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Bodhi Seeds in Rumtek, Sikkim, India
Bodhi Seeds in Legon, Sichuan, China
$10-$20 per month would help a great deal On your behalf, Bodhi Seeds will personally bring the message with your name or anonymously to the people of these communities, and let them know that by generous Bodhi Seeds donors from all over the world, they will receive much needed health care and education. Won't you please consider a recurring donation of $10-$20 per month or more for the salaries of these two doctors for Legon?
 In July (please see July 11 post) , Bodhi Seeds set out to help a Tibetan nun living in Legon, Tibet named Ani Lhaga. She needed $11,000 to pay for hip replacement surgery. With the aspirations of people from across the world, that goal has been reached.
Acharya Tashi called Lama Ajo and told him that money is available for his sister's new hip. She will go to Chengdu to have the best techniques applied by the best surgeons for the best outcome. In seeking to help Ani Lhaga, men and women from Canada, the United States, Hong Kong, the Republic of China, the People's Republic of China, Romania, France, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom have all joined together to make this possible. The fact is Ani Lhaga is a complete stranger to every donor; nonetheless, this generosity has been shown her. There must be an empathic connection beyond the specifics of the person that once felt, bridges any apparent obstacles to giving.  The Focus of Our Concern Sadly, I just heard that one of Legon's residents has died. Of all the home visits we made, we spent the greatest amount of time with her. Speaking barely above a whisper, she tried to pull something from us that I don't think we could have provided. I think she just wanted her will to return, her will to do things that would have made it possible for her to continue to live. But, she was immobilized and frozen. She had stopped eating and had stopped keeping a fire in the house.
We asked the right questions: was there family (yes, two young children, a brother), could the community help (no more than it had already done), what had worked in the past, etc. She had been hospitalized for a diagnosis of depression in the past, but whatever gains were made were soon lost and she always returned to this vegetative-like state. Perhaps there was some underlying disorder that was the cause of this horrible situation, this psychological paresis. Maybe she had some metabolic disorder. I remember once being asked to consult on a woman who stopped talking and stopped taking care of herself. She was suffering from extremely low calcium. But certainly, the hospital doctors would have worked these things up. Doctors as far back as the nineteenth century may have called this "aboulia", a disease of the brain involving the frontal lobes, or perhaps the basal ganglia. We don't know. In the end, I'm not sure of the cause of her death. Was it depression? Did she die of suicide? Was this a result of brain injury? Her children, what would become of them? Lama la asked if Bodhi Seeds could help. How? Ahh...My heart wishes there could have been a different outcome.  Monks and Lay Community in Rumtek clinic Bodhi Seeds helps create infrastructure in the way of clinic structures and employment for locals. It is involved with populations that are at high risk for tuberculosis infection and disease. When tuberculosis strikes these communities, individuals often require special attention, sometimes additional diagnostic and follow up treatment, nutritional support and even isolation while they are infectious. Bodhi Seeds sends money to help these folks. When it does, it helps not only the individual, but their families and friend as these measures help diminish the spread of the disease.
Here's a follow up from Rumtek, Sikkim, India. The letter is from a resident of the community who was at high risk for tuberculosis, not only because of where she was living, but because of the additional risk factor of her chronic medical illness. She developed multi-drug resistant tuberculosis and required specialists in Delhi to help her treat the disease. Bodhi Seeds helped with the expenses of travel and treatment. "Hello Dr Don, Tashi Delek to you and your wife. I am very glad to share an update with you. I went to Delhi for routine checkup. My x ray and liver function test reports came out normal now. My doctor himself was glad too. Injectable Kanamycin was stopped this time. Cycloserine was stoped in January. He said in a few more months I will complete my medicine course. I thank you and Bodhi Seeds for the help done for me. Will ever remain grateful. Thank you No doubt, this person is alive because of the support she's received from Bodhi Seeds. Please consider becoming a sustaining member of Bodhi Seeds to enable us to continue this work. A monthly contribution in any amount helps us greatly. Click here to donate, and many thanks http://www.bodhiseeds.org/generosity.html
When we met Ani Lhaga, she appeared as a bright and gentle person. Only when she stood could we know what difficulties she was in. At the time and currently, she is carefully attended by women of the village and by her devoted brother, Lama Ajok. But, now, we know that they all desire that she be free of pain and be able to continue with her life. Without your help, her chance for this will be over since the recent x-rays show that the damage is close to being irreparable. The current recommendation is that the hip can still be replaced. The operation will be done in Chengdu, China, and will cost $11,000. This will cover surgical fees, medicine fees, transportation from Legon to Chengdu, and food and lodging in Chengdu for her caregivers during the hospitalization and rehabilitation periods. Please donate to this worthy cause. This drive is through Bodhi Seeds, an arm of Nalandabodhi, 501c3. Click "generosity" in the header to donate . We would like to raise $11,000 by July 31, 2015. A short biography and thought for Ani Lhaga:
“As for the sangha of the great yana, they enter completely. They enter insightfully. They enter straightforwardly. They enter harmoniously. They are worthy of veneration with joined palms. They are worthy of receiving prostration. They are a field of glorious merit. They are completely capable of receiving all gifts.”
For me, Ani Lhaga is a member of that great sangha. Please help our sister; it will be a great blessing for everyone when she is walking and able to practice again free of pain. |
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