Lee Ho Sing Yee (From Vancouver) Occupation: Retired Businesswoman
As a result of an accidental fall in 1996, injuring my neck, back and limbs, I had serious insomnia for half a year due to the pain caused by the injury sustained. In the recent years, I had a combination of health problems, including hyper-thyrhoidism, stomach and bowel problems, nerves bundle syndrome of the wrists, dryness syndrome (dryness of ears, nose, and throat, as well as skin), and the chronic and “incurable” illness of rheumatoid arthritis, causing a decline in my immunity system.
In April 2003, in a regular check-up, an abnormal shadow was found in my breast. Upon a biopsy, it was confirmed to be Stage 3b breast cancer. After consultation with the medical specialist, it was decided that I should have a mastectomy – the removal of the whole breast as well as 13 lymph nodes. Fortunately I did not need to have radiotherapy or chemotherapy, but I needed to take medicine for five years. Possibly due to the decline in my immunity, the nerves bundle syndrome of my wrists became more prominent with swelling, inflammation, and severe pain, so much so that I couldn’t even write or move my wrists. So another specialist had to arrange two operations to widen the nerve bundle vessels so that the nerves can run normally.
Having had to undergo six different surgical operations, big and small, in one year’s time was something that I couldn’t have expected. What were causing the most excruciating pain were my swollen knee caps, and toe and finger joints. Morning stiffness made it very difficult for my limbs to move, so much so that I could not look after myself, and needed close attendance by my family for my daily activities. I had tried western and Chinese medicine, acupuncture, acuthermal therapy, massage, physiotherapy, etc. At that time, I could only use western medicine to temporarily reduce the inflammation and the pain, and physiotherapy to improve the agility of my limbs. All of the doctors said that rheumatoid arthritis cannot be completely cured. All they can do is to try to slow down the rate of deterioration and keep the pain down to the minimal.
Owing to my handicap in physical exercise, it was undesirable for me to move about too much or to do strenuous exercise in order to avoid aggravating the arthritis conditions. So when my daughter suggested that I should take advantage of my trip back to Hong Kong to learn Taiji Five Elements Self Recovery Program (TFESRP) in the World Institute for Self-Healing (WISH), I was quite lukewarm and skeptical. Can my illnesses be cured so simply? With so many health problems all over my body, I couldn’t even stand up for too long. Furthermore, in my visit to Hong Kong, prior arrangements had already been made for visits to China, and the TFESRP course schedule did not fit into my traveling schedule too well. However, I eventually took up the course under strong encouragement from my daughter and staunch support from my husband who also joined the course to accompany me. (In the summer of 2003, my husband all of a sudden lost the hearing of his right ear completely. For his left ear, only one third of his hearing is retained. So he could not follow what was said in class, and he had to study the notes the day before to enable better understanding).
As the course that I would like to enroll in was full, a special arrangement was made for me to attend the fourth, fifth and sixth classes of the course first in November, and the first three sessions of the course in December after I returned from my trip to China. This arrangement also fitted in my return to Vancouver. What I found pleasing was that after the second session of the course, my body already showed some positive response. I was able to sleep with my right limbs lying flat in bed without needing to put a cushion under my knee cap. I used to need to use six pillows to cushion different parts of my body to reduce the pain in lying down.
WISH President Christina Chiu explained how illnesses were formed, supporting her explanation with scientific underpinning and medical cases, and expounded how this set of TFESRP can enhance our self-healing power, using a succinct and light-hearted approach, which further reinforced my confidence in practice. Now the swelling of my right knee cap and right wrist has subsided, and so has the pain. When I walk up and down staircases, my joints don’t make any more cracking noise. The tissues around the surgical wound of my lymph node operation have become much softer than before. Furthermore, even my dryness syndrome (dryness of eyes and mouth) has improved, and there is improvement in my sleeping as well as stomach and bowel problems.
It has been less than a month since we have returned to Vancouver, and I continue to practice TFESRP for three hours a day. Although there have been responses of old health problems being “revisited” again, there is general improvement over my health conditions compared with last year. Last week I went back to the Rheumatology Department for a check-up, and the specialist after examination said, “Compared with the check-up three months ago, the swelling in your joints has already subsided, and there is good progress in your rheumatoid conditions!”
The family doctor who learned that I am practising TFESRP also encouraged me to keep up with the practice. All these positive responses have reinforced my confidence in TFESRP. I firmly believe that this inconceivable series of qi-gong practice can enhance my immunity system and I will be able to live healthily and more happily from now on!
Let me wish everybody health, peace and happiness in this New Year!
12 April 2005
(Special thanks to WISH volunteer Mdm Wanda Lau for her kind translation of the original text)
