Last Night in China

Our last full day here has come to an end. All day today I felt a little off. I was sad in a way to leave all these wonderful people (Adele, patients & some staff) but I know that I should've been happy. It was just a weird feeling. Our life for the last 37 days has been full of adventure, boredom, happiness, tears, laughter, disgust, frustration.....but we have never regretted coming here. People ask "Are you glad you came?" Absolutely! We came here and did what we set out to do.... Improve Brandon's sight. We are also leaving here with newly formed friendships from all over the world which is an added bonus. All the patients & families here have one thing in common - stem cell therapy. It's that common bond that has made us almost like family here. It doesn't matter where you're from or what your social background is, we all came here with hope for a brighter future. We leave tomorrow with not only that but ever lasting bonds with others here with the same dream. It's hard to say goodbye to some of them because in reality, we may never see each other again. I think that's why it's so bitter sweet for us. Brandon asked if we could take Adele home with us. I certainly wish we could. She's an amazing girl with a bright future. I just hope her future doesn't include staying here. We are hoping to return next year for another round of treatments & hopefully we'll see her again. Today Adele went with us to the RT Mart for the final time. I had to stock up on some candy that I've become hopelessly addicted to. We also stopped at Brandon's favorite place....KFC. It was nice to get out after being coped up in the hospital for the last few days. I regret not going to some places that I had planned on going but that's ok. We saw more than I expected and we did have quite an adventure. Photo's: 1st - Brandon & Adele outside of KFC & the RT Mart. 2nd - Brandon's home away from home - KFC. 3rd - We went to this market today about 30 minute drive from the hospital. On the surface all looked nice however they have these narrow alley ways that are littered with trash & packed full of people. They were cooking in the alley so this horrible stench from the street vendors was hard to ignore. One vendor was selling meat on a stick that looked similar to a hot dog but I guarantee it wasn't a hot dog! Brandon said "ohh what's that?" Through clenched teeth (because of the smell) all I could say is "Keep moving!!" Like the meat didn't smell like any meat I have ever had or seen. I wish I had taken a picture of it but all I could think of was to get out of the area as quickly as possible. 4th - Another view of the market. Pictures 3 & 4 were taken in the neat area of the market.