The day had finally arrived and a tired but excited group of friends, old and new, gathered at the Richardson Airport at 4:30 a.m. What is even more impressive than our ability to adhere to such an early morning start was the number of pieces of luggage in tow, each person carrying one bag with our personal belongings and another filled with medical equipment needed for our symposium. The months leading up to this day had been busy back and forth compiling a list with the necessary equipment for our mission under the careful coordination of Chau Pham, who is our team lead. The week before our departure, it was determined how we could package these items and who would take which suitcase. Now our team members had assembled at the airport planning to cross international borders with suitcases containing airway heads, ultrasounds, cardiac monitors, and pelvic manikins for simulated childbirth – all very exciting things to explain to customs officers once we arrive. As we checked our bags, Chau flew from counter to counter, ensuring there were no issues with our check-in and applying a generous number of ‘fragile’ stickers to ensure gentle handling of our precious cargo.
We successfully check in and pass through security. Before our first leg of the race – Winnipeg to Vancouver – we caffeinate appropriately and gather for the first group picture of our journey.
And maybe this is a good time to introduce our team!
From left to right:
Tieng Pham – Father of Chau Pham
Darlene Lindsay – Mission Coordinator, Mother of Chau Pham
Thu Pham – Mission Coordinator, Mother of Chau Pham
Sébastien La Rivière – son of Chau and Christian La Rivière (CLR)
Dr. Chau Pham – Emergency Physician, Team Lead
Dr. Christian La Rivière – Emergency, Palliaitve Care Physcian
Gabriel La Rivière – son of Chau and CLR
Dr. Stephanie Johnston – Obstetrician
Dr. Lisa Bryski – Emergency Physician
Dr. Anne Sutherland – Emergency Resident
Brent Bekiaris – Advanced Care Paramedic STARS
(me) Sarah Painter – Registered Nurse STARS, Children’s ER
Dr. Stasa Veroukis – Pediatric Intensivist
Now please keep in mind that this is not even the whole team! There will be new friends joining us over the next few days whom I will introduce as they arrive.
Our 30-hour odyssey begins as we board the plane and head to the west coast. The first part of this trip is the shortest. It seems bizarre to me that the flight to Vancouver normally seems very lengthy when I’m just traveling within Canada. However, on this morning, it is a 2.5-hour portion of our total journey. I know that it is a lay-up compared to what lies ahead.
As our plane arrives at our destination, I observe our Canadian custom of disembarking the flight row by row with calmness and due procedure. I find myself thinking that this is the last airplane that I will leave in this manner until I return back home.
After arriving in Vancouver, we assemble at our next gate and await the flight to Hong Kong airport.
And we pick up a new friend.
Ladies and Gentlemen – please welcome Dr. Hareishun Shanmuganathan – Emergency Paediatrics Physician
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Yeah that was basically me.
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We arrive in Vietnam with luck on our side, as all luggage has made it to our final destination. We separate it into medical and personal, and proceed to the exit.
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And off we go to Hong Kong! Just a brief 13-hour flight. Very straight forward. An interesting blend of needing to sleep, hoping to begin to adjust to the massive time change, eating sodium-rich airline food, trying to avoid significant water intake in order to prevent excessive disruptions to neighbours, and ongoing concern about DVTs and PEs. Man does time ever fly when you’re having fun.
Once safely arrived at our destination, we have a few hours to enjoy the Hong Kong airport – an impressive structure with shopping, restaurants, and fun for all. Our group disperses for a short time as we tend to our own individual needs. I already knew what I would be doing long before arriving.
In Hong Kong, weary travelers are able to pay money for the gift of a shower. This was a tip that I had picked up on my way to Australia a couple of years ago. “A luxury once enjoyed becomes necessity” I believe the saying goes. After more than 24 hours of transit time, I felt it was absolutely necessary to pursue. Stephanie agrees that she too is interested in the life-changing properties of a shower and we charge through the airport searching for this Holy Grail. We locate the Plaza Premium Plus area with the grand hopes of rejuvenation before us. Indeed, they still offered this service. The menu states a cost of $200 HK. I ask the man at the counter how many US dollars that would be. He thinks about it quite a bit and replies $20. We all agree that this is a fair price, but he is now motioning to another woman who seems to work here. I lean over to Steph and mention that $20 is probably the maximum that I’d pay for such luxury. Any more than that and I’d feel it’s not worth it. The woman approaches the counter and corrects the price – it is actually $27USD. Damn it. But I couldn’t bear to part with my dream. I had already imagined myself there in my mind. We both pay the fee and head to our lovely little private bathroom. Money is no object when your destiny is on the line.
Ladies and Gentlemen, a $27 USD shower in the Hong Kong Airport features the following benefits:
- Being alone for an entire 30-45 minutes
- An exquisite rain shower head
- Toiletries including a comb, single use toothbrush, soap, and shampoo
- Fresh towels
- A bottle of water
- Sanity
Do you remember those Herbal Essences commercials from back in the day?
Yeah that was basically me.
After our rejuvenating showers, we found a restaurant and capped off the experience with a curry noodle soup. Level of relaxation: maximum.
Our final leg of the race was a relatively short zip over to Ho Chi Minh City, a total of 2.5 hours. Compared to the last flight, this was a slam-dunk for our group.
Let’s hear it for our traveling babes!! I nominate them as MVPs!
We arrive in Vietnam with luck on our side, as all luggage has made it to our final destination. We separate it into medical and personal, and proceed to the exit.
Walking into a wall of humid air, we find a pleasant group of family and friends of Chau and her parents. They have worked incredibly hard on their end to facilitate our journey. There are two buses waiting. One accompanied by Dr. Trung Pham (no relation to Chau et al.) – the Medical Director of the hospital where our medical symposium will be held in Long Xuyen. The other is our group’s bus with a driver who will be transporting us around Vietnam throughout the next couple of weeks. Part of this group is the gracious Thanh Nguyen, long time friend of Thu Pham and retired teacher. Thanh leads the Retired Teacher’s Association of An Giang, which is the direct lead of CHKV in Vietnam. Thanh and others oversee the application process for families of children hoping for sponsorship, organize the bicycle donation, and provide administration to the charity here in Vietnam. There has been an overwhelming amount of work done on this side to help our mission come to this country. We are very grateful for these contributions.
After the luggage has been loaded, our group of jet-lagged teammates piles onto the bus. It is 2:00 a.m. in Ho Chi Minh City. It is 11:00 a.m. in Winnipeg – 1 day. We have been traveling for 30 hours. It’s time for bed.
We make our way to our first hotel to check in for the night. The trip was perfection up to this point, so what would an international journey be without a medium-sized debacle? There had been some confusion about our arrival date at the hotel. They were quite surprised to see us and the inn was full, as they say. After some expert problem solving, we head back to the bus and trek onwards to an alternate destination. No one cried, not even the babies.
In bed by 3:00 a.m. A photo finish indeed.
No telling what fun tomorrow will bring.