After an earthquake, our family remains unshaken

Friday afternoon was winding down, and I was at my desk, feeling lightheaded. Or at least, I thought I was until I noticed my water bottle trembling. The ripples on the surface confirmed it wasn’t just fatigue from a long week. The floor beneath me swayed.

It was an earthquake.

Divided

Although my wife, Judy, and I are both educators, we work at different schools on opposite sides of sprawling Bangkok. My first thought was our daughter, Rylae-Ann. She was born with the rare disease aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency. Despite her amazing progress since receiving gene therapy, she is still closing the developmental and achievement gap. Typical kids would be afraid, but she also has decreased balance and stamina — not ideal for an emergency situation.

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Several thoughts crossed my mind. Was she afraid? Was she safe? Would she be able to follow the emergency protocols? But then I reminded myself that her mother was just one floor above her.

Most Bangkokians had never felt an earthquake before, let alone imagined one happening here. But at 12:50 p.m. on March 28, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, and the tremors reached us. Even though the epicenter was over 800 miles away, the city’s foundation is built on the soft clay of the Chao Phraya River delta, which made Bangkok tremble as if it were resting on jelly.

As head of middle school, I rushed to classrooms, urging students to take cover under their desks. We’d never practiced earthquake drills before, but thankfully, many of our teachers from the U.S. and Taiwan knew precisely what to do. Meanwhile, my mind kept returning to my daughter.

The tremors passed, but the fire alarms rang. We evacuated the buildings, guiding wide-eyed, silent students to the safety zones. Under the relentless Bangkok sun, we stood together, waiting for news. The weight of uncertainty pressed down on us.

Finally, I called Judy.

Unshaken

Judy and I grew up in the earthquake-prone countries of Japan and Taiwan. I’d seen her anxious after even the slightest tremor, always the first to bolt out the door. But this time, her voice was steady. She was calm.

“I ran straight to Rylae-Ann,” she told me.

When the shaking began, Judy didn’t hesitate. She didn’t take cover. Instead, she sprinted downstairs to the first-grade classroom. The students there were frozen in confusion. Without missing a beat, she scooped up our daughter, held her tight, and reassured the other children until the evacuation alarm sounded.

Hours passed before we were reunited. The earthquake had thrown Bangkok’s already infamous traffic into chaos. Some buildings had suffered damage, and emergency teams were working around the clock. Endless videos bombarded social media with everyone’s experiences. A skyscraper collapse made everyone feel wary about ever revisiting a high-rise.

But as we sat together that night, reflecting on the day, we realized something profound. We weren’t calm because of past earthquake experiences. We were calm because of Rylae-Ann.

Parenting a child with AADC deficiency has given us no choice but to embrace uncertainty. We’ve faced medical emergencies in the dead of night. We’ve held our breath through moments where every second felt like an eternity. We’ve learned to respond first and process later. Crisis after crisis, we’ve built an unshakable resilience, the kind only parents of medically complex children truly understand.

Bangkok will rebuild, as it always does. Life will return to normal. But one lesson from that day remains: No matter how unpredictable the world may be, no matter how strong the tremors, our family will never be shaken.

Note: AADC News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of AADC News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency.