This book is a story of how one person can make a difference in people's lives. We hear stories of doctors making a difference in the lives of patients, but Kay has made a difference in my life, and my patients! -Dr Suman S. Thapa. MBBS. MS. Ph.D Tilganga Inst of Ophthalmology. Head of N.G.E.C. A WISH FROM TRICIA LA VOICE For you, I Wish Your Vision to Make a Difference The land was decorated in brilliant colors of the earth. Mountain tops reaching for the heavens, stones bursting in emerald greens, ruby reds and sparkling blues, yet darkness was all to be seen by many. Miles away, a young women laid with color in one eye, darkness in the other, but an ability to see her power in both. Lightness, stillness and patience . . . remain calm, find your vision. The people wore grand smiles on their faces and twinkles in their eyes. Clothed in colors of the rainbow, yet darkness was all to be seen by many. Miles away, a young women faced the life that challenged her, determined not to be defeated. Lightness, stillness and patience . . . remain calm . . . find the vision God granted you. A disease, so capable to reverse, forged forward. Silence and ignorance feeding its hunger, robbed the beauty from so many. Yet miles away a woman of perseverance, courage and compassion dared to make a difference and found her vision. A woman capable of seeing the light, remaining still and patient, found her vision by giving others their vision. The land holds endless beauty. The people are endlessly beautiful. Beauty now seen by all. For you, I Wish your vision to make a difference . . . -Tricia La Voice It is a truly uplifting story. Most of us spend our lives thinking of only taking care of ourselves and our immediate loved ones. Some people go that one step further, and do great things for others. Kay is one of those rare individuals, who have made a real difference to the lives of others. She had a vision, and it was her mental st
Nepal
By Kay WallsBALBOA PRESS
Copyright © 2012 Kay Walls
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4525-0693-7Chapter One
ON LOSING AN EYE
We were living in Adelaide. We had recently returned from Queensland where I had been seeing a faith healer. He was going to help me regain my health, working mainly on my eyes and my legs. He was a big man who would stand behind me shaking his hands about five inches from my head for about ten minutes. After that, I would go to another person in his clinic for a massage. The treatment helped my legs, but not my eyes.
Life was near perfect. Perfect home in trendy suburb, beautiful daughter, lots of friends and dinner parties, art exhibitions, fashionable clothes, nice 4 wheel drive, wonderful garden with lots of flowers and fruit trees, even some vegetables, also lots of wild raspberries. I really enjoyed cooking regularly for family and friends, and I loved my very talented husband. There was lots of overseas travel, as well as a very friendly black poodle. What more could I want? Life was near perfect.
"Do not even go home. Go directly to hospital," my Ophthalmologist said. Within two hours, he operated on me. He removed my right eye because they could not stop the bleeding. I still had one good eye, for which I thank God every day. The pain was so intense the Doctor said my eye had to be removed to stop the bleeding and the pain. One of my beautiful eyes was removed at 2pm Sunday. I did not have a choice.
When I awoke from the operation, my mother was sitting beside me, holding my hand. Where was my husband? Was I dying? was my first thought. My Mother had come from another state, and all I wanted was my husband. My husband was not there. He was with another woman. So, you can imagine, I was totally devastated in more ways than one.
My mother was an amazing woman. She managed an impeccable house, raised nine children, with six still at home, as well as running two businesses. Yet, she could be there for me. My parents would always drop everything if any of their children needed them.
My husband was an artist, very amicable, very popular with the ladies, but I would never have imagined he would be unfaithful to me. Artists and writers are very lucky. They can work anywhere, anytime. They just need to have paper, canvas, and minimal materials. It is so easy for them to work, or not to work! We did not even have mobile phones then, which made it easier for him to be anywhere with anyone.
He was the love of my life.
I was sent home to a darkened room for four-six weeks.
Colours,
Seeing,
Dreaming Colours,
Reading, Food and Wine,
Yours and mine.
Aqua Pink
Love to read and think,
Think of Love.
Passion
Compassion.
I couldn't even smell the Roses.
"You will be blind in six months time," the locum said. "So, choose the colour for your eyes. You can have any colour you like," he said it with a slight grin.
Wine Red, White or Sparkling?
Colours are life.
Life is colours.
Seeing life. Beautiful Pink,
Makes me think,
Sunsets, Sea and Sky.
Why me?
Why not?
I feel so ugly, I look so ugly.
My husband, who used to work from home, now he chose to work in the city, visiting a friend daily. He was with her during my operation. He arrived half an hour after I woke up from the operation.
Still in the dark ... sleep, sleep, sleep.
He is still visiting Laura every day. She rings me after he has left her and he is on his way home, but he denies seeing her every day.
He would not even look at me when he did come home.
Laura rang to say Bill would be late. When he came home he again denied having seen her.
I am woman.
I am strong.
Was this his first affair?
I finally saw daylight after four weeks of darkness. I thought of the Bridge of Sighs in Venice. I now had to get a new eye. I had to go interstate to have my eye made; but first, I had to wear a small eye to get used to something in my socket.
So ugly
Life can only get better.
Wonderful
Fantastic.
I finally found the courage to look in the mirror: "Oh my God, I will have to wear sunglasses forever. Will I ever have another dinner party? What will I cook? Who will I invite? Who cares?" Nobody!
Food and Wine
Entwine.
Lemons and Lime
Red and Orange
What if I'm seen?
Blue and green
Commotion
Emotion.
He just looks anywhere but at me. I put my small plastic eye on his pillow one night. When he saw it, he screamed: "Put that away!" He left. He went walking. He came home two hours later. I did not do that again.
I finally found a man in Melbourne who would make an eye for me, the right size and colour. He was the only one making eyes in Australia at the time. I was finally starting to feel better about myself. He was such a compassionate caring person. First he made a mould, then coloured it to match my good eye. He had a huge palette of colours, all shades, very interesting to watch. He then put the red bits in with very fine wool. His hands were very steady, and the finished plastic eye was perfect. I received lots of comments on how good it was, all complimentary.
Will tears come through?
I worked hard at mind over matter, being positive all the time. I could not claim medical benefits for the eye. "It's only cosmetic," the authorities said!
Yet, you could claim medical benefits for breast implants for men . . . Now to live again.
Let's enjoy, Friends, Family, Flowers, Dinners, Wine, Food, Colours, Sunsets, Blue, Yellow and Black, Sun, Sea and Cognac.
I loved them all.
Everything in life has a purpose.
You only get what God knows you can handle.
Everything in life is a learning experience, and tomorrow life gets better and better.
I can now look at myself in the mirror again.
My ophthalmologist said "Your vision is better than most people can see with two eyes." This became my daily affirmation.... mind over matter. Being positive has always worked for me. I have always been an optimist.
I am a firm believer in God, prayer, meditation, and mind powers. These things have kept me going all these years.
During the next twenty years after my divorce, I worked seven days a week and most nights to get myself out of debt and to take my mind, (I think) off the last four years of my marriage.
I eagerly accepted a second temporary job as an art consultant to a major new complex being built in the city. It was a very exciting project. I was given tickets to all new productions at the Opera, Ballet, Theatre, even the Tennis Open.
I didn't eat as well as I should, I certainly still enjoyed wine because I always had a wine cellar. I worked very hard, in the galleries by day, and balancing the books by night. Eventually my legs would give up, then I was continually falling over, almost every day. After putting up with this for two or three years I would take a break.
Occasionally I would go to a health retreat in the Blue Mountains just out of Sydney. I've always loved Sydney and this is a wonderful place in the Blue Mountains. There's usually ninety-five percent women, we all sit around a big table, about ten to a table. There's generally three or four tables. They have a fantastic chef, all luscious vegetarian food. I would sleep and read, and eat and sleep, and read and eat and have massages. I would do this for four or five days, then go back feeling a new person.
I was reading a lot of self-help and spiritual books. When I read about Jose Silva, I went to Laredo in USA for three consecutive years to do Silva courses. These changed my life. Each year I continued on to Europe visiting art galleries and collecting etchings for my galleries.
One of Jose Silvas quotes was "We should all leave this world a better place".
How?, when? Why?, when I met my doctor from Nepal I knew How, When and Why.
MEETING MY DOCTOR FROM NEPAL
My daughter had been studying art in Florence for four years. She returned to Australia with her boyfriend from Brazil. They married and live nearby. They had a boy and I now have the most wonderful, happy, cuddly grandson, the best ever.
Twenty years had passed since I lost my right eye and two more operations later on my good eye, again my eye specialist told me: Do not even go home. Go directly to the Eye and Ear Hospital and whoever was available that night would have to operate on me—on MY ONE GOOD EYE! Otherwise you will not be able to see tomorrow, the pressure was so high. The doctor available took me by the arm and told me that he would look after me. He did not seem like a doctor to me because doctors never touch you.
This was when I met my wonderful Dr Suman Thapa. He even took me to the operating theatre.
Later I found out he was doing his fellowship. He was from Nepal and was with his family here in Melbourne. He had a beautiful wife and a very entertaining son.
The next morning Suman came with his son to check on the patients that had been operated on the night before. He gave me his mobile number and said "Ring me any time, day or night and I will help if you have any problems." That was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. I adopted him and his family while they were in Australia.
For the next eight months. I could hardly see anything. I could tell day from night and see the outlines of things.
During this time, I did a lot of meditating and said a lot of prayers. My legs are not very good, but now my eyesight is terrific and I thank God every day, and I do not think I could have got through it without Suman. He rang me regularly, borrowed money and my car. He was just like a son to me.
I took them all to Sydney for a few days, with my daughter and her husband. We all had a very enjoyable time, except for his son who was bitten by jelly fish at Bondi Beach. I also arranged for them to go to Falls Creek for a few days of skiing. I was very pleased to learn Suman could not ski; he seemed to be good at everything else!
At this stage I was running two shops/galleries from home, going in three times a week. I was on call seven days. I needed a lot of support. The businesses went downhill during this difficult period.
About a month after the operation, my good eye developed a cataract. My eye was far too fragile to operate on, coming on so soon after the major surgery I had recently endured. So, I had to wait, and wait. The day finally came, one week before Suman returned to Nepal. Suman stayed with me the night before, drank cognac with me, then drove me to the hospital and drove me home again after the operation. He was my guardian angel.
The cataract operation was a success. Within two weeks of the operation, I could drive again! I returned to work five to six days a week and I could now be on call seven days a week. This was my way of coping with being alone.
I now felt it was my turn to help Suman. My dream was to build a Glaucoma Clinic in Kathmandu. I did not want for anything more for myself in my life. My eyes may not be beautiful any more but I have travelled and seen the world many times. I have done amazing things. I have walked the Road to Santiago de Compostella. I have a lovely daughter, a great son-in-law and the most beautiful grandson. I have had some amazing experiences, so I think I have been very lucky.
My dear friend and his beautiful family came every Sunday, arriving about midday and leaving somewhere between 8 and 9pm. This was a very special time for me. We always had fabulous food, wine, and always a new beer for Suman to taste. He played the guitar that I had borrowed from a friend. He sang, and my home was filled with love, laughter and good friends and family, every weekend. I have a very large dining table which was continually filled with delicious food. We all put on weight! Occasionally, we would turn the table over and play billiards or pool. I wanted him to meet lots of Australians. So every Sunday, we would have new people for him to meet. My daughter and her husband were always there, too. She is a fantastic cook.
Suman entertained us with lots of stories too.
SUMAN'S STORIES
Suman entertained us with his singing, playing his guitar and his stories.
The hospital in India where he studied medicine was built by his great-great-grandfather, who was a philanthropist.
One day the students were told to buy organs of the human body so that they could study them in their dorms. Since they could not afford to buy all of the organs, they all chipped in money to buy a set. They did not take them back to the university, however. Thy stored them in their apartment terrace, and yes later, there were some very smelly organs and lots of maggots too!
Another story ... While in Calcutta, after their long nights of study, Suman and his fellow students would go out and buy rolls made with chicken, egg, or mutton from a nearby shop. The rolls were delicious and it became a habit, and a treat to which they eagerly looked forward to. After they graduated and left Medical School, Suman and his colleagues came to learn that the shopkeeper, who had been selling the rolls, fell sick and was going to die. This man was admitted to the College Hospital and he felt that if he made a confession, he would live. The confession he made was that he actually sold dog's meat in place of the mutton!
One more story.... When Suman first graduated, he went home and told his mother he now wanted a singing career! He formed a band, did a few gigs, and even made a CD. His parents finally convinced him to continue medicine.
He returned to India to do his post graduate study in Ophthalmology. When he returned to Nepal all excited and proud of his achievements, he applied to several hospitals for work. At first, it was difficult to get work, but at long last, he found a position at Tilganga Eye Centre.
At the time of writing, Suman is still working for the Tilganga Institute.
He did further study on glaucoma in Australia in 2002. He later wrote, "I miss drinking Victoria Bitter (an Australian beer), but then that's another world for me now...."
In 2010, he completed more study at Moorfields, London, one of the world's leading eye hospitals, with the support of the NGEC, the Nepal Glaucoma Eye Clinic. Suman sent me the following email shortly after he returned to Nepal:
"It has been a great learning for me in London and I know that now my paediatric glaucoma patients at NGEC in Nepal will receive the best treatment.
At Moorfields, I came to know the treatment of adult and paediatric glaucoma was very different. Paediatric glaucoma was more difficult to treat. We can cure paediatric glaucoma if detected on time and the right surgical intervention carried out. The first line of management of paediatric glaucoma is surgery unlike adults in which it is the last option."
I am so proud of Suman.
MY FIRST VISIT TO NEPAL
My first visit to Nepal was in the winter of 2004, never again in winter. Suman would leave for work around 8am and return around 5pm. Shortly after, he would come into my room and we would have a little cognac, some nibbles and talk about his day. He was talking about organising the first Glaucoma Awareness Week. We discussed what he would do and then he would talk about how he would like to have a Glaucoma Clinic one day. So I started to think about this and he told me he needed at least $50,000 just to build the clinic. I thought I could do that. Surely, I could raise the money. He was thinking US dollars; I was thinking Australian dollars! I immediately started to plan and because it was so bitterly cold outside, we spent a lot of time inside. I had a lovely big room with morning sun. Suman's family had a large Alsatian dog that was supposed to be outside during the day. I was terrified of dogs, especially big ones. I had been told he would not hurt you as long as there was a member of the family nearby. Can you imagine how I felt when after a nap one afternoon; there was the dog in front of my kerosene heater, between me and the door! Have you ever tried to scream quietly? A couple of times during the night, he was between me and the bathroom. I just had to close the door and wait till I heard him go downstairs. One night he was lying there with a very old lady next to him. She had a large grey blanket wrapped around her, and over her head. She had been the children's maid. I closed the door very quickly that night.
During the day I always had my pen and paper handy. I started thinking about how I would raise the money. The first thing I did was design a brochure. That brochure is still really the same one today. I told Suman about my plan. He went on to tell me how he had had two other big US organisations offer to help. They had now changed their minds because of the political situation. We sort of left it at that.
I now know that he did not expect me to go home and start raising money for him. Anyway, I got really sick with pneumonia because it was winter there, and I was not used to the kerosene fumes they used for their heating. I was very sick, so I went home early.
When I arrived back in Australia, I started to make plans for our glaucoma clinic.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Nepalby Kay Walls Copyright © 2012 by Kay Walls. Excerpted by permission of BALBOA PRESS. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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