Entries from Steady Footsteps tagged with 'Vietnam'
Re-Imagining Rehabilitation in Vietnam
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,...
Meet Trang
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,...
Two New Artists
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 Ethics of Compassion
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...
Why We're Here (The Long Version)
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...
The Dark Side of the Mirror
An excerpt from a comment by Usha, made in response to my post of 16 February 2008, Exercising Compassion: One further thought, regarding the mirror neurons, which I've been reading about quite a bit, lately. It's interesting to me that...
Opting Out
I am not a saint, although from some folks’ reaction to my personal story, it seems that they see me as such. While it’s true that I do try to be a “clear channel for blessing” as befits my adopted...
Being Here Now
Last year, decades after dumping 20 million gallons of the toxic chemical Agent Orange all across the Vietnamese landscape, the US pledged to contribute $400,000 USD to partially fund a new study on the topic. What a relief! I’m sure...
Letter to the Editor of CommonDreams.org
1 February 2008 Dear Katherine, I realize that the recent submissions I’ve sent you may seem pretty bleak. In fact, I’m not sure you would consider me a “card-carrying progressive” anymore. Well, here’s one more, and I can’t say that...
Going Home for Tet
As the Lunar New Year countdown reaches its final week, everybody in Vietnam is heading home for the holidays. Northbound buses, trains and flights out of Ho Chi Minh City are completely booked as students, factory workers and businessmen alike...
Mandate for Change
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....
Bad News
You’re going to die. I don’t know where and I don’t know when. I’ve never seen your medical record, but I can say with complete assurance, “You’re going to die.” It doesn’t matter whether you’re eligible for Medicare or Medicaid....
Living in the Material World
I came home from Vietnam in 1996 with two adopted children and a different point of view. My family and I lived on a little farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in those days and we were doing our...
An Early Christmas in Da Nang
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...
American Physical Therapist Runs Amok
Well, here’s something I didn’t see coming: I’m now doing speech therapy for Vietnamese patients. How strange is that? I’m not an Occupational Therapist, but I play one in Vietnam. Now, it appears that, by default, I’m playing Speech Therapist...
HELMETS IN THE NEWS
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,...
One Week in Da Nang
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...
About Steady Footsteps
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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