May 30 Lady The (Katie)

From Son's grave, we went to visit her mother, Lady The. At 96 years old, she looked fresh as a daisy... freshly bathed, hair brushed and pulled back in a headband, pretty earrings, bracelet and necklace, and clean pretty clothes. It was 50 years ago, when she was 46 years old, that she gave the nod to my father, silently giving the 19-year-old American solider permission to carry away her wounded daughter.

Lady The was given a fan for her bedroom, food, vitamins, and money for food. Like Thua, she's been taking her vitamins regularly and said that they make her feel much better. Kira handed out candy that we brought to the children. In previous years, Lady The used a wooden walking stick to help her get around. We saw that she is now using a strong metal cane with a handle and footed-base that provides more stability than her stick offered.

My father's plan is to return to visit her again in ten months.

You Can See Her New Cane Beside Her


An Appreciative Lady The Holding the Money for Food


Kira Handing Out Candy



A New Fan for The's Bedroom








Lady The Saying Goodbye

Comments

  1. GmanMay 30, 2018 at 5:24 PM

    Katie, keep up the great blogs and pictures. Kira looks like she's having a very good trip.
    Grandpa, how are you holding up with the 100+ temperatures? Man, it has to be HOT!
    Lady The is looking great for 96.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Neil HannanJune 1, 2018 at 10:00 PM

      It is hot, hot, hot with super high humidity. I'm holding up OK... with the help of refreshments. Lady The says that the vitamins that we have been providing the last several years has helped immensely. She looks better now than she did a couple years ago!

      Delete
  2. UnknownJune 1, 2018 at 11:21 PM

    Beautiful lady. That's awesome that you've had this connection with her.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

June 22 Lucky Girls (Katie)

Image
Kira and I are so fortunate to have had the opportunity to join my father for this year’s visit of compassion in Vietnam. It was an eye-opening, educational, and rewarding experience for both of us. Though there are other things I am proud of him for, his humanitarian work in Vietnam is one for which I am most proud. I’m not able to comprehend fully to what extent, but I know that there is always a degree of difficulty in returning to Vietnam after his haunting 1968 experience. It takes a uniquely strong soul to prevail over those memories and emotions and keep returning to create happiness and healing in the sites that held such horror. Last night at our lodging in Anchorage, I walked into the dining room to find Kira telling a child and her mother about the people that her Grandpa helps. She spoke with such obvious pride that I had to smile. She had answers to whatever questions they threw at her as well. This has been a month that she will always remember. I’m gr...
Read more

June 28 Experience of a Lifetime (Neil)

Image
I always experience a decompression, or deflation, period following return trips to Vietnam. It takes some days to get back on track, even with the demands of the homestead staring me in face. It's a process... There is no topping the 2018 Vietnam trip. This recent journey, with its challenges and successes, was exceptional in that it was a three-generational endeavor. Katie and 10-year-old Kira were impressive on all levels. Their input, support, and drive throughout cannot be overstated..."above and beyond the call." Katie kept me in focus, tolerated my erratic moods, and basically carried the ball with respect to keeping the blog up-to-date. Her posts were insightful and informative, prompting numerous laudatory blog and email comments...even phone calls.  Kira hung in there like a trooper, always ready for action. She didn't just "tag along", as one might expect from someone her age. Her eyes and ears were open, displaying a maturity beyond her years....
Read more

June 21 Our Final Hours (Katie)

Image
We avoided our hotel like the plague during our final 24 hours in Vietnam. It was our last chance to soak up as much Vietnamese culture as we could before heading back to Alaska, and we'd be darned if  we were going to spend that time cooped up in our room. The evening before take-off, we took about an hour walk through the streets of Saigon (admittedly, the length was due in part to a couple wrong turns I may have made) and found ourselves back at the Backpacker's District where we enjoyed a couple Saigon beers and I splurged on an $8 60-minute massage. Later, we had dinner at the Ben Thanh Street Food Market, where there was live local music and dozens of individual little food stands with oodles of ready-to-order food options... the choices were almost overwhelming. My Dad and Kira at the Ben Thanh Street Food Market The next morning, as we didn't have to leave for the airport until 3:00pm, we ventured out once more, first meandering through the maze of the B...
Read more