Wind Song Journal

Felix, thanks for taking care of my website. Nice to hear from you! On Sunday, I played in a badminton doubles tournament at a professional club called the Golden Gate Badminton Club. It was a great event. There were four levels: A,B,C/D (combined.) I entered the lowest flight, but my team was quickly beaten in the first match, 15-2, 15-7, and then we went to the consolation round. Even though I got in some good moves, we lost the first consolation round, too. I had trouble catching my breath, so I played up front while my partner, Anna Dang, ran around in the back. It was tough playing against such good players, and the experience really humbled me. At first I felt disappointed at how far I have to go, but now I am motivated to get stronger and better at the sport. Looking back, I realize that it was an accomplishment to just participate, be able to play the games, and not get sick in the process and have to drop out. Before the competition, I was worried about disappointing my partner. For someone who has excelled at sports in the past, it is a hard reality that my body is not up to competition level among able-bodied athletes. Maybe the Transplant Games will be different. We will see…, Stacey, from Belmont

Felix, thanks for the hint! As usual, Felix has been doing some incredible athletic feats himself, such as climbing the face of Half-Dome and doing 200-mile cycling events. Check out his website blog at w w w. felixwong.com (without the spaces.) At this point in my life, connections with people are very important. I hope it will always be this way, but I know once I get better I will have a job and less time to spend with people. Last week I had the pleasure of going on a memorable picnic to Twin Pines Park with Rhona. It was a happy discovery to find a little park so close to my house. Rhona spread out some towels on the picnic table in the woods and laid out the meal…tofu, sesame green beans, red cabbage and vinnegar, rice cakes, fuji apples, and ginger tea! I was very impressed at her thoughtfulness and good taste in food! Stacey, from Belmont

Exciting news…Beth Rodden and Tommy Caldwell free climbed the Nose, one of the hardest big wall routes in history! Tommy then free climbed the route in 12 hours two days later. Check it out: #@*%!climbing.com/news/thenosefree/ As most of you know, Lynn Hill was the first person to free the Nose in 1993. She returned in 1994 to climb it in a day, a feat so hard that has not been repeated until last week. If you are interested in an autographed copy of Lynn’s video, “Free-climbing the Nose” ($16) or her book, “Climbing Free: My Life in the Vertical World,” ($20) please e-mail me at [email protected]. All proceeds will go towards the National Transplant Assistance Fund for my medical expenses and will be tax-deductible. Stacey

Abby, it’s great to hear from you! Thank you for stopping by the site. I went to a TRIO (Transplant Recipients International Organization) meeting and there a woman spoke who had a heart/double lung transplant 18 years ago! She is doing quite well and is busy organizing events for the community. I have been very busy with classes and rehab. There are good days and bad days. On the good days, I am making gains and personal bests. I am up to 9′ 11″ in the long jump! On bad days, I am still getting sick in the mornings. Stacey, from Belmont

On Monday, I also attended a support group at Stanford Hospital for patients with LAM. People from all over California attended, since Stanford is one of the few LAM centers in the world. A nutritionist and pulmonologist spoke about strategies for reducing the growth of smooth muscle cells and reducing the amount of fluid build-up in the lungs by taking in certain nutrients and limiting grams of fat. It was encouraging that there is some research happening for LAM and the search for the cure goes on. Stacey, from Belmont

After the social activities all week, by Sunday I was exhausted. I was able to teach a private lesson, but then I went over to my aunt’s house with the intention of studying for my computer class for many hours. After studying just a little bit, I took a long nap instead. Monday, I talked to the Financial Aid Director at the College of San Mateo, and she helped me apply for the Board of Governor’s Fee Waiver, so my college classes are all free now! With this new price, I became very academically motivated and signed up for full-time classes this next quarter. Tuesday afternoon, I climbed with Rob and Marci, and even though I was tired it felt satisfying to work on some harder routes. With some cheating, I worked my way up a 5.10d and really enjoyed the bad holds. It is a good way to get a real workout. I also got on a 5.10b overhang, but by that time I was already tired and needed to rest a lot by hanging on the rope in-between the moves. This method of working your way up a route is called “hang-dogging.” In the 1980’s, there was a big debate over climbing style. The traditionalists regarded “hang-dogging” as cheating. For them, the only pure way to climb a route would be to complete it from the ground, not hang on the rope to rest or inspect holds. This issue caused major controversy within the climbing community. Eventually, hang-dogging became an acceptable way of practicing and climbing routes; a way of extending the possibilities of difficulty level and gymnastic style in the sport. Stacey, from Belmont