A Message From Chi’s Auntie Ann…

Posted by gina on Apr 18, 2009 in Family Visits With Chi | 3 comments

April 11, 2009 – I’m on my way home from 5 day visit with my awesome family in California. Most of the time was spent with my older sister Jeanne, Dai’s Mom. The love she has for Dai is absolutely incredible. It is of course the same love she has for all of her family especially her children and grandchildren. We lost our parents long ago, and when I am with her, I feel that motherly love that I don’t even realize I still long for. She often calls me her first baby, as she was about 11 when I was born. I’m sure that is when her maternal instincts first started to develop. She is one of the most devoted mothers I have ever known. Those of us who have children know what it is like. We would gladly lay down our own life, to save that of one of our babies. The love a mother has for a child is all consuming, if you are a parent who is not self consumed. Jeanne is not self consumed. She would if she could have, kept her children as close to home as possible, forever. Not an easy task when you have given birth to 9 children. Of Jeanne’s 9 beautiful Chi’s, only 7 are still with us. That includes Chi Ling (Dai) who was given the nickname that means little brother when he was born 2nd in line in the Cheng Dynasty. Maybe part of what made him such a kind, caring, giving, man, was being one of 9 siblings. They were all so close, in a large family like theirs, you can’t just sit around and wait for someone, to wait on you. You pitch in and help. There was no spoiling going on in the Cheng home, there couldn’t be. There was always a lot of action, never a dull place to hang out! I wasn’t there for their adolescence, but when they were all young I spent a few years living down the road from them. I was even privileged to be in there home when the 7th Cheng, Chi Yin, was born. As far as I know, Jeanne gave birth to all of them at home. Amazing isn’t it? It deeply saddens me, all that my family has gone through. Though we are very tough people and you know the old saying, “What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.” Even better I like the scripture from Romans 5:3-4 “We can rejoice too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us-they help us learn to endure. And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation”.

(AUNTIE ANN AND CHI 1972)

After already having lost 2 sons, none of us can even imagine how Jeanne felt that afternoon she came upon the accident site just shortly after Dai had been air lifted to the hospital. This was on November 4th, 2008. And she has been by his side ever since.

As most of us know, medical insurance in our great country needs an overhaul. It does NOT work the way it should for those who need it most. They decide what kind of care you need, where you should get it, and how often you receive special services. Dai is not getting all the care he needs. The facility he is in is filled with wonderful people, but they can only do what time and insurance allows. Money runs out quickly in cases like his. There have been many wonderful people stepping up and helping out. Many of whom had first hand experience of his genuine loving generosity. People like Gina Blackmore, and Alice & Jeff Irwin, who are now honorary members of the family. They like Dai, give because they have beautiful hearts. I’m not talking about just monetary help here, I am talking about taking the time to come and spend the night with him and give him the physical therapy and coma stimulation that he is not getting from the medical field. Without all these awesome people, I don’t think he would be where he is right now.
When I first walked into his room with Jeanne, he opened his eyes WIDE and moved his upper body, trying to get up and greet us. Every day Jeanne is there with him, family and close friends come and go. They talk to him, sing to him, massage his arms, legs, neck, feet. Tell him that everything is going to be okay, that he is getting stronger and better every day. Tell him to keep fighting, to come out of there, but yet to be patient while is brain is healing. He listens to music, he listens to the CD’s from fans, he listens to our stories. Now he also has a TV to watch to fill in the lonesome gaps. He has a picture of his beautiful son by his bedside, and a chocolate bunny I got him for Easter. When his sister Mae comes in the room to care for him it is a love that is so pure and beautiful. I just wanted to capture it in a jar and take some home with me. When Alice spends the night with him she gives him all the warmth and positive energy that she has inside her. Today before I left, several family members went to see him. We helped get him comfortable in his chair, and took him outside to enjoy the fresh air and warmth. His brother Pak, massaged and talked to him throughout the visit. His cousin Jessica was there with her boyfriend, Colby, and he played some beautiful guitar music for him. Pak’s wife Kari, sang and played guitar for him as well. I know he enjoyed the beautiful familiarity of her voice. He becomes tired very quickly when there is a lot going on around him, but the music perked him back up for a while, his eyes following the person playing for him. And as we had to leave to get me ready for the flight home, more family came. It was a big weekend for visitors, but soon most will be gone and it will be Dai and Jeanne. Mae is there often too, however she is a mother of two beautiful boys she has to care for back home.

I don’t want to forget, my sister Mary who also tries to visit once a week, we got to go with Jeanne to see the Hyperbaric Chamber. We met the Doctor that is getting everything together for him. This would not be happening without YOU. Your donations are paying for this very expensive piece of equipment. Let us all pray everyday, that it will help Dai in his recovery. If Dai was an ordinary person, I don’t think odds would be in his favor. But he is not ordinary, and all of you out there are not ordinary either. In fact there is nothing ordinary about any of this, which should never, ever, have happened.

Please buckle up and drive responsibly. Tell those you love to do the same. Give when no one is looking, do small random acts of kindness without expecting anything in return. Live a good clean life and and appreciate every day that God gives you on this earth. If you don’t believe in him, just give him a little thought, and keep an open mind to the goodness and love he can bring into your life. Through all of this, none of us has lost faith or asked God, “why?” It happened, and hopefully what happened to him can help prevent it from happening to many other people. Keep coming back to the oneloveforchi web site and tell everyone you know about it. Design a t-shirt, sell something you don’t need on ebay for him, say a prayer, brainstorm on how to help and email Gina with your ideas. We need everyone who cares to help play a part in his recovery.

May God Bless You All,
Auntie Ann