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Very rarely a situation arises where there is an opportunity to help, teach and learn all in the same package. At the end of the summer it came to our attention through a letter and videotape that a 5th-year medical student has been undergoing treatment as a patient in a Tashkent hospital for the past two years. The student, Akhror Rakhmedov, had been the victim of a terrible accident at a wedding when a homemade rocket that was thrown in the air, hit a pole, bounced back and exploded in his face. Consequently Akhror lost his nose, hard palate and tongue. Since then, he has resided in a surgical hospital, having had some procedures and surgeries for reconstruction. He was "found" by some Americans living in Tashkent, who realized Akhror's life and medical career could not proceed without help which would probably exceed the scope of what could be supplied in Tashkent. Akhror's current ambition is to become a microsurgeon. One of his activities, when he feels well enough, is to study English, which has become quite good, in spite of the fact that he is confined to the written form. His surgeon also speaks and writes E nglish rather well. In a videotape made by the Americans, Akhror and the surgeon asked for help to try and restore some speech and more normal eating (he is now on a full liquid diet). Joyce Doan showed the videotape to several plastic surgeons who were most willing to give their time and skill, but warned that the hospitalization would be the most challenging part of the donation. In December, Providence Hospital stepped forward and o ffered to take Akhror's case. In order to maximize the opportunity the surgeon will come as well, so he could learn things that might help others and be part of a team plan for Akhror. Providence will use this as a teaching situation for its house staff, as the treatment has rare ins tructional value. The part the STSCA will play is to provide transportation and some housing for Akhror and Dr. Yunusov. We are now raising money to pay for the airline tickets and provide a small stipend while Akhror and his doctor are here. If you are able to send a contribution, it will be put in a special STSCA fund and will be tax deductible. You should make a check out to STSCA and earmark it for the Akhror Fund. Send it to: Joanne Young, Treasurer, 1916 N 49th, Seattle WA 98103. If you can offer housing, visitation or other hospitality, please call Joyce Doan. Remember both the surgeon and Akhror know English as a second language. Akhror wears a surgical mask and his appearance might be stressful to young children. Addendum: We wanted to get Akhror here in good shape nutritionally. I researched with hospital dietitians what high quality, complete foods come in powder form to send over to Akhror in Tashkent. Carnation Instant Breakfast kept coming up as one of the best. The person at Providence who has been very instrumental in facilitating Akhror's acceptance for care there called the Carnation headquarters in California and secured a donated three-week supply. We got it to Artur Adamov, a board member who w as leaving a few days later for Tashkent, and Akhror has been taking his meals in the form of six glasses of Carnation Instant Breakfast each day! Thanks Carnation. HOT OFF THE PRESS!! Chapter One of this amazing story is quickly drawing to a close. Dr. Yunusov and Akhror will travel from Tashkent to Seattle with members of the Seattle delegation on the 14th of March. Akhror will go through a diagnostic work-up and then begin one of s everal surgeries. He and Dr. Yunusov will stay at the Providence Inn for this phase and then we hope to get Dr. Yunusov in a home during Akhror's hospitalization. Murad Yunusov's English is quite good, so if you have any ideas for a homestay close to Pr ovidence of if you would like to host them for an evening anytime, please give me a call. Murad is being invited to stay for three months and Akhror for sixmonths. If you are willing to help in any way, please contact Joyce Doan at 525-0175. '97 elections: new officers and directors For the past year, Gary Furlong has fearlessly served as the STSCA president. His style: professional and charming. He led us through an extraordinary year of activity, and really went above and beyond organizing delegations and maintaining our ties wi th Tashkent. He won't get far though, since he has been elemental in the current progress of the delegation of 32 people leaving this March. Thank you for all of your hard work! Joanne Young, whose impressive service as STSCA Treasurer for the past year, was nominated and elected as the new president. From mushrooms (she just finished her term as president of the Mycological Society) to madressahs she goes, as she departs for Ta shkent as well, on this March delegation. Members! There is a open spot for a Treasurer! If you are interested in serving as Treasurer please contact Joanne (633-0752). The board saw some changes as well. Heather Knox and Virginia Westberg left this year, and Gene Chellis and Mikaron Fortier were nominated and elected to replace them. Upon Gene's inauguration he said, "It will be an interesting time of opportunity for the organization as interest on both sides increases, creating a chance to do more than has been done in the past." What an exciting time for the Association, and for bo ard members! If you are interested in attending board meetings or working with the STSCA, contact Joanne, or just come to one of our monthly meetings. Check the "Events Calender" on the back page for meeting locations and times. Virginia Westberg steps down after 20 years on the board Her name appears on the Articles of Incorporation as one of the founding directors. Six years prior to that she came on to the board. During her time on the board Virginia attended the first US-Soviet Sister City Conference with Rosanne Royer, led two d elegations to Tashkent, one for the Peace Park and the other for the Amputee Soccer Delegation. Virginia Westberg, or "VW", as she is more affectionately named, has been one of those generous persons who has given her heart and her time to the Seattle-Ta shkent Sister City Association. To honor her service to the Association, the board threw a surprise "Resignation Party" at the Kaleenka back in January. With a little help from Rosanne, we succeeded in packing the Kaleenka full of friends and getting VW there without her suspecting a t hing. At the last board meeting in February, as we were checking our quorum, we realized her absence, and wondered, "Now, where we will have our mail sent?" (since her address has been the official one for STSCA since the late 70's). Before we could second any mailing motions, in walked VW, sharp and spright, and ready to get down to business. "I told you I would still come to the meetings, didn't I?" Thank you Virginia for all of your hard work! We'll see you at the next board meeting! Annual Meeting Haideh Salehi-Esfahani, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics at UW, spoke at the Annual Meeting on January 29th at the Urban Horticulture Center. Professor Salehi-Esfahani is a native of Iran. She received a Fulbright for study in Uzbekistan t o teach Spring quarter 1996 at Samarkand State University. She shared slides of her stay in Samarkand and her travels throughout Central Asia. She explained how she experienced students who seemed uninterested in the study of markets or supply and demand , and her stories of her time there and her point of view as an educator and an economist wound a very intriguing tale. Paula Quigley, of OCCA, followed the professor's presentation with a report on her trip to Uzbekistan last November, with a delegation of doctors and educators who assessed the conditions of approximately 200 children living in orphanages. She showed a v ery moving video accompanied by her narration that explained the rewards and the difficulties of her work with the orphans. The currency of these two experiences in Uzbekistan lent themselves
to an extremely fascinating evening! Thank you to Paula and Haideh! It was a time for firsts -- both in Tashkent and Seattle. Bright and early on the 30th of November, with many passengers still recovering from their Thanksgiving feasts, the first-ever Uzbekistan Airways Seattle-Tashkent direct flight left Boeing Field. The manifest included several flight crews from both Boeing and Uzbekistan Airways, mechanics and technical support from the newest aircraft in the Uzbekistan Airways fleet, a large Uzbek press contingent, popular Uzbek singer Yuldiz Usmonova and her ban d, two representatives from Northwest Humanitarian Assistance, as well as 12,000 pounds of humanitarian relief supplies. Though the day's route won't be a regular occurrence on the Uzbekistan Airways flight schedule in the near future, it did accomplish its number one priority -- delivering the first Boeing airplane for commercial use, a 767-300ER, to its new home in Tashke nt. After a quick stopover in Amsterdam for refueling (and a visit from the Dutch Sinter Klaus) the flight continued to Tashkent Airport. The festivities waiting to begin on the tarmac in Tashkent were no match for the show in the sky when the plane made a fly-by, low over the airport, before circling again and landing a few minutes later. Uzbek dancers performed while flight crews and cab in crews from the airline greeted the potpourri of passengers. Seattle-Tashkent Sister-City Association can be credited with a portion of the cargo delivered: books for teaching English as a Second Language, toys for area orphanages and ear plugs for a garment factory in Tashkent. During the week, Jim Roths of Mercy Corps led a tour to some of the organizations tapped to receive the relief supplies from the flight. Guests included Kathleen Ellsworth, international relief coordinator at Boeing and Dudley and Ginger Snarr of Northwe st Humanitarian Assistance. At the Maternity Hospital near the center of the city, where 120 pounds of supplies will be distributed, the delegation met Gulfia, who delivered her twins much more safely and comfortably due to the new supplies. At the Children's Hospital #14, the delegation visited the Neurology Department, typical of the type of facility that would be using the TV sets in the shipment. A nurse at this facility opened an empty supply cabinet saying, "We don't have the medicine. We only have the golden hands for caring." - a fact that was apparent throughout the tour. Across Tashkent a range of supplies will be distributed -- books, adhesive pads, blood solution sets, gloves, syringes, supplies for dance troupes, and surgical packs. As one administrator commented during the tour: "This may be a drop to you, but it's and ocean to us." At one point, the tour visited a supply room where an earlier shipment was being sorted for distribution. Included in this shipment wee the nutritional supplements earmarked for the orphanages where Orphan Care for Central Asia (OCCA) assessed the needs of the children earlier last fall. An excited Ginger Snarr of Northwest Humanitarian explained that of all the free humanitarian aid delivery she and husband, Dudley, have coordinated, this was "the first time we were able to see a shipment at this end." Seeing the supplies put to use is important. Hopefully we can report back to members as the STSCA supplies are distributed and reach the hands of the people who need them most. Book drives becoming hallmark among STSCA efforts The last book drive in November was a feat accomplished through impeccable timing and the efforts of some fast-thinking folks. With very little advertising, an enormous shipment of thirty boxes of books made their way to Tashkent on a plane being deliver ed to Uzbekistan Airways. Joanne Young contacted Northwest Medical Teams, who offered approximately 300 health, business, and psychology textbooks. Current, accurate textbooks are in high demand in Tashkent, so the offer couldn't have come at a better time. About the same time, Joanne received an e-mail message from a Peace Corps volunteer in Bukhara, for some ESL teaching materials. Melissa Miller, a Mercer Island native, was opening an English Language Resource Center in Bukhara. Coincidentally, TRI-TESOL '96, a conference for teachers of English to speakers of other languages, would be taking place in Seattle November 8-10th-- just two weeks prior to the Boeing plane's departure. The conference would be hosting close to one tho usand teachers from Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Melissa's timing couldn't have been better! With the help of TESOL conference president Michelle Morgan, a request for the donation of new or used ESL textbooks and classical literature was faxed out to all of the American Cultural Exchange Language Institutes in the area. The response was outstanding! We received books from all of the participating regions of the conference, and even some of the publishers attending threw in brand new books. Mikaron Fortier, Rich Hawkins, and Joanne collected and sorted almost 10 huge bo xes of books in total, and Joanne and Rich boxed and brought the books up to Everett. The books made it to Tashkent in November, and PERDCA received the shipment. We have received correspondence from PERDCA that the books have been counted and are slowly being distributed to the Tashkent community. As of this March, we have not heard if Melissa has received the books in Bukhara. We'll keep you posted though!!!! An additional round of applause goes to Dan Byrne for rounding up a load of high quality earplugs to go to factory workers in Tashkent who work amidst damaging levels of noise. Dan will be accompnying the March delegation to see what else his company ca n do. Thank you Dan and Joanne for organizing this! Last Update: 2 November 2005 Logo courtesy Mamoun Sakkal |
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