Tag: Caltrain

June 23, 2018

~ Campjustin ~ Leave a comment

Dad visited me today. Julia, my sister, also came. We decided to eat ramen at Downtown Palo Alto. Despite the ramen being good, I couldn’t eat it all. In the car I drank an entire protein shake so I felt nauseous.

These are my daily requirements:

  • Exercise at least 10 minutes walking on the treadmill
  • Ride at least 1 hour on the gym bike
  • Walk 10,000 steps (tracked by my Fitbit)
  • Eat a salad or another vegetable dish
  • Drink a protein shake

I set these requirements for myself after transplant so I can recover faster. I need to drink protein shakes because my doctor recommended me to eat more protein. I have a tube inside of me that I used before my heart transplant. Through the tube I would insert nutrient shakes (Nutren 2.0). After my heart transplant, I have an appetite so I can eat my entire day’s calories. If I stop using my tube for 6 months, I can have it removed.

My Dad drove us to California Avenue. California Avenue is where the Palo Alto farmers market is held. My Mom and I went to that farmer’s market and it seemed pretty cool (see June 3, 2018). California Avenue also has a Caltrain station. Caltrain is a public transport train in Palo Alto.

After we explored California Avenue, we dropped off Julia at the Stanford Mall. The Stanford Mall is across the Ronald McDonald House. She wanted to buy clothes at Urban Outfitters.

My Dad and I went to a bookstore in Menlo Park. Menlo Park is a city right next to Palo Alto. The bookstore is Kepler’s Books. We also bought drinks from a nearby cafe, Cafe Borrone.

When we went back to the Ronald McDonald, we met with Julia. We both went to Downtown Mountain View for dinner. Mountain View is farther away from Palo Alto, but their downtown is nice. Mountain View is the headquarters for Google, so you see a lot of young employees in Downtown Mountain View. We ate at an Indian restaurant.

July 14, 2018

~ Campjustin ~ Leave a comment

Today Nicole’s dad prepared a meal for her church family. Nicole is a girl that’s been in the hospital since May. She was born with a non functioning right artery, and ever since she’s had to replace it with a mechanical one. This was her fifth open heart surgery, but after complications, she’s still in the hospital. Hopefully she gets out soon (see September 20, 2018).

Nicole’s dad is a chef. He built his first restaurant at 18, and started his own restaurant chains. However, when Nicole got sick, she asked for her dad to be with her. He sold his restaurant chains and left Los Angeles just to stay with Nicole.

Every Saturday my Dad visits me at the Ronald McDonald House. He takes me out to have fun for the entire day. Downtown Palo Alto is a walkable distance from the Ronald McDonald House, and at Downtown Palo Alto is a Caltrain station. Today we took Caltrain to Sunnyvale.

We got to the Caltrain station an hour earlier than the next departure, so we decided to get drinks at a cafe in Downtown Palo Alto. Downtown Palo Alto has a lot of restaurants to enjoy, and their own Stanford theater (see July 20, 2018). There’s a famous restaurant, Ramen Nagi, at Downtown Palo Alto (see July 17, 2018). From the Ronald McDonald House to Downtown Palo Alto is wheelchair accessible.

We took the train to Sunnyvale. There’s steps to board the train if you decide to take it. Since I have to stay at the Ronald McDonald House for 3 months, I want to make the most out of my time. I loved watching the passing scenery.

Downtown Sunnyvale isn’t as big as Downtown Palo Alto. Notwithstanding it’s still very impressive. Across the Downtown Sunnyvale Caltrain station is an impressive plaza. Downtown Sunnyvale also has a street that’s called the Historic Murphy Avenue, and it’s extremely beautiful. It reminds me of Downtown Mountain View. You can also check out that place with Caltrain.

Going from Downtown Sunnyvale we took Caltrain back to Downtown Menlo Park. At Downtown Menlo Park I bought a book from Kepler’s Books. The book I bought was The Testing, a book about an intense college competition after the apocalypse. It’s similar to The Hunger Games; teenagers fight each other for a better life.

From Downtown Menlo Park we walked back to the Ronald McDonald House. I was so glad to be back because I walked a lot. I needed to rest for a while. Last year I was in the hospital for a week for calf pain. Ever since then I take Tylenol when my calf pain flares up. Today was a strenuous day, so I took tylenol. I ate my dinner at the Ronald McDonald House.

July 18, 2018

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Every Wednesday at the Ronald McDonald house there’s a movie night. Usually no one goes (I don’t know why?), but I invited my neighbor, Kayano, and his family to come. I also invited Johanna (pseudonym) and her mother Tanjila (pseudonym) to watch the movie with us.

Tanjila is a really sweet person. She was nervous about bringing Johanna to Stanford, since they live far away. She said I made them less nervous, which I felt great about. Johanna needs a lung transplant, but she’ll need to be on an oxygen machine in the meantime.

We watched Trolls. Trolls is a movie about trolls. It’s so bad it’s hilarious. I loved laughing at the awkward moments.

If you’re at the Ronald McDonald house or the hospital, you’re most likely in pain. I suggest finding something to occupy your time to distract from the pain.

At the Ronald McDonald House there’s tons of activities for you to enjoy, such as bingo night, arts & crafts, or movie night. My personal favorite is sitting at the kitchen and reading a book. People are more open to talk to you if you make yourself seem available. The Stanford Mall is across the street, and Downtown Palo Alto and Safeway are walking distance away. Safeway has a food bar, and Downtown Menlo Park is not far from Safeway. If you can make it to Downtown Palo Alto or Downtown Menlo Park, you can hop on a CalTrain and travel to neighboring cities.

At the hospital, check out the Family Resource Center. I rented so many movies at the Family Resource Center that I finished the Captain America, Mission Impossible, Lord of the Rings, and Avengers series. The hospital also has a great garden to explore, and each unit has a balcony so you can have fresh air. I remember my room had so much stenk that outside smelled like heaven. Stanford has playrooms for you to enjoy. The playrooms include games, and there are other people at the playrooms you can play with.