Authored by Justin Yuen on Sep 14th 2010, 21:12
For a good portion of my life, my approach to success had been "Be the best in the world". This aim brought me a fair amount of success, and a huge amount of trouble. With bloated expectations and a hyper-competitive attitude, I was the social equivalent to high-grit sandpaper. Luckily, a good year or two before this journey began, it became apparent to me that my absolutist way of thinking of success may not be the healthiest.
"Aim High." Now that's a nice relative phrase. What's high? Under some circumstances, it may in fact be being the best in the world. Right before this journey started, it was programming a pretty challenging web application. My latest success? Successfully completing my oral hygiene routine. This morning, my red blood cell count plummeted, effectively limiting my maximum standing-upright-limit to 20 seconds. Beyond that I'd start to feel light-headed, hear a ringing in my ears, and most likely pass out. Here's the breakdown of my success: 1. Sit up from my chair very S-L-O-W-L-Y.2. Put the footrest of the chair down
3. Stand up (again, very slowly)
4. Walk about 5 feet to the bed. (very slowly)
5. Sit down on the bed (very slowly)
6. Hang out for about 30 seconds for the oxygen to circulate.
7. Stand up (very slowly)
8. Walk (very slowly) around to the OTHER side of the bed
9. Repeat Steps 5- 7.
11. Very quickly grab my toothbrush and toothpaste
12. Repeat Step 5.
13, Brush teeth while sitting down.
14. Repeat step 7.
15. Spit and rinse.
16. Repeat Step 5-7
17. Rinse toothbrush and get mouthwash and cup.
18. Repeat Step 5
19. Swish around mouthwash.
20. Repeat Step 7
21. Spit out mouhwash, wash sink, and quickly put everything back in order.
22. Repeat Steps 5-8.
23. Walk about 5 feet to the chair.
24. Sit down on the chair (very slowly)And that's it! 1 oral hygiene routine successfully completed!Since this morning, I received a blood transfusion, which replenished my red blood cell supply. Now, I can scale up my goals. Just went to take a walk in the hall with my sidekick walker. Think I may have gotten a bit too enthusiastic, as I scared the nurses with my brisk walking pace. Also been packing in food (sometimes against my appetite's will) to get the protein necessary to repair all the tissue damaged by the chemo and the hole in my side. Anyway, the moral of the story is that a good relative and quickly scalable outlook on success is the key to being able to deal with what life throws our way.Getting sleepy... For everybody who's left me an unanswered message, I apologize for not responding. The reason is that talking and keeping my eyes on the computer screen are a bit tiring, and I need to conserve energy for tasks like my oral hygiene routine, eating, and exercising. I really appreciate all the care you've shown for me. I'm thinking of all of you at the same time you're thinking of me!
Dear Justin,I felt so bad to hear about your illness.I am hoping and praying for your speedy recovery, and look forward to seeing you up and around very soon.Best wishes,Kei
Hello Justin,Greetings from the San Francisco Bay. Remember this place? The land of foggy, windy summers with good Jamba Juice Joints? You've been gone so long that the poor people of San Francisco are deprived of your beautiful violin performance. That just won't do; so hurry up and get well. Our BART stations have been devoid of good music. In the meantime, here is a link to the local classical station so you can keep your pulse on the local scene that awaits your return: www.kdfc.comI enjoy reading about your oral hygiene challenge. The next time I brush my teeth, I will have to rewind all the steps in slow motion so I take nothing for granted. Glad to know that you are feeling better after the blood transfusion. I hope you get stronger each day. You continue to be in our hearts and our prayers.Love,June and Tom
P.S.Nick moved to L.A.; that's why he was not included in my previous comment to you from SF
Dear Justin,Really sorry to hear about ur sickness, i truly wish you a full recovery asap & pls try to maintain a positive attitude and smile whenever possible :DDon't think i can fully understand what u r going thru now but can relay a little bit & believe u can recover gradually. 1 of the reason is that i'd taken 6 yrs of strong medic but still failed to treat a complicated condition, so took some kind of radioactive treatment decade+ ago; lived thru nausea, dizziness, ear-ringing, hair-loss, lost 1/5 of my weight, a weaken-heart (Arrhythmia), followed with 3 years of monthly blood tests to ensure stable recovery (hated those needles ^^). Looking back it was really troublesome and not much fun, but i've seen everything (world/life/friends/family) a bit differently after recovery. One thing for sure is that being healthy is 1 of the most important elements in life & laughing is 1 of the best medicines, so pls laugh/smile alot, watch comedies if possible to help ensure spirit is up!Ling.
Wow - that's alot of work... I don't even do that much at weekends. Try not to be too hasty. It takes time to gain your strength back. Some days, you'll be able to do more and some days, a little less. With that fighting spirit within you, you'll get there.... Just keep thinking positive. Everyone is fighting with you every step of the way....Take care.Grand-aunt Rennie says hi and she asked me to let you know that she's thinking of you and praying for you.My mom (your grand-aunt Shirley) says hi. She called and talked to your dad last weekend and she said to tell you to have "Faith in God" and hope you'll get stronger each day.Ok. I'm off to bed too - got a crazy day at the office tomorrow.Laura :)
Justin-Take things slowly; even when just recovering from mild 'flu one needs to remember one's new weaknesses. We just want to let you know that we re thinking of you and "egging you on". No need for you to reply to our messages. First things first. Love, A Ellie
Hihi, Justin! I always tell Vena and Edlyn that they have to try to do the best and always aim high. It seems that this is the motto of the Yuen's family. We can never achieve without God's help and His blessings. Justin, you can do everything with your trust and faith in Him. You will get stronger each day with His miraculous healing power. Today Edlyn and I went to the lunchtime recital at Kong Fook Church in Central as the theme of the concert was "The Power of Love". Love changes everything. God with His love can turn darkness into day. Life sometimes is like a dark wilderness through which we must find a way or a lamp to help traveller in the dark. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Justin, in your dark moments when it seems as if God has forsaken you, remember that God is faithful and you can never drift away from His love. Hold on. We love and admire your very positive attitude and your wit. We love you. Be strong in spirit. God bless.Much Love,Gu Ma Betty
Keep re-iterating Justin. Eventually, you'll be able to write a book on the most efficient way to brush your teeth. And it'll be so efficient and eye-opening, shocking people as to why they never thought of those methods before, that you'll sell a million copies.
Justin,Introducing myself as Laura's sister and probably your 'Aunt' by hierachy. Have not seen you since you were pre-school? I receive news of you from Vena and Laura.I read your blog as you post it and celebrate with you on your 'achievements', having known how inadequate our body can make us feel.Please forward our regards to your Dad and we continue to pray for your response to therapy.Lilian, Patrick with Kathryn and Christian