Wheel Power Original Version On AAT

IN addition to writing this column each week, I also get the opportunity – from time to time – to give regular talks on disability to members of the public.

Last week, was another such occasion.

However, rather than the usual presentation sessions which I give to kids in schools, religious groups or to the disabled and elderly communities and others, this time my group of audience was rather unique.

They were all doctors of rehabilitation medicine or healthcare experts involved in one way or another in the particular scientific field.

More than a dozen of them came to hear my lunchtime talk in a government hospital in Kuala Lumpur. The meeting was arranged for me by a top rehabilitation physician of the hospital.

My job, dubbed by my disability activist friends, was a virtual “mission impossible” task.

I was to speak on animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and its immense health benefits to human beings, particularly for those with disabilities and the elderly.

My mission that afternoon was to sensitize the awareness levels of the healthcare workers present about how my own interaction with my personal pets had brought about significant changes in my life as a person born with a disability.

Some of them were even dramatic in a positive way.

Although I have been disabled for nearly half a century, it was not until the last more than ten years of my life that were my most fulfilling and rewarding. That was when my wonderful dogs came into my life.

I recall having butterflies in my stomach all week in just preparing for the talk. I felt like Ethan Hawk (in a wheelchair) of the Mission Impossible movie fame.

Except that there would be no special effects wizardry in this mission but only my words and a VCD projector to get my message across.

I was given only 30-minutes to make a lasting impression on the healthcare experts.

The fact that I was also president of Malaysia’s first and only AAT registered society for the elderly and the disabled called Petpositive made my task even more imperative.

One of our chief objectives is to set up AAT-clinics and centres all across the country so that senior and handicapped persons – wherever they are - can come to in order to receive regular therapy from pets of all kinds.

This can be done as a complementary or even as an alternative form of healthcare treatment for their conditions.

When the final reckoning moment came, I showed the good doctors two original videos that were produced locally.

One was on how Petpositive’s aquarium therapy for a spastic quadriplegic young lady had made a difference in her life despite some healthcare workers having given up on the individual.

The second was how my service dogs regularly help me overcome my daily challenges at home.

My dogs are fully trained to open and shut doors before me, push my wheelchair and run up and downstairs on errands for me. They can even retrieve essential objects for me such as my urinal and other things related to my disability needs.

Despite these amazing feats, I pointed out to the doctors that it is my canines’ daily ability to help me keep depression at bay which is what I appreciate most from their companionship.

I related to them of an incident last year when one of my canines zeroed in on a nasty pressure sore that was surreptitiously forming on one of my paralysed feet without my realising it.

The discovery landed me in hospital in time where a surgery was done immediately in order to save my infected limb rather than have it amputated.

However what was disappointing was that during my nine days of hospitalisation and total rest in bed, the medical doctors who investigated on my condition did not seem the least bit concerned or interested in how my dogs had played a pivotal role in my healthcare – or having got me to them in time in the first place.

I also regret that the government hospital in which I was warded did not have a room reserved for AAT when there were scores of other rooms for all types of treatment.

Even though I consider myself to be a positive thinking person, I must admit that the nine days of being confined in bed started to get me depressed little by little as the days progressed.

And none of the smiling doctors and the nurses in front of me had a clue as to what was going on inside of me as my pet dog, on the other hand, would have detected almost instantaneously.

Let’s face it, it’s much more fun anytime to grab a kiss or to hug a warm and lovable pet than a stiff thermometer or cold stethoscope offered by a healthcare worker dressed in white, was my concluding remark at my talk.

Everyone listened with pin drop silence.

A Wonderful Mid Morning Event With The ABWM

WHAT A DELIGHTFUL day I had yesterday!

Around 60 persons representing a number of local charities and mostly expatriate women held their annual cheque presentation ceremony at the residence of the British High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur.

The organisers of the event were the Association of British Women in Malaysia (ABWM) which is headed by Ms Lorraine Gordon as the ABWM's Chairman.

PETPOSITIVE was among the 12 charities that the ABWM is supporting this year. However, out of the dozen ABWM supported charities, only seven were present that morning.

This was the second time that PETPOSITIVE was present. This year, the ABWM handed over RM2000 to help Our Society obtain office equipment for our new centre which we have yet to establish.

Last year, their contribution was RM5000. Part of those funds was used to organise Malaysia's first animal-assisted therapy session at the Kepong Botanical Gardens in the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia.

Here now is a picture of the British High Commissioner's wife Jenny McCleary who is also patron of the ABWM handing over the association's cheque to Petpositive to me Anthony Thanasayan, the President.

I found Mrs McCleary to be a very warm, friendly and humble person.

Despite her top position, she mixed and mingled around with everyone freely. Most important of all to me was the fact that I discovered her to be a true dog lover who cares a lot for animals.

Here now is a picture of another VIP at the ABWM event: Lorraine Gordon (Below). Ms Gordon and I had a long chat about how useful pets were to the handicapped and the elderly. She also shared with me about her own experience with disability where she had to move around in a wheelchair for at least a year after an accident. No need to convert anyone over here because Ms Gordon makes a good spokesperson for the disabled herself!


Below is a picture of Terese, the outgoing charity coordinator of the ABWM stealing a quick opportunity to say hello to me just before the cameras went wild. Also notice an unexpected special friend seated at my right. More on him shortly.

The others who represented PETPOSITIVE that morning were Special Events Coordinator and Adviser Lynda Merican, who incidentally is also the past charity coordinator of the ABWM. Seated next to her is the well-known former Star columnist Chong Sheau Ching.

Ching Ching, as she is best known to her friends, represented her mother's network which also was a recipient that morning of a special donation by the ABWM.

Seated on her left is Sally Addington who is no stranger to our society. Sal was quite involved in our AAT session in FRIM last October.


And who is this charming fellow above? (Er. . . , the pooch, I mean.) He is non other than Finbar, McCleary's darling dog who has already travelled to a couple of countries with his owners. The black Labrador was literally my escort for the whole session.

The cameraman (Captain AKS Russell who is not in any of the pictures) and I thought that Finbar was very well behaved. He was able to walk with my wheelchair quite well, much to my surprise and wonder.

And finally, here is the lovely lab again enjoying all the fuss that he was getting from me and his proud owner.

Don't forget to give your pet a hug everyone.

aNt
PET+BLOGSPOT

AIDA THE GOLDEN THERAPIST

Posted on Monday, February 11, 2008

Animal Assisted Therapy: Tender Treatment

(Courtesy Photo)

Aida, a Golden Retriever trained for animal assisted therapy, spends a quiet moment with new mom Elayna Poniatowski and son, Matthew David. The dog, trained through Whitehouse-based Therapet Foundation, is being inducted Tuesday into the Texas Animal Hall of Fame after spending more than 500 hours providing comfort to patients.

By JACQUE HILBURN
Staff Writer

Aida the Golden Retriever seems to know she's special. With soulful brown eyes, a luxurious blonde coat and gentle spirit, she apparently operates on the assumption that strangers are merely friends not yet introduced.

These qualities, plus the fact the 5-year-old Therapet dog has logged more than 500 hours lending comfort to hospitalized patients, helped her to earn a special honor: induction into the Texas Animal Hall of Fame.

Established in 1984, the Hall of Fame is designed to recognize "remarkable" contributions animals make in human lives, according to Kate Sheehy of the Austin-based Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation.

Of the three award categories, hero, companion and professional, Aida will be recognized Tuesday with the latter during a special meeting of the Texas Veterinary Medical Association.

Aida is one of dozens of dogs, cats and miniature horses trained through the Therapet Foundation to provide Animal Assisted Therapy to patients located throughout East Texas.

Shari Curran, Aida's best friend and handler, said the honor recognizes the work of all therapy animals.

"She really represents all the members of Therapets," Mrs. Curran said. "Aida's accepting the award for all of them. I'm thrilled. I've been doing this for 24 years and this is the first time one of my dogs has been recognized with this type of award."

Mrs. Curran, who serves as director of the Whitehouse-based Therapet project, and husband, Kevin Curran M.D, have six dogs in the program.

Even as a tiny puppy, Aida apparently had the qualities necessary for therapy work: she was mellow, intelligent and content to lie still for extended periods of time.

"Aida seems to understand patients need her," Mrs. Curran said. "It's amazing to watch her work."

Aida's veterinarian, Dr. Sharon Phillips, nominated her for the honor.

"For the small child, she is as gentle as a soft sigh," she said in the nomination letter sent to the association. "For the elderly patient, she lays her head on an aged and arthritic hand, providing warmth and encouraging interaction. For coma patients, she lies quietly next to the patient in bed, careful to not disturb the many IVs and monitors. Aida will then gently place her head on the patient's chest, waiting for any response from her newfound friend."

Animals that participate in the program undergo several months of training and testing before they are eligible to enter a hospital environment.

Each visit requires an abundance of prep work. They must be bathed, their ears cleaned, teeth brushed and nails trimmed, said Mrs. Curran.

Aida's family reported it takes about four hours to prepare her for a hospital visit.

Because frequent bathing can lead to skin problems, Therapet animals are limited to working only a day or two every other week.

On this point, however, Aida doesn't always agree.

"She's jumped in the tub when I'm trying to run the kids' baths," said Mrs. Curran. "She loves the water. I think she was a diva in a former life."

PETPOSITIVE UPDATE: WE WERE AT 91 RECENTLY

PETPOSITIVE NEWS UPDATES

THANK YOU ALL for your continued support for our Blog. It is truly encouraging to us that so many of you take the trouble to stop by at PET+BLOGSPOT daily.

As you can see in the pie-chart illustration above, Our one-of-a-kind Blog continues to attract most readers in Malaysia. However, we are at the same time also thrilled about the fact that we are making many inroads among overseas visitors as well.

We touched an unbelievable 91 visitors a day last Thursday. However our record still holds at 102 on February 11.



This week you will notice that we have included a new video feature which will be a regular event each week from now on. We are focusing on Pit Bull breeds and how these dogs continue to become victims in our society because of a lack of understanding about these marvelous canine creatures.

The video presentation is most gripping; so don't forget to click on it at least once during your many visits to Our site.

Part of PETPOSITIVE'S goals is to also raise awareness and promulgate appreciation for all our animal friends in our society.

Incidentally, please note that PET+BLOGSPOT is updated at approximately midnight each day. We do this because we want to ensure that you, our treasured reader, will never be in short supply of having something interesting and worthwhile to read in your daily visit to Our Blog.And here's some GOOD NEWS to share. Recall our recent announcement asking if there was a disabled or elderly person out there requiring a hospital bed?

We are happy to report that the bed is already taken. This, thanks to the help of Dr Chung Tze Yang from the University Malaya Medical Centre who found a patient in his hospital who really needed the bed.

According to Dr Chung, who is a PETPOSITIVE paid-up member, the bed is for a young patient who recently became permanently brain-injured. The bed itself is given to the lad as a donation by a man who PETPOSITIVE only knows as a "Mr Paul".

He was referred to PETPOSITIVE by a volunteer named Meeta.

When I checked with Mr Paul today, he said that the boy's mum had called him up and was making arrangements to collect the bed from him.

And not to worry folks, on our part PETPOSITIVE will try our best to follow up on the patient and his mum to see if they might require anything else to help the boy in leading his new life as a disabled person.


Last but certainly not least, a BIG SYABAS to TraxxFM deejays The Greenman and the Navsta for including Our Blog in theirs!

PETPOSITIVE will always be grateful to the duo for their unflinching support during our July 29 Charity Dinner and Launching Event last year. For two weeks non-stop, the English national broadcaster invited aNt as guest on their wacky morning show to talk about PETPOSITIVE and how we were trying to change the world for the handicapped and seniors through companion animals.

The deejays can be heard in their regular morning show called "The Wake Up Show". It comes on the air each weekdays from 6am until 10 in the mornings.

aNt
PET+BLOGSPOT

StarMetro: AAT GAINING IN POPULARITY

Tuesday February 19, 2008

Animal assisted therapy gaining in popularity

By WANI MUTHIAH

wani@thestar.com.my

THE Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive) founder president Anthony Thanasayan’s only hope currently is to open a centre to cater to the needs of the disabled.

Anthony, who is pleased as punch that animal assisted therapy is gaining popularity among the disabled community, reckoned it is timely for the association to have its own centre.

“Quite a large number of the disabled come to Petpositive’s activities and I feel that we owe it to them to have a place for them to come to,’’ said Anthony.

He added Petpositive’s activities such as the jungle tracking event at the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia’s (FRIM) botanical gardens in October and the Deepavali party in early December last year received overwhelming response from the disabled community.

Time for a get together: Some of the guests who turned up for the Deepavali bash in Oct.

“Those who attended the FRIM outing included people in wheelchairs as well as the blind and deaf,’’ said Anthony adding that they were exposed to various animals including frogs.

According to him going by the reaction of the participants, animal assisted therapy was indeed something that could create a strong positive impact on the disabled.

He said this was also seen during Petpositive’s Deepavali party, which was sponsored by the Brickfields Hanuman Temple committee.

“The disabled were given a chance to ride a horse as well as a pony and it proved to be a memorable event for them as most spent their life confined at home,’’ said Anthony.

He said the efficacy of animal-assisted therapy for the disabled had been proven in many parts of the world.

However, Anthony’s only grouse is that dogs were more often regarded with scorn and disdain by some Malaysians and were not allowed to accompany their disabled owners to public places.

“Dogs are the best companions for the disabled and they can also be trained as service dogs,’’ said Anthony who has several service dogs himself.

He added that the service dogs trained to serve the disabled were very focused and cannot be distracted by anything.

“These dogs are trained to serve their disabled human companions since they were pups and that remains their only goal throughout their canine lives.

Right here for you: Thanasayan's service dog Soolam who accompanies him everywhere.

“And so, even if they were out among the general public, they would not leave their owners’ side, let alone look at anyone else,’’ said Anthony.

He said it was also befuddling that the authorities found it to be alright to allow VCD sniffer dogs access to public places but did not accord the same to service dogs.

Anthony said these were also reasons as to why Petpositive urgently needed its own premises to allow the disabled access to animal assisted therapy as well as to provide them a place to bring their service dogs.

“We need a corner lot single storey house with a garden located in either Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya or Klang for our centre and hope that some kind Samaritan would sponsor its monthly rental for us,’’ he said.

He added Petpositive also hoped that house owners who had unoccupied properties would allow the organisation the use of their premises.

“I hope 2008 would prove to be the year where Petpositive would be able to finally set-up its centre to help the disabled with animal-assisted thereby,’’ said Anthony.

PETPOSITIVE NOTE: Wani Muthiah is a supporter of Our Society and a dog-lover.

PIT BULLS ARE ALSO VICTIMS IN DOG BITES

OUR THEME this week is dedicated to the Pit Bull Terrier and all other so-called "Killer-dogs" in the world.

These include a whole string of them from Rottweilers to German Shepherds and more.

We hope that the incredibly challenging video that we're featuring this week at the top of the page will go a long way to raise awareness as to how Pit Bulls and most other dogs have unjustly been portrayed as killer dogs.

In fact, our first picture on the top left should already start dispelling many of the myths surrounding these wonderful creatures.

Pit Bulls are used in America as service and therapy dogs.

Not long ago there was a local incident of a "pit bull attacking a man".

However, when one of our veterinarians went to see the dog in the pound where it was "under arrest", so to speak, it turned out to be not a pit bull at all.

Just see how these wonderful creatures cuddle up to babes (picture 3). One cannot agree with the video more. It usually us who are to blame when the media go witch-hunting for these fine breeds.

Our desire to make things what they really are not fuels the press to rush to print stories when a pit bull, Doberman, Rottie or GSD is involved.

Finally my Rottie Vai who turned 13-years old on January 29 last month went for an Xray at Segar Animal Hospital in Cheras, yesterday.

Vai had only good news to receive from his doctor, Kathiravan Sethu from the Hartamas Veterinary Clinic when it was done. Vai is scheduled to go into the clinic in a fortnight from now for a follow up check-up.

Vai's picture is the last one to appear in this space. The picture which was taken a couple of hours ago shows the muscular dog trying to give me a smile.

Vai is arguably the first service dog in the country. I have retired him now of course owing to his old age. You could also call him an ambassador of sorts for all Rottweilers in the nation as the old boy was responsible to get the Shah Alam Municipality to change its mind over the blanket ban on Rottweilers. The decision against the breed followed an incident where a Rottie had badly bitten a young boy not very long ago.

A video of Vai helping me at home made the authorities go soft and revoke the ban.

aNt
PET+BLOGSPOT

BBC ONLINE: MUSIC CAN HELP STROKE VICTIMS

Music 'can aid stroke recovery'

The cheap, easy way to treat stroke?

Listening to music in the early stages after a stroke can improve a patient's recovery, research suggests.

The researchers compared patients who listened to music for a couple of hours a day, with those who listened only to audio books, or nothing at all.

The music group showed better recovery of memory and attention skills, and a more positive general frame of mind.

Writing in journal Brain, the Finnish team who studied 60 patients said music could be a useful addition to therapy.

Music listening should be considered as an addition to other active forms of therapy Teppo Sarkamo University of Helsinki

Lead researcher Teppo Sarkamo, from the University of Helsinki, said music could be particularly valuable for patients not yet ready for other forms of rehabilitation.

It also had the advantage of being cheap and easy-to-conduct.

Quick action

The study focused on 60 stroke patients who took part in the research as soon as possible after they had been admitted to hospital.

'IT HELPED ME' Dot Johnson, 60, had a stroke 15 years ago, and spent seven months in hospital. She had physiotherapy and other treatments, but she remembers that music and sound from the television were always on in her room. She thinks that stimulated her mind, and helped her get better. She said: "I genuinely think that music actually helped."

The aim was to offer music therapy before the changes in the brain that can take place in the aftermath of a stroke had a chance to kick in.

Most of the patients had problems with movement and with cognitive processes, such as attention and memory.

Patients in the music group were able to choose the type of music they listened to. All patients received standard stroke rehabilitation.

After three months, verbal memory improved by 60% in the music group, compared with18% in the audio book group, and 29% in the non-listeners.

Focused attention - the ability to control and perform mental operations and resolve conflicts - improved by 17% in the music group, but not at all in the other two groups.

In addition, patients in the music group were less likely to be depressed, or confused.

Mr Sarkamo said: "Other research has shown that during the first weeks and months after stroke, the patients typically spend about three-quarters of their time each day in non-therapeutic activities, mostly in their rooms, inactive and without interaction, even although this time-window is ideal for rehabilitative training from the point of view of brain plasticity.

"Our research shows for the first time that listening to music during this crucial period can enhance cognitive recovery and prevent negative mood, and it has the advantage that it is cheap and easy to organise."

However, he admitted that further work was needed to confirm the study, and that it should not be assumed that music therapy would work all patients.

He said: "Rather than an alternative, music listening should be considered as an addition to other active forms of therapy, such as speech therapy or neuropsychological rehabilitation."

Possible theories

The researchers said it was possible that music directly stimulated recovery in the damaged areas of the brain.

Alternatively, it might stimulate more general mechanisms related to the ability of the brain to repair and renew its neural networks after damage.

Or it might specifically act on the part of the nervous system that is implicated in feelings of pleasure, reward and memory.

Dr Isabel Lee, of The Stroke Association, welcomed the research.

However, she said: "Further research into the effect of music on stroke patients needs to be undertaken before any widespread use, as presently the mechanisms of any effect remain unclear."

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Read a selection of your comments:

My 3 year old son suffered from a rare form of Meningitis which led to a stroke. Throughout his 4 weeks in Southampton hospital, we put his mp3 player on him with his favourite music- Avril Lavigne, Marilyn Manson and even Metallica! He has since made a full recovery and is attending physiotherapy once a week. I definitely agree that music played a big part in his recovery as it was the familiarity that encouraged him to sing along and reclaim his memory.
Lauren, Poole, Dorset

I had a severe stroke 29 years ago at the age of 29. The television was on in my ward but that didn't help and neither did music. I was too mentally confused to even think of recovery.
M-H Lindsay, Cambridge

I had a stroke in 2000 and every day since, as throughout the wakeful years of my entire life, I have listened to Mozart. While I have no way of proving it, I have no doubt that I have been greatly helped in my rehabilitation by receiving stimulus from the music I like so much.
Terutoyo Taneda, San Diego, USA

I had a motorcycle crash when I was 15 years old, where I landed on my head. I had a bleed inside my brain which caused me to suffer a stroke. Due to the stroke I lost the movement on my right hand side and my speech, but if the radio was playing I would sing along.
Jim Walker, Chesterfield, Derbyshire

Anything stimulating can help. My week in hospital was completely un-stimulating and I was left sitting around. As soon as I got out of hospital I was able to watch TV and interact with a completely marvellous family and begin to use the computer again... and here I am beginning to return to work within 3 months.
Megan, Cheshire

My mom had a severe cerebral stroke about 7 months back in the left side of the brain resulting in major speech deficit. Her general attention and comprehension seem to be fine but her vocabulary still remains a few words at best, strangely though, she can remember and sing the first few lines of most of the old songs that she likes.
Kiran Gireesan, Bangalore, India

I had my stroke 3 years ago. I have always taken part in music, singing in choirs from an early age, and one of my aims and objectives was to get back to singing and music. I listened to an eclectic mix of music through earphones as soon as I was able to. I don't know whether it helped but I was back singing with my choirs around 4-5 months after the stroke and my mobility has improved.
Frances Newell, Christchurch, Dorset

WHAT I WOULD HAVE TOLD THE POLITICIANS

THE PICTURE that you see above are two tree sparrows in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, twittering to each other on the roof of the car.

Last night on behalf of PETPOSITIVE, I attended a Chap Goh Mei celebration organised by the Government at the PJ Civic Centre.

The invitation to our Society came from Petaling Jaya Selatan Member of Parliament Dato' Donald Lim Siang Chai.

As it turned out, I was not able to meet the VIPs gathered at the function who included our Deputy Prime Minister, a string of other big-shots and of course, our good man Donald Lim himself.

It was a terrible disappointment as the place where the VIPs were gathered was not accessible by wheelchairs. At least from where I, and quite a few disabled guests were seated.

Had several of the top brass of the nation been accessible to me, here's what I would have said to them - or at least, have tried to broach among the 2000 or so people who streamed in and out in the two hours that I was at the function.

Dato' Sri, could you kindly convey to your Missus Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor as to how pleased I was regarding her comments some months ago urging businesses to consider giving special discounts to disabled shoppers as part of their "social responsibility".

I think such a move is still worthy of consideration when you realise how backward our disabled denizens still sadly are despite our noble efforts in having sent our first Malaysian into space recently.

And sir, the disabled community would very much appreciate it also if you could use your position in your high office to catapult our issues and concerns more in our society today.

A few positive words from you Dato' Sri, and mountains can certainly move away from our pathways!


Mr MB, though some of my friends don't share the same opinion as me, I still think it was you who wonderfully managed to break the camel's back in getting the Selayang Council to abandon their half-baked and outrageous "Dog-catching Competition" last year.

By doing so YAB, you have personally thwarted many possible incidents of dogs biting the public when people who have no experience at all stupidly attempt to catch stray dogs.

May I also thank you for condemning the exorbitant prize money that the MPS had put up to the so-called "winners" of the sinful contest.


Dear Mr Housing and Local Government Minister: When will it be possible for specially-trained assistance dogs to accompany their disabled partners everywhere?

If CD busting canines can, and so can police and rescue dogs, why not dogs that play a pivotal role in the lives of the disabled?

Relying on human beings to help us is fast becoming a privilege and luxury these days. Dogs, on the other hand, are not only more affordable and accessible but also love doing what they do for the handicapped.

I know because I have three service dogs.

Finally to PETPOSITIVE'S friend Dato' Donald Lim who helped us launch our Charity Dinner last July through the help of Dato' Wong Sai Hou.

If I had met you last night I would have told you that whoever tries to unseat you in the coming polls is certainly going to have to run for his or her money all the way.

I still have vivid memories of the night that I came to see you in your PJ office in order to get your support to be our event patron for our charity night.

It was late in the evening - almost midnight. You kindly decided to see me first as soon as you arrived.

I remember - this was when you realised that I was not able to get to your office which was upstairs.

So there we were. You with your immaculate suit, me with my notebook in a humble coffee shop that was already washing their floors and closing up.

I thought that the most I would only get is 5 minutes with you but you gave me nearly a quarter of an hour. And after that, you seem to have had several dozen other people to see.

Many of them appeared to belong to the poor income group and were really ordinary folk.

It was a splendid lesson of dedication in politics for me.

aNt
PET+BLOGSPOT

Correction: The DPM, I discovered today, did not turn up at the event.

THE GRAND LUNCHEON AT CITITEL HOTEL MID VALLEY

FIFTY ELDERLY DISABLED and their caregivers had an unforgettable Chinese New Year Outing in Mid Valley Megamall recently. It was held on January 31, 2008 in conjunction with the Year of the Rat.

The event was sponsored for PETPOSITIVE by the good folk over at Mid Valley City Sdn Bhd comprising Mid Valley Megamall, Cititel and Boulevard Hotels and The Gardens.

Here is the final installment, as we promised, of the glorious event in pictures by PET+BLOGSPOT in conjunction with Chap Goh Mei today.

ABOVE: Some of the elderly disabled posing at the Centre Court of the Mall for a family album. Standing fourth from left is Sara Lew who is a Petpositive Committee Member as well as President of the Malaysian Parkinson's Disease Association in Kuala Lumpur. Standing third from right is Catherine Lim from the Advertising and Promotions Department of Mid Valley City.

BELOW: A very pleased PETPOSITIVE member Mr Sivaraman Kannan waiting eagerly to dig into the 8-course Chinese luncheon prepared by the Bintang Ballroom of Cititel. What were the mouth-watering delights served? 1) Prosperity Salmon Yee Sang 2) Seafood Soup 3) Boneless Chicken with Thai Sauce and Mango 4) Teochew Steamed Fished Fillet with Kei Chee 5) Loh Hon Chai with Sea Moss and Gluten 6) Golden Fried Rice with Seafood 7) Fried Stuffed Yam Dumplings 8) Sweetened Longan with Snow Fungus and Red Date.

PETPOSITIVE also received a couple of huge surprises. Daniel Yong, the Organising Chairman of the function announced that Mid Valley City had pledged a total sum of RM10.000 to our Society. The money in the form of things would be to help equip our animal-assisted therapy centre when we get it started.

On the same day, Mid Valley also organised a four-day charity bazaar within their premises. It was to raise further funds for PETPOSITIVE where all proceeds from that event would be fully directed to us.

Each of the handicapped members also received Ang Pows and goodie bags to take home.

A guest with Parkinson disease surprised us all when he suddenly decided to get up on stage to give us his personal rendition of a Chinese favorite song. (Pix at bottom with yellow T-shirt and holding a microphone).

His rendition grabbed everyone's attention - including Daniel Yong whom I was sitting next to. Daniel told me that the elderly gentleman gave a much better performance than many of the non disabled performers he had heard.



















We also relished the music by the Chinese traditional instrumentalists who performed for us during the luncheon.

When all that heavenly action was over, we were led to watch the acrobatic performance by some extremely skillful youths from China. Click HERE to watch their performance on video.

You can see by Idah's and my look in the crowd how mesmerised we were by their enrapturing show.

It was really hard to take our eyes off them, I tell you!

That's all folks! Happy Chap Goh Mei to U all.

Click HERE to read previous part of this story.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, A BIG THANK U TO RUWAIDY MAT RASUL FOR ALL THE PHOTOGRAPHS!

PET+BLOGSPOT

ADVENTURE IN A SHOPPING MALL PART 2

MIDVALLEY CITY'S CNY TREAT FOR PETPOSITIVE BY aNt.
(PICTURES BY RUWAIDY MAT RASUL.)

THE NUMBER "50" was the lucky numericals for PETPOSITIVE on January 31 last month when that many amount of disabled and elderly persons - along with their caregivers and some volunteers - got invited to a Chinese New Year outing occasion . It was done in conjunction with The Rat Year 2008.























(Above: PET+ Volunteer & Adviser Captain AKS Russell with aNt inside Optical 88 [top picture) - the eyeglass specialist centre which gave free eye checks and stylish glasses to all our members (including the blind).

The outing event was put together by Mid Valley City represented by four groups: Mid Valley Sdn Bhd, Cititel Mid Valley and Boulevard Hotels - and the latest attraction in town, The Gardens shopping experience.

Our guests were also members of the Malaysian Association of the Blind in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian Parkinson Disease Association (also KL) and the Welfare Community Home (WCH) in Batu Arang, Selangor.













MORE PICTURES: 1) A friendly rep (below) from Optical 88 was all smiles when we marched into their shopping lot with our wheelchairs.











2) A staff member from WCH catching up with aNt (above, left) whilst waiting for a member to complete his session.

3) Communications Manager of Cititel and Boulevard Huang Chia Ming (above, right) wasn't able to resist the urge to check out some of the latest array of flashy sunglasses which were on display on the sparkling-clean racks.

THE HAIRCUT PHOTO FILES: Talk about getting ready for the Lunar New Year! Our next stop was at La' Mode, the professional hairstylist centre on the first floor of the Mall. Before we all got a new look, we were served a hot drink first.

The lady in green is Fasidah Sabeh (right, below) who is currently our Secretary.














And hey, there's me, down below, also having a haircut.

Actually, it wasn't my idea at first to have one. But Capt Karim insisted, claiming my hair was "horribly all tangled up."

Really, sometimes you don't know when the good captain is being serious or just playing a joke on you!

And look! That's TraxxFM's Pei Lee, our Surprise Guest at the event who looks for a minute as if she can't take her eyes off me.

However, upon scrutiny (enlarging the picture by clicking on it), you will discover (sadly!) that the on-the-air-broadcaster is actually deep in thought on something with her gaze fixed elsewhere other than on Yours Truly!

Oh well, after the session was over, Pei still decided to stick around with me after all!

TOMORROW: The VIP 8-Course Luncheon Treat.

PET+BLOGSPOT

Click HERE to read Part 1 of this story.