A Stroke Victim

WB, a long-time personal friend, an avid basket ball player and fan, a PhD ('95, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities), and an IT Specialist in the Upper-Midwest, suffered a series of incapacitating strokes in his Woodbury apartment late last July. With no family in the U.S. and no personal resource, WB has since stayed in a health care facility, under the legal guardianship-conservatorship of the local county. Other than medications, he has received no treatment or therapy for months. His long-term prospect of rehabilitation is poor.

It is devastating to see a man of his caliber having been reduced to his current status. His physical, language and other life skills are comparable to those of 1-yr-olds. He is physically more feeble than his mother in her 90s, mentally more depressed than one can imagine possible, and intellectually unreachable behind the façade of physical and speech disabilities.

WB has his mother, all siblings and their children in China, who have repeatedly expressed their strong desire to have him rejoin them. I recently visited them and was very moved by their love for WB and for their commitment to care him on their own. “Nothing matters but flesh-n-blood kinship” was their refrain. I also visited with some of WB’s long-time local friends there. Their reactions were shock, disbelief, sadness, and sympathy. They inevitably cited the widely-held belief that the falling leaf shall return to its roots. They recalled stories of WB being an extremely generous man. They pledged to provide active social support to WB and his family.

The sentiment of his family is apparently shared by WB. After back to the U.S., I went to see him. I described thus in an email:

He seemed soundly asleep when I walked in. I tidied the place up a bit before sitting down next to him on his bed. I held up an 8½"-by-11" photo of his mom and his younger sister in front of his face. He suddenly had his eyes wide open, seemingly studying the photo. As his eyes didn't brink while maintaining a blank stare and a motionless expression for quite a while, I was not sure whether he was actually awake. So I moved the photo a bit, and his irides moved accordingly, following the photo. As I took time to show him more photos of his clan, his eyes began to turn pink and well up with tears. I told him about my visits with his folks and with some of his long-time friends... He seemed to be absorbing every word of mine. I told him that all of them missed him badly and wished to have him back... I asked him whether he wanted to go live there, and he nodded firmly. It is indeed a sad contrast to see him lying in bed alone, extremely frail and wearing nothing but a diaper under a sheet, after having just visited so many of his loving and loved ones…

It is the opinion of WB’s medical team that joining his family would be the best for him. In fact, his greatest progresses in walking and in talking came at his closest friends’ respective first visits. Re-uniting with his loved ones may, just may, trigger some major rehabilitation. Further, he will be able to get help from traditional medical practices that are not available here.

WB is a U.S. permanent resident (greencard holder). He has lived and worked in the U.S. for 20+ years, the prime of his life, paying social security and other taxes as required. Because of bilateral agreements (or lack thereof) between the U.S. and his citizenship country, if he leaves the U.S. permanently, he will lose his disability and other benefits, except that he will receive social security retirement fund upon reaching his 62nd birthday. He will not qualify for any benefit from his citizenship country because he has made no contribution there (just as here one must earn a certain number of credits to qualify for social security payments).

To have WB re-united with his family will need about $20,000 beyond their means. That amount covers the travel cost of WB and a companion (a must), plus some of his living, caring and medical expenses before the arrival of his monthly social security checks. His family will still have to bear the bulk of burden by providing him with free housing, free labor of love, etc.

On behalf of his family, his friends and his legal guardian-conservator, I appeal to you to make a generous donation by clicking here or the orange “Donate” button in this blog. To reach the $20,000 goal, the suggested giving amount is $100-$1000, although any amount will be deeply appreciated. Please note that the recipient will be credited for your donation less a fee of 2.9%+$0.30 charged for online transaction. Alternatively, you may choose to send a personal check to: China Tribune, 566 N Snelling Ave, St. Paul, MN 55104, payable to the order of: Chinese Social Service Center, with "Donation for Wanbin Lu" written on the comment line. Either way, Chinese Social Service Center will provide you with a receipt, and the donation is tax deductible.

I invite you to pose questions, write comments, or share your thoughts under this post or via email. From time to time I will post updates on WB, in part as a way of reporting back to you on the fruit of your generosity.

Thank you in advance for your kind consideration.