Category Archives: Uncategorized

To read my other blog posts, please head on over to http://cathjayasuriya.blogspot.com/!

The months of planning and preparing for Expedition Mt Kinabalu 2012 have come to an end. The climb was a success and now everyone has left, mostly by plane, back to their countries, their homes and their families. I decided … Continue reading →

Lucas Brandom climbing Mt Kinabalu in 2011 (This article was written by Patrice Apodaca, a writer for the Daily Pilot, Newport Beach). Lucas Brandom climbed a mountain for his brother. Shivering cold, soaked to the skin and numb with exhaustion, … Continue reading →

View from the South Rim A visit to the Grand Canyon in early spring is a reminder of the big picture of life, and that perhaps all our worries are small and we can spend too much time dwelling on … Continue reading →

Summit of BorneoAugust 25th, 2012 Welcome to the second annual Expedition Mt Kinabalu! On August 25th 2012, I will be part of a team of 60 international climbers who will scale Mt Kinabalu, summit of Borneo, to raise global awareness … Continue reading →

Holiday Greetings & Happy New Year 2012from Coalition Duchenne! That Was The Year That Was! 2011 has been a year of action for Coalition Duchenne. After its inception in March, Coalition Duchenne, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Newport Beach, California, … Continue reading →

American Idol winner Lee Dewyzevisiting Dusty in intensive care What’s up with GERD? Hydrochloric acid. That’s what’s up. What makes GERD so nauseating is the hydrochloric acid that leaks up from the stomach and into the esophagus, due to a … Continue reading →

My son with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office Three years ago, the Make-A-Wish foundation, an organization that grants wishes for terminally ill children, came to our home to ask our then 15 year-old son who has Duchenne muscular … Continue reading →

http://www.active.com/donate/duchenneexpedition Expedition Mt Kinabalu Climbing for a Cure Welcome to Expedition Mt Kinabalu! On September 9th, I will be part of a team of 30 international climbers who will scale Mt Kinabalu, summit of Borneo, to raise global awareness and … Continue reading →

Senator Obama in 2008 It has been an extraordinary 10 days, 10 days I wish would never end. Everything went right, everything fell into place. My son’s wish to meet the President through the Make-A-Wish Foundation had come through. It … Continue reading →

I was born to a Malaysian father and an English mother. More specifically, my father is part Sri Lankan and part Kadazan. The Kadazans are the largest group of indigenous people of Sabah, in Malaysian North Borneo. My parents met … Continue reading →

It is not that our circumstances define who we are but it is rather about how we define our circumstances. When ants are presented with an obstacle, such as a clump of soil or a rock, they will move around … Continue reading →

My father turns 85 this year. Every year he, (with my mother), makes the long plane trip from Malaysia to California, to spend a fun-filled Christmas and New Year with us. It had been six weeks ago that we anticipated … Continue reading →

Within seconds of being led to our seats, the stadium erupted into cheers as Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters walked onto the stage. As I found my seat in the first row, the loud cracking sounds of fireworks rocked the … Continue reading →

November 2002 (I wrote this song a few years ago when my son Dusty could still play the guitar. Today, just holding a spoon to feed himself is heavy for him). I can hold a thousand grains of sand inside … Continue reading →

During my Photojournalism days as a student, we learned about the different darkroom techniques for black and white and color development. We would experiment with the different styles of manipulation as we spent hours on end in the university’s darkroom … Continue reading →

Recently I was in my doctor’s office for my annual check up. I sat patiently in the waiting-room looking around at the pictures of his family positioned in large frames across the walls, and noticing how over the years his … Continue reading →

I once read that life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass but learning how to dance in the rain. The diagnosis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy felt like a sharp sword that stabbed and shattered my world. After that … Continue reading →

It was my son’s first driving lesson. I stood and watched from the driveway as he carefully pulled away from the curb, his instructor next to him equipped with an emergency brake pedal. I was excited for him and as … Continue reading →

My neck ached as I stood gazing up at the Clock Tower, mesmerized by all the thoughts that were going through my mind. In 1859, during the heyday of the British Empire, this now famous icon was completed. My thoughts … Continue reading →

I must admit that I know very little about American football. Having spent all my youth in Malaysia, England and Australia, I was a relative newcomer to America, and to football.  I have no excuse, however.  I have lived here … Continue reading →

I strolled along the beach this evening, and watched the sunset. I stood in awe of the spectacular explosion of nature’s most brilliant colors displayed across a canvas of sky.  As the sun sank beneath the horizon, all around me … Continue reading →

Dr Rhodes and Dr Boudreau discuss STS with Dusty Dr. Donald Rhodes South Texas Innovative Medicine Review There has been considerable interest in the Duchenne community regarding a physical therapy system known as Dynatronic STS, (the new machine is called … Continue reading →

I knew the runway was short, and the captain warned us of a steep take off, and then a pulling back of the engines, due to the noise restrictions in the area of our local airport. The 737-800 was poised … Continue reading →

Underneath all your thinking there is the stillness of being. I love Paris.  I have only been there a handful of times, and a few weeks ago, I took the Eurostar from London to Paris for a short stay.  The … Continue reading →

I love to travel. Recently, I took a short trip to Cambodia, to visit the temples of Angkor Wat. Whilst there, I decided to take a rickshaw ride into the countryside around Siem Reap. After an hour or so, I … Continue reading →

There are perfect moments. I’m watching the waves crashing to shore with a clear blue sky above. The white sandy beach stretches on and on, and at this moment I have everything, I’m in paradise. My mind is still and … Continue reading →