A Family Tale ...

In the fall of 2009, I was in North Korea, with the EB team checking on patients and monitoring the programs at one of their care centers.  As per normal, the morning progressed with many patients milling around, waiting, giving sputum samples, being weighed and measured, photographed, getting xrays and being educated about their TB treatment.

As I moved around the patients documenting the work of EB, I noticed a young girl standing to the side with her father.  Her face was solemn and she had expressive, dark brown eyes that were taking in all the activity.  It was unusual to see a child with the patients, as normally children are treated at the children's hospital.  I smiled and greeted her ... she was so serious for such a young age.  She looked up at her father and on his nod, a fleeting smile crossed her face and she bowed back at me.  As I continued into the day, I wondered about this child and I guessed she was here with her father, maybe supporting him as he came for treatment.

As the day unfolded I found out a little more about her.  Eun Joo was her name.  When I met her, she was nine years old.  Her father was a director of one of the TB care centers.  He had been diagnosed with MDR TB and they suspected Eun Joo now had it too.  That day she provided a sputum sample, which was later confirmed to test positive for MDR TB as well.

As we talked with her and her father, more of her story came out.  Both of Eun Joo's parents are doctors.  When she was just three years old, Eun Joo had TB  - not in the lungs, but in her larynx.  To save her life, they had to perform surgery and she has had a trach tube in ever since.  She breathes unfiltered air through the tube and can only talk in a very raspy whisper.  That day, Eun Joo was accepted on the EB program and was able to start treatment.

18 months passed and I visited the North again.  I was thrilled to see Eun Joo - she was now testing negative for MDR-TB, and was still in the midst of treatment but had blossomed.  She was looking much healthier and had the most radiant smile.  EB were able to give her some colored markers and paper and she promptly sat down and drew a thank you picture to her sponsor.

However, the sad part of her story is that in those 18 months since I had last seen them, EunJoo's father suspected her mother had MDR TB and he shared his drugs with her.  This is never a good thing.  Just because a patient tests negative for TB, does not mean they are done with treatment.  They have to stay on their medicine and maintain their negative status for about 18 months.  When a patient does not see their drug treatment through, the MDR TB strain they have can build up resistance to the drugs and develop into a far worse strain - XDR (extreme drug resistant TB) for which there is no cure.

What would you do in this situation?  There are no drugs available for you unless you are accepted on to a program such as the ones that EB support.  You love your family and you know there is no hope without treatment.  You know that very few patients get on such a program.  Out of desperation, Eun Joo's father took the risk and shared his drugs with his wife. Later, EB were able to get the wife onto the program as well so that she could have her own medication.

Fast forward the story to Fall 2012.  Ms Horne was thrilled to be at the graduation ceremony of Eun Joo and her mother, whilst visiting the North on the fall trip.  Both of them are now cured of MDR TB thanks to the donations of sponsors.  The bittersweet side of the graduation ceremony is that EunJoo's father will not be cured.  By sharing his drugs, he developed XDR TB and he exits the program knowing that there is no cure for him.

Eun Joo with her father at the graduation ceremony 

Eun Joo being interviewed by the EB team while her mother looks on.

Although Eun Joo and her family were not patients that SFS sponsored, she resonated with us and our students.  At her graduation ceremony, she wore cranes made by SFS students her age.  Students who have immediate access to any medication they need any time they get sick.  The story of Eun Joo's family, could be the story of any of the patients we support.  If we were born in North Korea, it could be our story.  TB doesn't just impact individuals, it impacts families.  It is easily passed on, and whatever strain a patient has, is the strain they will pass on.  There is a burgeoning problem of MDR TB in the country, and every center the EB team visits has streams of people coming, desperate for the hope of being able to be accepted into the program and starting treatment.  Every day, the team have to leave, knowing that although they were able to admit some new patients, the numbers are limited by the funds available.  Imagine yourself standing there looking at these people - each of them with a story, each of them with a family, each of them desperate for your help.  How would you decide?

This is one of the reasons why I love what we do here with our Dongdaewon fundraising at Seoul Foreign School.  It is not just about the money.  It is about people.  It is about giving hope.  It is about changing lives.  It is about creating a new day for each patient that we support.  All your hard work in fundraising directly impacts upon individuals and their families.  They are SO grateful for what we do, because they know without you, their treatment is not possible.

Thank you so much for all your hard work fundraising this year.  

Together we make a difference.

Together we change lives.

Meet our NEW patients!

When the Eugene Bell team visits each care centre, there is always a group of people hanging around the perimeter, desperately hoping that they may be one of the lucky ones to be accepted into treatment.  This is one of the hardest things that the EB team and the North Korean doctors have to deal with.  They cannot accept a patient for treatment without knowing that there are the funds available to cover them for the entire length of treatment.  This past year, because of the incredible fundraising that SFS did, we have 7 new patients on the program.  Let's meet them ...

Fall 2012 

Gwangseong Kim 

(43 years old)

Gwangsung was incredibly grateful to be enrolled in the MDR program in October.  He received his first box of MDR TB medication during Ms Horne’s visit!  Keep him in your prayers and pray that he will quickly convert to negative.

Okjoo Kim 

(26 years old)

Okjoo is relieved to have been accepted into the MDR program as a new patient in October.  She is on the program because of the amazing job we did fundraising last year!  She has received her first box of medication and is hoping that she will have converted to negative by Spring 2013.  Pray for her that she would have a quick conversion and successful treatment.

Spring 2012 

Okjoo Cho 

(27 years old)

Okjoo was enrolled in the Spring of 2012.  She has recently transferred from Dongdaewon to the new Botonggang MDR Care Centre, for treatment. Thankfully, Okjoo’s sputum culture result shows she has recently converted from positive to negative but she needs to maintain this for 18 months before she is cured.  Please pray for her recovery.

Seonhwa Gwon 

(45 years old)

Seonhwa was grateful to be enrolled as a new patient in Spring 2012 and thanks to you, was able to start on medication immediately.  She has already converted to negative.  This is encouraging news because it brings hope for her effective treatment.  Not all TB bacteria has been eliminated and she will continue to be in treatment for many months.  Please pray that she will totally recover in order to return home to her family and live a healthy life.

Myeongsoo Han 

(43 years old)

Myeongsoo was enrolled in the Spring of 2012.  His treatment is off to a good start as he has already converted from positive to negative.  He still has many months of treatment and monitoring to go before he is cured.  Please pray that he will be encouraged and faithful to take his medicine.

Chungseong Hong 

(30 years old)

Chungseong was new to the program in the Spring of 2012.  He has had a positive start to his treatment and has converted from positive to negative.  He will need to maintain this status for at least another year before he will be considered cured.  Please pray for the ongoing success of his treatment.

Daehyeok Jin 

(35 years old)

Daehyeok was enrolled in the Spring of 2012.  He has recently transferred from Dongdaewon to the new Botonggang MDR Care Centre, for treatment. Daehyeok’s recent sputum culture shows that he has recently converted from positive to negative for MDR TB, but he must maintain this for 18 months before he is cured.  Please pray for his recovery.

Bunko Night

Come and join us for a Bunko tournament!

Bunko is a simple dice game that takes just

a few minutes to learn but provides hours of fun.

There will be lots of snacks, laughs, and prizes-the best part-

you don’t have to think real hard to win.

You just have to be lucky!

Where: P 6, the Engstrom’s house

When:  April 6, 7-10:00 pm

Why: Because it is fun and all the proceeds go to saving lives

Maximum participants: 20

How much:   25,000 W (includes snacks, prizes and lots of fun!)

If you are interested in participating,

contact Karolyn Benger. 

kbenger@seoulforeign.org.   

Participants must pay before March 22.

How Are Our Current Patients Doing?

Many of our current patients have recently turned a corner in their treatment and are doing really well.  Check below to see how each of them are doing.

A.H. 

(42 years old)

A.H. was enrolled in Fall 2011.  His sputum samples show that he has converted to negative which is an encouraging sign for treatment.  Not all TB bacteria have yet been eliminated, so A.H. needs to stay in treatment for many more months.  Please pray for hope and encouragement as he continues in treatment at the new Botonggang centre.

C.J.

(45 years old)

C.J. has also transferred to the new Botonggang centre.  Unfortunately the last two of CJ’s sputum samples show that he is still testing positive for TB.  If they stay positive for a long period, his chances for a cure are lowered.  Please pray that he converts to negative soon.

G.C.

(32 years old)

G.C. was enrolled in the MDR program in Fall, 2011.  He is responding well to treatment and testing negative in his sputum cultures.  He still has many months of treatment and monitoring to go before he can return home to his family.  Please pray for a successful treatment.

K.J.
(47 years old)

K.J. has been enrolled in the MDR program since the Fall of 2011.  He is doing well in his treatment and is maintaining a negative status.  He still has many months of treatment to go in order to eliminate all TB bacteria from his body, but we are hopeful for a complete cure for him.  He is anxious to recover quickly so he can return to his family.

K.O.
(50 years old)

K.O. was enrolled in the Fall of 2011.  She has converted to negative and is doing well in her treatment.  All TB bacteria have not yet been eliminated from her system, but we are hopeful for total recovery.  Please keep her in your prayers.

K.S.

(44 years old)

K.S. was enrolled in the MDR program in the Spring of 2011.  He had a rough start to treatment but has recently converted to negative for TB. He still needs many months of treatment and monitoring before he is completely cured.  K.S. misses his family.  Please pray that he will continue with successful treatment until he is cured and can return home to them.

M.Y.
(34 years old)

M.Y. was enrolled in the Spring of 2011.  She converted to negative for TB a in the Spring of 2012 and needs to continue taking her medicine and monitoring progress for many more months until she is completely free from TB.  Please pray that her status continues as negative and that she will be able to successfully win her battle against MDR TB and return home soon.

O.C.

(29 years old)

O.C. was enrolled in the MDR program in the Spring of 2011.  He is doing really well with his treatment and has managed to maintain a negative sputum culture for the past year.  All TB bacteria are not yet eliminated from his system and he needs to keep on with his treatment for some time yet.  Please pray for a total cure for O.C.

 

S.J.

(32 years old)

S.J. was enrolled in the spring of 2011.  He is doing well with his treatment, having been able to test negative for TB for the past year.  Please pray for the successful completion of his treatment and a cure.

Dancing for Dongdaewon - Zumbalicous!

Zumba Trial Class with Melissa Bunting

Monday March 18th

5.30pm - 6.30pm

Location:  Dance Room in the UAC

5,000 won donation!

Dongdaewon Tech School - Computer Workshops

Do your kids know more than you on the computer?

Do you look on with envy as they create and develop exciting projects?

Have you ever thought ... "I wish I knew ..."

OR

"I should take some classes ..."

We have just the thing for you!

Dongdaewon Tech School is up and running and there are some awesome classes including:

• Instagram
• Backing up your files
• Modern memories 
• Twitter
• ICT
• Pininterest
• Photography ... and many more.

Check HERE for more information.  Classes start 18th March!

Learn new skills and save a life!

Patients Exiting The MDR Program

Patients exit the MDR program for three reasons.  Sadly, some patients die.  Some patients are also resistant to MDR drugs, which means that they have extreme drug resistant (XDR) TB for which there is no cure.  At present, Eugene Bell are exploring the possibilities of the development of hospice type facilities for these patients.

The best reason patients exit the MDR program is that they are cured.  Your generosity enabled them to get the medicine they needed to give them a total cure.  It is always an exciting day when patients graduate and are able to return home well to their families.  Normally a ceremony is held at the centre - and if we have made paper crane garlands, patients are presented with the crane garlands, some clothing (such as warm coats) and get to celebrate their cure.  

The graduation ceremony is often filled with mixed emotions - patients are excited to go home, but nervous as to whether they will maintain their health.  It is a scary thing to leave a place where you get care and medicine when you are sick, when many people do not have access to it.

The doctors and patients really appreciate the paper crane garlands - Ms Carpenter remembers the way that faces lit up when she opened the box of cranes made by you.  There was smiles and laughter and patients were genuinely touched that you thought of them - particularly when they were told that each crane was made by a student with wishes for their good health.  

Your cranes were used to celebrate all the graduating patients from many centres, not just our Dongdaewon patients.  This year Ms Horne met one patient (see the picture below) who when told about you making the cranes, took time to look at each one and then looked up and said that with her new health she was hoping to become a teacher.  Your simple acts of kindness touch lives!

Lets meet our patients who have exited the MDR program this past year:

Graduated

Seongwon Han 

(44 years old)

In the Spring of 2012, Seongwon was cured and able to go home to his family.  He is grateful for your support and the medicine that has cured him.

Younghee Kim

(50 years old)

Younghee was overjoyed to be cured of MDR TB in the Spring of 2012.  She has been able to return home to live a new, healthy life.  Your care and support has left a deep impression on her heart.

Seongae Lim 

(29 years old)

Seongae was also cured of MDR TB in the Spring of 2012.  The money that you raised purchased the medicine that made her well.  She is grateful beyond words for your support.

Discontinued

Woncheol Jang 

(44 years old)

Woncheol has had a long battle with TB – he has been in treatment for many years.  Last year he converted to negative for TB but unfortunately he was not able to maintain that and has XDR TB for which there is no cure.  He was discontinued as a patient in Spring 2012.

Okkyung Ri 

(22 years old)

Unfortunately Okkyung has not responded to treatment and has had to be discontinued from the program in the fall of 2012.  She was grateful for the opportunity to have a chance at treatment.  Please pray for her and her family.

Deceased

Gwangsoo Han 

(48 years old)

Sadly we found out in the fall of 2012 that Gwangsoo recently passed away.  Unfortunately there was no cure for Gwangsoo.  EB tell us that Gwangsoo died knowing that he was cared for.  Never under-estimate the power of hope that your caring and love instills in the EB patients.