Richard Blakney
I grew up in Portland, Oregon, however, my family moved to Washington when a was in college. I attended the University of Washington and studied to be a pharmacist. While attending a 1955 conference in Ohio, Dr. Harold Brewster, Medical Secretary for the Board of Missions for the Methodist Church, invited me to join the team being formed to establish a hospital in the interior of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. We were there four years supported by the Methodist Church/USA to undertake the establishment of the 50-bed Christ Hospital. Dr. L.K. Ding was one of the physicians there. One year later Dr. Brewster’s daughter, Betty, a nurse, joined the staff as well, and a romance developed; we were married in Borneo, and our first of three daughters was born there. A Master of Public Health degree at Yale followed, then a residency and administrative position at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Through Dr. Ding, in January of 1956, I received an invitation from the Hong Kong Christian Council to participate in a team there to find the 579-bed United Christian Hospital with support by national church groups in several countries and the Government of Hong Kong. Our family lived there for 13 years. In 1981 it was a rewarding adventure to work with the Ministry of Health in Guyana, South America, then on to Liberia, West Africa, then on to our final position in Hong Kong for five years to rebuild the 360-bed Haven of Hope Hospital for patients with long-term illnesses. Finally, we retired here in Seattle 21 years ago and are finding new life adventures and challenges living at Bayview Retirement Community. My AgeUp is… sharing global healthcare information with a new generation.
