A Medical Memoir by Dr. Keith Dahlberg

The Red colour is my saying!
The Blue colour is Dr. Dahlberg saying in his book!!

I just finished reading a book calls, Bridge Ahead by Dr. Keith Dahlberg. Robins ordered it and Dr. Newman brought it to us. I like the book a lot. I really do. I feel like some one was telling me about my birth place which I remembered so little. The Dahlberg lived in Shan State from 1957 to 1962. During this time Dr. and Mrs. Dahlberg had help lots of Shan, Lahu, Kaw and Chinese people. A doctor who can live in USA and can have a good life but leave every good thing behind and looking forward to help under developing
area. I am sure and knew so because of him and his team, Keng Tung, Shan States got the best medical care on those years!

American Head Nurse, Peggy Smith who delivered me and my sister Jue Ju, was working with Dr. Dahlberg. Jue Ju was born at the Hospital which Dr. Dahlberg built. My mother was trained as a nurse by Mrs. Smith with other 2 ladies. Flash back, some Christmas that I spent at Peggy Smith's house, those Blondie girls (they are older than me), might be the Dahlberg's daughters or other American Medical Team's children.

In his book , I like to share the chapter of "Medicine and Faith".

Dr. Dahlberg wrote, " Every now and then, the newspapers report a child with some dire disease, Leukemia or diabetes perhaps-whose parent refuse medical treatment, saying they will depend on God a lone to heal the child.

If these same parent were caught with their child in the middle of raging flood, or some other natural disaster, I think that in most cases they would not hesitate to accept rescue by boat or helicopter, acknowledging that God sometime send help by way of such things in this world. It puzzles me why they might think that medicine is less a part of God' created world than a helicopter is. May be it's the way they perceive the offer, perhaps with a requirement for cash in advance, or offered with arrogance: or because someone they heard of died anyway. Be that as it may, there is a need for both faith and medicine in medical crises"

Helen said: I am so happy that Dr. Dahlberg write about medicine and faith. As we all know one day we all are going to sick may be die! Like it or not medicine is helping us on this earthly life. Mean time we all are walking in this world which is waiting for us with so many happiness, sickness, surprises and sad thing. I have seen
some people got the best treatment and die young, some people live on the mountain who are boiling leaves this and that and ...still living! OK can be reverse way too. We do need meidcine like it or not! For me surely I need the most of my God's help and still needing till the day whos know but God know.

This is what I firmly believe it and feel it... The doctors can give you the best of his knowledge and works. i.e...In my case I always pray that thank God to creating the good medicines and wonderful doctors like Dr. Hemming, Dr. Nelson, Dr. Pico and Dr. Langhan! I got treated by one of the best team of liver transplant but for that new liver to work properly in me is only God can help. There are so many unseen thing that only God can see. I do believe in medicine and I am fully believe in my God's love, mercy, miracle, and forgiveness to me. That doesn't mean that I am not going to die I am going to die one day but life after dead is another story!

I love Dr. Dahlberg said in the book..."Faith in what or whom? Some advise self-reliance ..."I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul". Others depend upon another person, a spouse perhaps, or a work partner, or a doctor or counselors trust in following the rules set down by their particular religious group. Some other s hope to be lucky.

This s a touchy subject. In matters of faith, those who claim to have all the answers often feel threatened and insecure if anyone argues against their particular interpretation. Many other people, more secure in their own faith, may suspect the person with "all the answers" has not yet addressed all the questions........

I freely admit being a follower of Jesus , even though in imperfect one. I believe in a Creator God who takes benevolent interest in each of us and who has a plan for our lives if we, in our freedom of choice, choose to trust God. That's my basic life view.....

Helen said...I like the way the thinking of Dr. Dahlberg. This is what he said about blaming God for all the bad things and causing so much suffering. Dr. Dahlberg said "Among these causes that might be remedied I see infection, injury, ignorance, greed, demand for vengeance and misguided desires or life-styles, to name a few."...

"If God exist and created the world, as Christians supposes, God is not a genie in a bottle. We do not bargain with God or order God around. If this world is God's Creation, we can choose to accept it and see to learn how best to live in it, or we can choose to be angry about it and raise our blood pressure to unhealthy levels. Rather than complain or panic when confronted with crisis, I often find it useful to ask for God's help"....

I am so happy that the way he put his faith in true English way of writing. Oh yes...I do have faith, no question on my faith but I do have problem of writing for not knowing how to write in meaningful English.

Once I wrote a letter to my American friend instead of I should write "Are you still angry at me. I am sorry!" but no joking this is I wrote to him.."If you still angry at me, I can't help but go to hell!!" I think I put my other languages into English directly. Well....... surprisingly he was not go to hell but came to me with 2 dozens of roses and we become friend again!!! Forgiveness is talking here!

This is Dr. Dahlberg talked about medicine and faith..." Some quite intelligent people believe that what I call answers to prayer are no more than coincidence. Perhaps so. My father used to remark that ..When people pray, coincidences happen more often!. (I, Helen said...How very true!). I tend to agree with him. I have seen many separate instances where something was a accomplished by several people happening to be in "the right place at the right time." (if you read his book you will understand why he said that).

In one point he said "How then is faith relevant? To me, its the infrastructure of life. It is the fiber, the substance of what we call integrity, dependability, honesty, Character. Without it, life and direction begin to wobble, become indecisive, or even collapse.

It is not faith's function to abolish all trouble, but deal with it effectively, whether by prayer or the scientific methods God provides through his servants."

I would like to say thank you very much to Dr. Dahlberg, Peggy Smith and other medical team who helped Shan States also to Thailand in later year. On behalf of Shan, Lahu, Lishu, kaw, people...Thank you very much DR. Keith Dahlberg. Thank you Ms. Smith for my mother to became a nurse!

Most of all Thank you God for sent them to a place such as far far away from modern world but the best medical care that mountain people can't imagine on those years but they got it!! God is good!!!