Wheelchair Team on the Road

by Dana Isherwood
October 22, 2002

Dear Friends:

It took us three days to reach Luhuo (Trango), our first wheelchair stop. We left Chengdu for Kangding on October 10th in a 20-seat bus. With the customs fiasco in the morning (see my last newsletter), we could not leave until 2 PM. What with road controls and heavy traffic, it took 12 hours of constant driving and I mean constant--no meal stops allowed (we ate out of a snack box) and only three "pit stops". On day 2 we drove 8 hours to Dawu. Day three put us in Luhuo for our first wheelchair distribution. Luhuo was almost completely destroyed in 1973 by an earthquake. Most of the buildings collapsed including essentially all of the Tibetan style homes. With the new buildings, the city has lost some of its Tibetan character, but the Tibetan spirit is strong.

The government hotel in Luhuo is relatively comfortable. It has private baths, which consist of a pipe pointed more or less down in the center of the bathroom ceiling. It gives a great shower, but we have learned not to store luggage outside the bathroom door. The water just won't stay put. There is no heat and our room hovers near the 50 deg F mark. Heavy bed quilts are provided, but long underwear and a hat are helpful. There is a banquet welcoming us to Luhuo with endless toasts and speeches, but the officials are friendly and seem genuine in their efforts to help the
handicapped.

Luhuo county government building, with wheelchair recipients waiting outside. One of the two trucks transporting chairs is at the left.

The distribution takes place at the county government offices--a four-story building in mixed Chinese and faux Tibetan style, with a big drive-in courtyard. The large lobby is perfect for doing assessments and fitting. Doctor Adadot is given a small alcove for her office. This offers some control over patient flow and protection from the mobs of bystanders. The steps outside the building provide a sunny place to sit for the patients and their families.

Mr. Wu, Kham Aid Foundation's field director, hands out numbers and takes a preliminary medical history. Their names are checked off the government's approved  list. Those who show up who are not on the list must be okayed by the local representative for the Federation of Disabled Persons, who is an official from the Civil Affairs Bureau. In Luhuo, getting an okay for new patients is relatively easy. In some other towns, the government had already decided the recipient of every chair, and there were no extras for walk-ins.

Patients ready to head home with their new chairs.

The patients arrive by car, on a truck, on the back of a relative, in a tractor drawn cart, or by walking supported by family members. There are more males than females and most of them are elderly. Medical histories are very sketchy. They essentially point to joints and ask for pain pills. One patient was convinced that a large insect had flown out of the back of her head and this event was responsible for her headaches.

Each patient is unique. Meet Dorje Chingchi, 73 years old with severe arthritis. She aches all over and can barely stand. When the doctor  examined her, it appeared that Dorje had had surgery. There was a scar running down her chest between her breasts. Another ran down the middle of her back. Closer inspection showed that each "scar" was actually a series of overlapping circles made by moxibustion where the flesh is systematically burned to cure illness. Dorje had tried traditional medicine, now she was ready for something else. We sent her home with a bag full of Ibuprofen and a new wheelchair.

Sala, 78 years old arrived in a cart. She has rheumatoid arthritis in all her joints including her hands which are badly deformed. Volunteer PT Lisa Carroll got into the cart to measure her for a wheelchair. Again there is little the doctor can do but offer pain relief.

Clockwise from left: Xian Yan, Sala, Lorong Tayong

Not all are old. Lorong Tayong is 16. He looks more like 8. He has scoliosis with severe upper and lower spinal deformity. Lorong can still walk with a lurching gait. He needs surgery, but that won't happen so he is given a wheelchair. The therapist knows that someday the fatigue caused by his severe physical problems will make walking difficult. For now, he can walk behind the chair, leaning on it for support as he pushes it home.

Named by the woman who found her, Xian Yan was abandoned by the side of the road to the monastery. She clings to the woman, terrified that she will be left again.  Even the gentlest of touch results in a shriek. Xian has a dislocated hip--her foot is twisted sharply and her other leg is bowed to compensate. Without surgery, she faces a life of pain and disability. The woman, the mother of a 9 year old, is given a wheelchair to delay the onset of more severe complications and ease the burden of carrying her long distances. Xian was not registered, but thankfully, the government official made no objections, and we had a chair to give her.

Not all the stories are sad ones. There are those who are courageously coping with their circumstances, making do with what is available, but a  wheelchair will make a difference. The team spent two days at Luhuo and distributed 57 wheelchairs. At our next stop in Ganzi, we gave out 20 chairs and had two stolen. In Xinlong, a day long marathon resulted in the distribution of 53 chairs, for a grand total of 130.  The other chairs will be distributed by the Sichuan Federation for Disabled Persons.

During the two weeks I was with the team, I helped out where I could and visited a number of middle and primary schools along the way. Everywhere, school officials are asking for help. Government funding does not cover the cost of education and in many areas, families are too poor to pay tuition. But I'll say more on education in another newsletter. The wheelchair team is on its way back to Chengdu and home.