About Me! The Author

Although born in the southeastern corner of China and didn’t immigrated to the United States until age of 10, I consider myself a full-blooded American (who just so happens – like almost everything – to had been Made in China). Filled with too many aspirations, I am now in my 30’s and still trying to figure out what to do in life.

I am a graduate from both University of Utah and Weber State University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Accounting, respectively. I am also an aspiring writer and wannabe landscape photographer. My goal in life is to do what I love and be my own boss. One of my many dreams is to have my work one day be published and shared with the world, which was fulfilled in 2018 when one of my stories got published.

I will try to be positive even when all around me is sad and gloomy. My optimism is a blessing and a curse at times as I often have to wade through trouble waters when it comes to my relationship with my mother and her family. Even my therapist was impressed by my hopefulness in the midst of troubled times.

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Every person has a back story, a story they are dying to tell anyone who will listen. For me, it’s the mysterious battle I’ve been dealing with since I was just a toddler. Taken to see numerous doctors in the first 3 or 4 years of my life and unable to diagnose the condition that causes lumps in my arms and legs, my mom gave up until one night when I was 3. I had developed a high fever and in the middle of the night, my entire body went into a full seizure.

I didn’t even know I had spent 5 days in the hospital until my mom told the story to her friend a few years ago while we were walking to see the Old Faithful Geyser erupt at Yellowstone. My mom did learn a lot from that night, though. My body is Calcium deficient because the code to absorb calcium from food as well as convert from Vitamin D is missing from my genetic code. Fortunately, there’s a pill I can take (and most likely have to depend on it for the rest of my life) to allow my body to function. It’s sort of like a crutch to help my body absorb calcium.

After my dad passed away (still a mystery) and my mom immigrated to the U.S. in search of a new life more than 20 years ago, I remained in China, enduring the difficult life of a Chinese elementary school student (lots and lots of homework and exams).  During all that, I was shuttled back and forth between my aunt and grandparents, all who watched closely to make sure I don’t suffer another seizure episode while my mom was away.

Thankfully, I didn’t have another seizure until 2004, on the third anniversary of my arrival in the U.S. I contracted the flu, suffered from high fever the week before.  Just as my fever broke, my body went into a seizure. Unlike the last time, this time, I was older and have complete memory of this night. It was my one and only near-death experience, one which probably no one will believe. The experience both opened my eyes and scared the hell out of me not to mention spending the night in the ER waiting room with the order that I could not go to sleep.

Then my doctor visit once again became frequent.  After seeing an internal medicine doctor who then referred me to another internal medicine doctor at the USC Children Hospital, I was finally diagnosed with pseudohypoparathyroidism at 14 but the diagnosis was not confirmed and I wasn’t properly diagnosed with Albright’s Osteodystrophy until 18 when I visited a geneticist at the Primary Children Hospital in Salt Lake City.

After all these years, my mom have never managed to give up even though she lost hope for a while and so did I.  She grew more and more optimistic as one after another doctor’s visit gone by that her daughter was one step closer to being diagnosed and properly treated.

Even though now that I’ve been properly diagnosed with this rare genetic disorder, the geneticist said I was the 10th patient with Albright’s Osteodystrophy in his 30 years of practice, I learned that there’s no cure for the disorder other than to turn back time and be diagnosed at a younger age. But I will remain optimistic and hopeful that one day, with the continuous advancement in technology, some sort of prevention or cure would be discovered.

180 thoughts on “About Me! The Author”

  1. Y. Zheng, thank you so much for following my blog, which led me to yours! I see several similarities between the two of us, especially our introvert tendencies. This is a lovely introduction you have here, and thanks for sharing such a courageous story. I admire your optimism, and I hope it rubs off on me now that I’m a follower! Best wishes to you!
    -Adelie

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      1. Why hello there,Y. Zheng!
        I wanted to let you know I’ve nominated you for the Liebster Award. I’m not sure if you’ve been nominated before, but I chose to nominate you anyway because I truly enjoy your writing and I’d love to know more about you! If you’d like to see more what the Liebster Award is about, you can check out my post (below)! I hope to hear back from you!
        Adelie

        http://artfullyaspiring.wordpress.com/2014/06/04/my-failed-attempt-at-a-brief-award-post/

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  2. Pingback: Liebster Award Nomination Update & Thank Yous! | p.s. meganelizabeth

  4. I wasn’t sure where to post this… After going through a very difficult time in my life, your blog has been a real pleasure to read. I look forward to your future work.

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  5. Hey, here’s to finding a ray of sunshine in a sky full of dark clouds 🙂 Btw your professional photo at 5 is very sweet – and you still look the same?? Ah it’s fortunate to keep one’s youthful looks 🙂

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  8. Xiao Zheng… From where in Southeastern China did your family come? I lived a year in Guangzhou, long before you were born (but maybe not before your parents were born!). I was a Foreign Expert in English at South China Teachers University in 1982/83. I loved it.

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    1. Oh, I’m from Zhongshan, about an hour from Guangzhou, not sure which direction, still too young to tell at the time. Wow, the 80’s, yup, that’s before I was born.
      My mom graduated from a teacher university in Guangzhou in ’87. I think it’s South China but not sure. She told me a few times but I can’t bring it up in my memory at the moment.

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      1. I’ve been to Zhongshan. I think your mother is a little too young to have been my student (I taught the classes of 83 and 84 and graduate students). I was only 31. Many of my graduate students were my age or close to it. The others were 20 – 22. if she went to school there, that is very wonderful and makes the world a little smaller.

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      3. I suddenly remembered your comment just now. My mom did go to school there. She entered in 1984 and graduated in 1988. Her major was history. So this really makes the world so much smaller.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Wow! That is amazing. I visited the home of one of my students who as from your home town, by the way. Maybe your mom and I passed on a street!

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  9. What do you do for the symptoms of Albright’s? Do you take medication or exercise? I don’t know anything about this disorder but I am going to research it so I do know. My specialty area in biological anthropology is genetics. I never ran across this disorder. Must be very rare. A really nice job with your about page. Well done, Lucy

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    1. Thanks!
      Yes, Albright’s is a rare disorder. My geneticist said I’m his 10th Albright’s patient in his 30 years of practice! There’s not much information about it online. I’ve researched it too and all the sites say just about the same thing.
      For the symptoms, you can’t really do much about it other than going to the doctor regularly and treat one thing at a time. Typical symptom, hinder growth, abnormal bone growth, thyroid problem, and calcium deficiency. There’s not much that can be done with hinder growth and abnormal bone growth other than a healthy diet and lots of exercise but the other two, medication is the best bet.

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  11. Hi, Y. Zheng, thank for following my blog. You are truly an amazing person. If you don’t mind I wanted to share with you a reply I got from the blog giftfromtheheartshareandcare.wordpress.com as it made me feel good and I thought you would like it too and I wish the same to you too.

    “FOR – GIVE”…
    We are only here to RECEIVE :-))))))))))))))))))))
    We are all DIVINE BEINGS… with the GOD’S SPARK… within us… living here to experience… the PHYSICAL DIMENSION and LIFE… in a MATERIAL WORLD… made of MATTER…
    In TRUTH… we are all really made up of energy… and in constant VIBRATION… and hence CHANGE is the REALITY… of our EXISTENCE…
    And so if in your HEART you truly wish for whatever… it will be granted to you INSTANTLY…
    Yes I said INSTANTLY… because we are MAGICAL BEINGS… and can have ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that we wish for… if we TRULY WISH for from OUR HEARTS… in PURITY…
    As the MULTIVERSE is our GENIE… with the MAGICAL LAMP… waiting patiently to GRANT OUR WISHES… but only those… that we wish for… with PURE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE… for OURSELVES… like the PURITY and the INNOCENCE… of a little BABY… or a freshly BLOOMING FLOWER… and so I wish for you…
    May all that you wish for be already yours…
    In TRUTH… HAPPINESS… LOVE… LIGHT… and ONENESS… in ALL THAT THERE IS!!!

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  15. I think you are lovely, and all your followers seem to agree. You’re so bubbly that you make all your medical issues sound like fun. With your energy and optimism you are an inspiration. How do you manage to do so much? Just keeping up with responding to comments looks like a full time job, but you do it so generously x

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  16. Well howdy there, neighbor. I’m just up the road in Clinton. That’s quite a lot you had to endure from a young age. What a relief it must have been to finally have an answer. Not knowing is always the worst nightmare. Hang in there.

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  20. I don’t like telling people what I watch either, unless it’s a really popular show that I won’t have to explain a lot of background about.

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  22. Just from reading your ‘About Me’ page, it seems you’ve got an interesting story (or several) to tell. I’m glad you’ve found an outlet for your shyness, and I look forward to exploring your site in more detail.

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  27. I think I come from the same area in China that you did. I left when I was 8 so have lost most my my Chinese even though I had a grade 2 education. I still like Chinese music and am sorry I can’t read Chinese anymore. I find it curious that you mentioned you listen to only English music and watch only English TV shows.

    I am Canadian but I am Chinese even though I can’t speak, read or write the language well. 🙂

    Lily

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    Reply

    1. I’m not surprised, a lot of people from my part of China has immigrated to all parts of the world.
      Ha ha, don’t worry, I can’t read or write Chinese well either even though I went to school there until 4th grade. Chinese is a difficult language, I’m just glad I can still speak it, not well though.
      I’m surprised you still like Chinese music though because honestly, I feel like most of the songs are dance pop and I’m not into that sort of thing. Yes, I only listen to only English music and watch English TV shows. I used to watch a Chinese TV show here and there but I no longer find the appeal. English shows are much more exciting, I guess. Thank you for visiting. 🙂

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  29. Hey, I’m Paris Carter owner and operator of The Bibliomaniacs, a writing/book review site. We’re launching our new magazine in the Fall. And I was wondering if you were interested in submitting a short story, essay, or poem. Please contact me if you’re interested!

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  31. Hey there! I’m quite new to your blog what I’ve really like what I’ve seen :D!

    I was nominated for two bloggers awards which made me feel really happy and now I’m passing the feeling to you! I nominated you to two awards the LIEBSTER Award and the STARLIGHT bloggers Award, the rules are quite simple (it works like a chain letter), just answer the questions and nominate a few more people so they can discover new blogs! Here’s the link –> https://bakeandread.wordpress.com/2015/07/28/liebster-and-starlight-blogger-award-nominations/

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  32. Hello,
    I am a strong believer in CHRIST and I sure believe HE can heal you no matter what the illness is. HE is a life giver, HE is a wonderful and amazing healer. HE closes and opens doors and I pray that HE opens the door of a perfect healing and wellness for you in every way so you may know the joy of wellness and a perfect health that HE can give as HE is an able LORD. HE owns and designs you and HE can do the healing according to how HE has made your genetic codes and all, just have gotta have faith even as small as a mustard seed. HE is able.

    May HE continue to bless and prosper you and look after you and all your family member too —AMEN 😀

    Stay blessed

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