One Amazing Person

It's been 20... wait a minute, I've worked at Alaska Airlines 25 years in October.  I know it was right after I started so it was closer to 25 years ago that I first met her.  We were assigned to be on the same project.  Our assignment was to write a Standards manual for computer programming at Alaska.  I know it sounds boring.  And that was my first introduction to Janie Soong.  She often fell asleep in our boring meetings.

Who can't fall in love with someone who falls asleep in meetings at work?  We soon  became very good friends.

Janie would "plan" these trips.  I put "plan" in double quotes because as I look back on them, there was very little planning involved in these.  I remember several very stressful "planned" trips.
One of these,  Janie thought it would be a good idea to go to the North Pole Alaska to mail our Christmas cards.
As a new employee, which means I was young and dumb,  I agreed to go with her.

We go to SEATAC and because of fog we sat on the airplane for several hours before we we took off. We got to Anchorage  hours late and missed our flight to Fairbanks.  We had to wait for the next flight.  We finally made it to Fairbanks and rented a car to drive to the North Pole.

We get to the North Pole, park, and jump out,  We run (and I swear we are running in slow motion and in the background I hear the music of Chariots of Fire).  We get to the door of the North Pole and it says:  CLOSED.   It is like 3am local time by now.  Imagine Chevy Chase's Vacation and Wally World.

Another "planned" trip,-  Janie thinks it would be a good idea to spend New Years Eve in Disneyland.  I'm still stupid.  Great idea!!!  We work New Year's eve so we catch a 7pm flight to Orange County.  This means we get there about 10:30.  We rent a mini van and drive to the "Happiest Place On Earth".  You know what?  It seems that everyone in Southern California (maybe 10 million people), think that Disneyland is the place to be on New Years.

The lines for the rides (usually about 60 minutes) are now about 2 hours.  Because this is such a special day the park stays open later.  So we watch the fireworks at midnight... Happy New Year!!! but we don't need to leave for 3 more hours.  Our flight to Seattle doesn't leave until 7am.  So we decide we will go to Denney's.  Have you ever been in line for pancakes with 10 million other folks?

After a couple years of these "planned' adventures, Janie decides that it's time for her close friends to meet her mother.  This means going on trips with Janie's mom.
Janie's mom is about 4'9" and weighs about 90 pounds.  But she is the most stubborn and independent woman I've ever met.

Janie celebrated her 50th birthday in San Francisco.  She invited about 10 of her closest friends to come along.  We went to a concert.  We did most of the touristy things you are supposed to do.  And Janie's mom was right with us.  Whenever we went out to eat.  Janie's mom would order for all of us.... Regardless of what we actually wanted to eat.  She was definitely in charge.
After dinner one night we are walking back to the hotel.
Everyone in the group crossed the street and walked straight ahead, but Janie's mom took a sharp left.  I'm in the rear and I think I better follow the old lady.

She goes into a store in Chinatown .  When I get there, I see her ordering $5 of ginkgo root.  The young Chinese man takes a handful of root and puts it on the scale.  It's obviously too much so he starts taking some off.  Janie's mom slaps his hand and says something in Chinese.  They start arguing.  I swear she hits him 2 more times.  He finally leaves all the root on the scale and only charges her $5.  She takes her root and leaves the store.  I tell the clerk,  thank you.

I experienced many trips with Janie and Janie's mom.  We went to San Francisco. Puerto Vallarta, Hawaii,  and Mazatlan. Some of my best experiences happened with Janie and Janie's mom.

We've remained friends ever since.  Janie retired a few years ago and our contact and trips have dwindled.  Janie now follows a band " Tommy Castro"  and he is very good.  Janie really enjoys this and she has found her niche.  We should all be so lucky to find such happiness in our retirement years.

Last week, Janie emailed me and told me that she had come home from one of the concerts and found her mom sitting in her chair and just hitting the buttons on the remote control.  There was blood everywhere.  It seems her mom had fallen and hit her head.  She called 911 and Janie's mom was admitted to HarborView.

When I got there, she was in the ICU the 3rd shower curtain to the left.  Yes it was a big room with lots of patients.  The guy right across from her was there with 2 special guests.  He had a police escort.  He was a prisoner and was handcuffed to his bed.

A couple days later they found Janie's mom a room.  In the hospital bed, my old friend Janie's mom looked smaller than I remembered.  I've tried to be there every day.  If not for Janie's mom at least for Janie.  She hasn't left her mom's bedside.  She is so tired.

A couple days later Janie text me and said the "news".  The doctors say that her mom will never recover from the injuries and it's time for Janie to gather her family, because there are decisions to make.  Janie invited me to be part of the family.

The options are:
1. Stop giving nutrients, this means death in 2 to 3 weeks.
2. Surgically put a tube in her intestines to give her nutrients.
The doctor says that she is going to dye within a year from her injuries.  She also said she is not in pain.

Janie decided to put the tube in and give her nutrients.  This means next week Janie's mom will have surgery and then go to a nursing home.  Janie has selected a Chinese nursing home in the International District.

I'm crying as I write this.  I just hope that no one has to ever make this decision.

I think about a child 90 years ago born in China.  Her hopes and dreams.  I really don't know the entire story, but I know she was a dentist and married a GP doctor.  I know at some time she moved to Rhode Island.  I know that her and her husband had one remarkable daughter.  My friend Janie Soong.
I know that her husband died of a heart attack.

I know that at some point both mom and daughter moved to Seattle.
I know she loved watching the Stock Market on cable TV.
And the the one thing I'm sure of, she loved her daughter Janie Soong.  And she would be very proud of her.
Janie's mom and Janie Soong  are both very remarkable women, and I'm a better person because I know them.

It took me years to find out that Janie's mom's name is Lyn Soong.  I always called her Janie's mom.
Janie's mom  - Lyn Soong you are an amazing person.  Thankyou for letting me part of your life

Wise - OUT