester wasn't very interesting for daddy as he was admitted into the hospital. His treasure hunt mates convinced him to use the tube feeding and we are all very happy that they succeeded in persuading him.

(Thank you guys once again. Words can't express how much we appreciate you making the effort to help daddy to be brave!)

Checking in to the hospital wasn't easy this time around as there were so many emergency cases. We had to wait for nearly 3 hours before dad was sent to his ward. This time around they gave him a room in Level 5 which my parents did not prefer. They prefer to be at Level 6 because the nurses there are more experienced in dealing with daddy. 

However, Level 6 is currently under renovation. My mum "booked" a room for daddy to be moved up to Level 6 next week when the renovation is completed. Some of the nurses from Level 6 were at Level 5 and they could recognize my parents and welcome daddy to go to Level 6 next week upon hearing my mum's request.

Here's some photos to mark daddy's journey at the beginning of his 2nd trimester...

Day 2: Spot the tube?

He was listening to my sister. She was telling him about her first day at work.He didn't respond much because the tube was disturbing his throat. So he couldn't really talk.

The food and the gadgets to feed daddy.

Apparently Wyeth stop producing Enercal. So we had to grab whatever Enercal that is left in the market.

Day 3: Sitting down waiting for the nurse to feed him.

He could talk a little more by Day 3. He could instruct the nurse how much to feed him.

Manual tube feeding.

Daddy told me to snap a photo. I'm assuming that he wants me to snap it so that I could put it up on my blog to show his friends. :)

Day 4: Auto-feed

The dietician decided to use the machine to feed daddy. He gets more this way. The machine would pump in 10cc of Enercal every 15minutes. 

He was talking to Han when I snapped this photo. He could speak normally and we were surprised by his energy level as he kept giving Han advice. Praise the Lord! :)

Day 7: Getting used to tube feeding

Daddy had to change his tube yesterday because the tube slipped out when he was bathing. He made sure that the Dr used the soft silicon tube and also made sure that the nurses knows how to feed him.

Daddy is also on drips with Potassium to help him re-hydrate his blood and kidney.

I'm glad that daddy made progress. His lower abdominal area is still bloated. The Dr told him to be patient. He needs to regain his energy before his body can remove the fluid naturally. Daddy showed some signs of impatience initially but he is much better now. He could read the papers, watch tv, play with his handphone, answer phone calls (when he is comfortable) and he could talk to us with his normal voice. :)

I Thank you Lord for blessing daddy with strength and healing daddy. May you continue to shower him with your Love and the fruits of the spirit. Amen.

Daddy's latest menu

I haven't had time to take much photos of daddy these days.

Our family Dr's sister-in-law introduced an Acupuncturist to us. My mum brought my dad there yesterday. According to the Acupuncturist my dad has a lot of wind in his belly. Also agreed that he is lack of energy & nutrition. So she performed acupuncture on daddy and gave him some chinese herbal medicine & supplement. Her herbal medicine and supplement can be taken together with the western medicine.

Today is daddy's second day taking the herbal remedy. My dad started talking more yesterday. He could also talk to us about life, which is an improvement because he could hardly finish a sentence before he started this herbal remedy.

Daddy's daily food: Herbal Life ShapeWorks & Enercal.

Herbal Life provides the protein and Enercal provides the calories that he needs to rebuild his energy level.

Chinese Herbal Supplement.

My dad didn't find it difficult to swallow this. It's interesting because he finds it very hard to swallow anything even water.

Chinese Herbal Medicine
To be taken 3 times daily, every 4 hours.

He will never walk alone!
Spot that Liverpool logo? :) Daddy look a lot better today.

He is improving day by day even though he doesn't notice it himself. As care takers, we notice his improvement. So we only ask for you to pray for him to continue to be blessed with the strength to overcome this stage.

What will help him?

My dad has been home since last Thursday. Is he better?
If you ask him, he'll say "Nope. It's still there."
If you ask me, "Yes, his abdominal area is smaller."

I'm not saying things just to please/comfort him or anyone that is reading my blog. My family & I and the Dr do think that his abdominal area is getting smaller.

However, as the patient himself, he would probably tell you that he is good only when his stomach is flat. I don't blame him cause he is the one with the pain, not us.

We haven't lost hope in searching for something that might just help him. My mum has been looking out for herbal remedies. My sister & I researching online to see what are the things that my dad can do to make his pain go away. The Drs are helping him. One by motivating him, the other going all out to look for alternative remedies.

One of the things that I find that my dad not doing is doing something to occupy his mind. I asked him "Would you like to do something?"
Then he said "I don't feel like doing what I want to do."
It saddens me that the pain got to him faster that we can save him. So we could only tell him to keep talking to God. That is the only thing that he is doing every day and every time that he feels uncomfortable.

I'm now looking for previous Ascites patients. If there is anyone you know that has had Ascites, could you kindly ask them to share their success story? So that we may be able to convey the message to my dad. To tell him that patience is all he need. And perhaps the success story comes with a remedy that we could use it on my dad.

What else can help him keep his mind off the pain?
We are asking him to read books. Go online. Do what he likes to do at home. (However, his concentration level is not that high at the moment.)

Any suggestions on how we can help my dad?

Heal Me O Lord

My dad is currently having trouble with Ascites. Dr did a CT Scan, X-ray, Blood test for cancer markers & normal blood test- all the results were good.

My dad finds battling ascites tougher than cancer. My only encouragement for him is to pray. Keep praying and lay all his burden on God. I played him a song titled "Heal Me O Lord" yesterday. He fell in love with it. Even asked my sister to sing it when I'm not around. 

Today I heard my dad sing along as the song was played on my Ipod, it truly touched me. I could feel how much he's asking God to heal him, to save him and how much he praise God. He kept singing it til the song ended. 

We are looking for external remedies that could help him remove fluid from his lower abdominal area without having to consume anything. If anyone following my blog knows a solution that we could try, do not hesitate to drop me a comment.

It is painful to see him in such a situation but we have been very strong. At this situation, my dad is still being himself, protective of us. He kept asking whether we are tired, whether we are suffering. I guess his natural instinct is to protect us, so he can't help but think that we are in "pain". So we'll have to reassure him that we are doing good. We have faith in God and him. We know that our hard work will some how be fruitful soon. :)

I believe strongly in the power of prayer. Therefore, I would like to use my blog to ask everyone to pray for my dad.

To everyone reading this, let's pray together tomorrow (14th April 2009) at 3pm, for my dad to be healed, to be blessed with the strength to fight ascites and for him to be blessed with an open heart.

I would like to thank you all in advance for your prayers and love. May God Bless you. 

"Heal daddy O Lord and he will be healed. Save him and he will be saved. Heal daddy O lord and he will be healed. You are the one that he praise."

Happy Easter!

Our priests told us to rise from Good Friday and welcome Easter Sunday.

May everyone rise from your sufferings & past. :)

Have a Happy Easter! :)

When the going gets tough..

The tough gets going. (If only it's as easy done as said.)

My dad started taking walks last night. It's a progress! :)

My dad is still having discomfort from the surgery. When he tells us about it, I could sense the discomfort that he is feeling. I may not understand how it feels but looking at him this way, makes me wish that I have magic hands that I could just remove those fluid immediately.

A thought came to my mind today as I was massaging my dad's feet.

My thought "my appendicitis surgery is no big deal." I went through an amount of pain for 2 weeks after the surgery but the length of the scar that was left on my body is 10 times smaller than what my dad has. So he will have to be patient with himself as it will probably take 10 times longer to heal from the surgery.

All I could do is to motivate him to fight this one last battle as he fought the other battles with a brave heart. He is progressing day by day as my sister reads his charts. Everyday he has more output than input and that's very good news! Daddy is a strong man! :)

You must be wondering.. 

"Output more than input=losing more weight? How can it be good news?"

Yes it is good news. As my dad loses weight, he's losing the fluid. That would mean he is progressing. He has to take a huge amount of protein to be able to stop those fluid from coming back and the injection & pills will do the work for removing the fluid.

Complicated huh? Bottom line is that he must lose weight and boost up his protein level.

Today is Good Friday and it always rains on Good Friday. I like to call it the shower of blessings from Heaven. :)

My sister would be baptized tomorrow during the Easter Vigil at Kristus Aman Chapel. I can see that she is very excited. I am very happy for her as she will begin her journey as a Catholic. 

As we celebrate Easter, my dad would always be on my mind. I'll keep him in my prayers and may God use his healing ways to help daddy take away all the discomfort. 

Quick update

I'm sure many of my blog followers have been disappointed not to see any new post every time they view my blog.

Firstly, I would like to apologize for the lack of updates. I have been busy lately. By the time I got home, all I want to do is snooze. :)

My dad was hospitalized on Saturday because his discomfort at the lower abdominal area was just too much for him. My mum insisted him to admit himself to the hospital. My dad obliged because he felt that it would be less tiring for everyone. My mum is currently staying with my dad to keep him company.

In case you guys are panicking, my dad is in good health! :)

Dr gave him injection to remove his fluid through urination. So far it's working. Dr also did a CT scan & x-ray on daddy. The results came out good. Daddy is in good health and in good hands. :)

The fluid in his lower abdominal area is expected as the Dr says because usually after a major surgery like this, it will happen. This is just part of the recovery from surgery. We'll have to wait and see when he will be discharged. The dietician also gave him a new set of diet and suggested the timing for him to eat. My dad will have to "take control" of his intestine and train it to eat at specific times.

My mum is also better emotionally. She has been very strong and I don't blame her for breaking down once in a while. My mum is indeed a strong wife. :)

I thank God for answering our prayers. Thank you all for keeping him in your daily prayer. May God bless you and your loved ones.

Let's continue to pray for my dad. :) 

A spoonful of ice cream helps the medicine go down..

My dad have to take this awful tasting medicine every day. (Well, I've never tasted it but from his expression, I know that the taste must be very awful.)

Well, in order to recover from the surgery, he has to take it. He was eyeing the ice creams in the fridge. He came up with a new idea! One spoonful of medicine, one teaspoonful of ice cream! YUMMM! :)

Daddy making a sad face when he's about to eat the medicine.

With the big smile, you know what he's going to have next! 

My mum warned him that he is only allowed to have one teaspoonful!

Spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down

The medicine go down-wown

The medicine go down

Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down

In a most delightful way...

:)

He will never walk alone!

It is the last day of the month. I ended the month by buying Baskin Robbins ice cream. (They give 31% discount every 31st.) Ice cream is one of my dad's favourite. However, he has to abstain from it but I'm sure looking at the pints that I brought home, he'll be motivated to get well faster so that he can enjoy ice creams once again.

My dad celebrated his birthday yesterday. There wasn't much of celebration as he is still recovering from his surgery. My mum suggested to just stay low key.

His treasure hunt mates dropped by last Saturday after their treasure hunt. I could see that my dad was very happy to have them around. They came with a birthday gift and my dad was stuck with a big smile when he opened the gift. :)

BIG SMILE! :)

The hunters got him a Liverpool scarf.

Daddy demonstrating how Liverpool fans usually hold it in matches. 

It's usually held upside down and he's wondering why.

My sister & I also bought my dad a gift. Which is no surprise that it is something to do with Liverpool Football Club. We also had a simple dinner at home on Sunday since Han wasn't around on Monday.

We suggest that he wears it when he goes for treatment.

It's for sure that daddy will never walk alone.

20th March 2009-The return of the Ele!

The Woo Family is REUNITED! 

:)

My sister came home to an empty house, greeted by Nougy and some balloons! I bought the balloons yesterday and it's read as "Welcome Back Elephant!" :P

These balloons had to sleep with me last night cause it's suppose to last longer in an air conditioned room. When I brought them downstairs to show it to my dad this morning, my dad immediately exclaimed "ELEWEN!" (It's a family joke.) :)

I was rushing back from my office. Unfortunately, my parents were stuck running errands that they couldn't pick me up immediately. So we had to "welcome" my sister home when she was already home. :P

My dad walked straight into the house into the arms of my sister and there were tears. :)

Hugs hugs hugs! and some tears of course. 

sorry for the blur photos. Camera woman not so professional. :P

My sis and my daddy! :)

Woo family & Elephant! :)

Spot the white balloons with paws? I got those to represent our doggies welcoming my sis home. :)

Elephant & Ee Wen!

Now you can see the "Welcome Back" balloon better.

My sister got me a pair of Mikimoto earrings! :) 

I've always wanted something from Mikimoto but it's just way too expensive to get them in Malaysia. She made my dream come true! hehe.. Thank you so much sis! *HUGS*

Some of my sister's luggage. She was taking out our gifts & showing us stuff that she brought home.There's more to come as she has just packed 11 boxes of clothes & etc which will only arrive much later.

Reunion Dinner, the West way!

My sis was too lazy to go out for dinner & my mum was lazy to go out and buy food home. So we had Domino's instead. As we were eating, my dad kept saying that he would love to have some but he knows he can't. He kept asking us to finish it faster so that he won't have to drool any longer.

My dad went for his check up this morning. He gained 0.9kg. (my mum later told us his "trick" in adding some weight when he stepped on the weighing machine.) The Dr referred him to an Oncologist, which he will be meeting on Monday.

After his check up he went to do another round of his treatment. From the treatment, they detected progress and we are very happy to hear that my dad is progressing very well. He still feel uncomfortable at the intestine area which he was told that the discomfort may last up to 6 months! We'll just have to keep praying for him to heal & feel more comfortable each and every day.

It is a wonderful day. I could sense a lot of happiness at home.I could be feeling the "extra happiness" because I'll be on leave for the whole of next week. 

Whatever it is, the return of the Ele was definitely the highlight for today! :)

18th March 2009-2 more days!

My sister has been counting down on her blog. So I thought of joining her.

This is my first time feeling so excited about her coming back home! :) Ok.. I know that it's bad that it's my first time but let's look on the positive side, I am getting better and I AM actually very excited to have her home.

My dad is excited too. Asking me a few things regarding my sister's home coming. I can't tell you what just yet cause my sister does follow my blog. :P

We were suppose to go for Qi Gong today but dad felt tired. We went for Qi Gong yesterday and it's 2 days in a row of Qi Gong for him. 

He also went around Ikano with mum today looking for a chair. He was looking for a similar one that the place he goes for treatment has. He said that that's the only chair that he feels comfortable resting on at the moment. They told him that they bought it at about RM600-700 from a shop at Ikano but my dad found out that it actually cost much much more than that! 

Well, I do hope we will be able to some day soon to find that chair at a more affordable price for my dad so that he can sit comfortably at home. 

Meanwhile, daddy will just have to make his own "chair" using pillows, bolsters, blankets and extra mattresses.

Here's my dad's way to play with Nougy.

Since he can't bend down to play with him. He uses his feet to play with him.

No worries. It's not painful! :)

My dad tend to get along with dogs very well. 

So it's just TWO more days til the Woo family is reunited! Can't wait!

14th March 2009-Free the spirit

My dad has been requesting my mum to make different kinds of soup these days. He is into soups now. Hopefully it will help him gain more weight by Friday. :)

Today he had Onion & Tomato soup for lunch and Mushroom soup for dinner. My mum home made them. Tomorrow he requested for Pumpkin soup or French Onion soup. YUM!

My dad's colleague came over for a visit today. I call him "the colleague that goes out for lunch with you". Well, I do bump into my dad having lunch with him since our offices is only 5 minutes apart.

 

My dad reading the brochure that his colleague gave.

He shared with us his brother's experience as a cancer patient. The chemotherapy that his brother went through and also the alternative treatment that he is undergoing at the moment. My dad had a good chat with him and somehow the topic of "freeing the spirit" came up.

It came about when he mentioned that it's the Goddess of Mercy's birthday tomorrow. He will be going to a temple at Kuala Selangor to celebrate it. Then he mentioned about releasing captive creatures as a form of "freeing the spirit". 

Then my dad thought about the tortoises that we have at home. He said that he's been wanting to let them go as they deserve a wider space. (They have been kept in a tub at home. My dad interacts with the tortoises every time he changes their water.) So when his colleague mentioned it, it just came to him that he would love to free them.

My dad's colleague then offered to bring them to the river near the temple that he will be going to tomorrow. He said that it's a normal ritual for the temple to "free spirits" during the Goddess of Mercy's birthday. 

My mum went back to her place to clean up the tortoises and brought them over for my dad's colleague to free them tomorrow. There was a touch of sadness as these tortoises has been with us since I was 7-8 years old. But they do deserve a wider space and we pray for them to be able to survive and live happily. :)

Our tortoises.

One of them is named Snappy! We had 3 tortoises.The 3rd tortoise was snapped by Snappy and we separated them. A little while after the separation, the "single" tortoise passed away. Snappy got the name Snappy because of this incident. Snappy also likes to snap our fingers when we try to carry it back to the tub. The other one is very tame, that's why it doesn't have a name. :)

My dad with the tortoises.

My dad writing his name in chinese at the bottom shell of the tortoises.

He also wrote tomorrow's date.

My dad blessed them before they were taken away.