Break-up is a word used here in Alaska to signify the end of winter and the beginning of our summer. Summer is close when the snow and ice begin to melt. The sun is higher in the sky and everyone has a smile. The river ice “breaks-up” and the deep green waters appear again.It is a time out get out the bikes and jet ski’s. Tison got in full swing with his first ride on the bike at the Johnson’s. He is just having a great...

Tison had an appointment with his surgeon today. He is doing well following his second surgery. The graft on his left ankle is healing nicely. The big toe on the same foot setting well. It was a positive report and the next step in his progress was set.Tison has a radiant smile and it will only get better. He will have plastic surgery to his face in about two weeks. That smile will get better and brighter.His English language skill are really...

When I first saw him in February I was not sure he would even live another day. He was very frail and sick. He was a throw away child–just like the other children we have in our care. He was born at our hospital and was unwanted. I was told by Peter Scarborough that they had named him. His name was Carl. I took a long look at him and wondered if little Carl would even live.I got a report that his caretaker, Ribka, was doing a great job in...

Tison has his left leg elevated following his second surgery. This is a real restriction to his active lifestyle. He went from snowboarding and sledding to having to put his leg on a pillow–does not seem fair.The skin graft came from the upper left leg. The surgeon put him under sedation on Monday to remove the wrapping and to inspect the graft. He came out of the surgery room very pleased at the condition of the graft. The graft is still...

He was asking for water following his second surgery. Tison did very well in the three hours he was in the operating room. The pin that was inserted in the thumb of his right hand during the first surgery was removed. The surgeon cleaned up some scar tissue that will vastly improve the range of motion on his legs and realigned the big toe on the left foot. A graft of skin was removed from his upper leg and used to repair the toe.This is a big...

Tison was sick last month when he was scheduled for his second surgery. He will have this surgery on Thursday. He is ready (red-ee) for this next step. He likes the word ready–but he pronounces it red-ee. This was one of the first words he learned. We would ask him, “Are you ready?” He would say, “Red-ee”. Now, he better be ready for this surgery.This is an important process for him. He will have his left foot...

March 4 will be a big day for Tison. He will have his second surgery since arriving in Alaska. He was sick when his second surgery was originally scheduled. It was rescheduled and the countdown begins. This is a very important surgery because the surgeon will work on removing the contractures on the left ankle. This will hopefully allow his foot resume the normal flat position. He has been walking on the side of his foot since the burn...

It seems like Tison loves going down hill. He has adapted to the winter in Alaska very well. Who would have thought a child who knows only sandy beaches and tropical weather, would feel so at home in the snow. His host family has made it possible for him to enjoy sledding, snow machining, and snowboarding.I have watched Tison play soccer for hours in Indonesia, even with his disabilities. Soccer is really a popular sport in Indonesia. He told...

We all walked into the surgery center at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital early in the morning on February 4. Tison had picked up a cold over night. That was not a good sign for the scheduled surgery. The nurse came into the pre-op room and took his vitals and expressed a little concern but said the decision to have the surgery was up to the Anaesthesiologist. We waited for a while and then the Anaesthesiologist came in and in a short time he made...

Tison has been very active since he came to Fairbanks. The Johnson’s, his host family, have made many opportunities for him to enjoy the fun activities of Alaska. In Indonesia, Tison’s father is a fisherman, in the remote region of North Maluku. Tison talks about his father and the fish he catches, now he is also catching fish. It is very different when you can drive on the lake and drill a hole in the two feet thick ice and put...