While health care technology has rocketed into the 21st century in Vietnam, with cardiac bypass surgery, total hip replacements and in-vitro fertilization available now to those who can afford it, physical rehabilitation remains mired somewhere in the 1950s. I, myself,...
I met Trang, a delightful young woman, in the nearby tourist town of Hoi An, while I was visiting a disabled women’s workshop run by Lifestart, an Australian charitable organization. I was struck first by Trang’s glorious smile and,...
One of the unexpected joys of living and working in Vietnam has been in having the opportunity to meet and encourage two young artists: Nguyen Tan Hien and Ho Viet Phuong. Hien and Phuong were both university students-- Hien, studying...
The following is the most recent in a succession of my articles published by CommonDreams.org . While the subject of this essay concerns contemporary life in America, I think you can see that my views have been shaped, at least...
This article appeared in the most recent issue of Dispatches,The Newsletter of the International Health Division, Canadian Physiotherapy Association. The Ethics of Compassion By Virginia Lockett, PT President, Steady Footsteps, Inc. compassion n. Deep awareness of the suffering of another...
The seed of the idea that eventually became “Steady Footsteps” was planted in a little house in Nha Trang, Vietnam, in 1995. My husband Dave and I had come to Vietnam to adopt two children and, while we were treading...
I want to tell you a story, but first I have to paint you a picture. Imagine, if you will, an upwardly country with a population of 86 million. 90% of the road traffic in this country consists of motorbikes....
Last Saturday, I woke early to the sound of motorbikes zipping past our Da Nang townhouse. What would I see when I looked out the window? The previous day, scarcely any riders had worn helmets in town, but this day--15...
Two years ago, as we sat in a little restaurant in Da Nang, Vietnam, the proprietor walked up and offered us his sincere condolences on the unfolding tragedy in New Orleans. That’s how we learned about Hurricane Katrina. George Bush,...
This week, at the far western end of our street, where the newest bridge in Da Nang crosses the Han River, a mismatch between a motorcyclist and a truck resulted in the cyclist sailing over the rail and into the...
STEADY FOOTSTEPS, INC. was founded by an American couple: Virginia Lockett, a Quaker physical therapist, and her husband David, who is Buddhist. David and Virginia first came to Vietnam in 1995 to adopt two children. They were saddened, at that...
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