Blog
The Afterglow
Tison opened each gift with what can only be called–pure joy. He was as excited and joyous for everyone who got to open a gift at our home, for his first American Christmas. It was like the best day you can imagine.When the dust settled he got three movies. He kept saying moobee. He loved the remote control car and mastered it in a short time. Our dog does not appreciate the car but Tison is enjoying the small things.We do not have a date on his first surgery–but it could happen quickly. Meanwhile, he is enjoying moobees and his...
read moreMooBee
English is not an easy language to master. If you come from a remote island in a far off corner of Indonesia, you will not hear English spoken. You may not even hear Bahasa Indonesia (official language) spoken either, because many of these people speak only their local dialect. Tison comes from one of these places and has done very well in his first weeks in America.We just love the way he asks to see a movie–he calls it MooBee. He is now counting on his own in English and thinks the number eight is funny, because it also means (ate) I...
read moreAn Indonesian Taco
The adjustment to American food has and will be a test for Tison. He is doing pretty good but still looks at us like–you are going to eat THAT. We had one of my favorite meals tonight–my wife’s moose taco dinner. She serves a flour tortilla that fits nicely on a plate. We had all the regulars–sour cream, onions, jalapenos, tomatoes, lettuce, moose meat mixed with re-fried beans, and cheese. She added a dish of cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, grapes and bananas. We have also learned to keep a large bowl of white rice within...
read moreThe Strange Cold World
It just snowed and Tison went outside for some fun. He is in a very strange place with snow and crazy people who enjoy the outside. This is a place where your eye brows and eye lashes can frost in the cold. It happens quickly and you hardly even notice it.Tison will be looking at his first surgery very soon. He has an open would on his right shin and it will need to be closed with skin grafting. He has had fun adjusting to his new home and getting to know the Johnson’s, his host family. Once the surgeries begin he will be reminded of...
read moreSnow, Tears and Hope
Tison has hit the road running. He had to first get settled in his host family. Dr. Greg and Sue Johnson have opened their arms, hearts and home to him. He not only has his American Mom and Dad, in Greg and Sue, but he has a big brother in their son Andrew. In many ways, Andrew was the person who got this rescue started. Andrew met Tison on a trip to Indonesia in March of 2009. Andrew and his father joined a dental team from Alaska that went to our base in North Maluku, Indonesia. Andrew met Tison and built a bond with him and never forgot...
read moreFinally Here
Tison finally arrived in Fairbanks. He wore a big smile and walked into the arrival area to about 25 people welcoming him to his new home. He was joined by Hendra, his escort and translator, for the over 30 hours of travel since Jakarta. He actually took three days to get from our medical base to Jakarta–so he has been traveling a long time.It has taken a mountain of work to get him to Fairbanks. I am amazed at how many good people we have in our community. There are many who have contributed to making this day and the next year a life...
read moreThankful
We just celebrated Thanksgiving here in America. We went to our friends home and enjoyed a big turkey dinner and lots of laughs. We sat together around the table following the meal and each of use spoke about the things we were thankful for.Tison has not sat around a table to list the things he would be thankful for. I know he is going to be entering the most important year of his young life. He is ten years old and his year of transformation will be 2010. What a year this will be for him–he does not know, he is coming to live in a very...
read moreVisa Awarded
The U.S. Embassy in Jakarta has awarded Tison and Hendra a visa to come to the U.S. This is really good news for all of us–many people have worked on making this possible. This is a major step forward. Tison and Hendra, his escort, will be in Alaska sometime in the second week of December. This will be a wonderful year for Tison–he will be given all the medical treatment needed to repair his burn injuries. Tison will be going to private school while he is here. He will learn a lot and make some friends. I want to thank everyone...
read moreGreat News
I wanted to update all of you on the progress in the effort to get Tison to Alaska for the medical help being offered to him. Tison is burned over 40% of his body and has suffered a lot following the kerosene spill accident. He is so brave and has been living with his disabilities. The amazing Liz Wood, surgical nurse and unstoppable advocate, has been the coordinator of the medical effort to treat his injures. She has been successful in finding the medical team to help him and always wildly optimistic. Dr. Greg and Susan Johnson and their...
read moreOne Step at aTime
Yes–it seems like getting Tison to the U.S. is just a small step at a time. Tison’s parents were able to find a Notary who would sign the “power of attorney”. The problem that was confronted was to find a Notary who could sign an English document (POA). The Indonesian Notary would not notarize a document that they did not understand. We had the original document translated into Indonesian and we had a translator on site to assist the Notary and instruct Tison’s family.This is just another step closer to the goal...
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