Updates on Mananya

18 May 2011 (California’s time)
Dear Mananya’s friends,

It has been a month since Mananya passed away in Santa Barbara on April 18, 2011. This email is to update you on what has happened since her body left the USA on April-22. If you believe this email is sent to you in error, please accept my apology and please kindly let me know if you want to be removed from the email list. This and all future updates will be posted at
http://www.thaischolars.net/special/Mananya/

OUTLINE
1) The transportation and the funeral service in Thailand
2) Donations to the family
3) Donations to charitable organizations
4) The fellowship to honor Dr Mananya Tantiwiwat
5) Mananya Memorial Blog

=== 1) The funeral service in Thailand ===
On April-20, a few people in the USA had the last chance to visit Mananya at McDermott-Crockett Mortuary. Mananya’s mom put on her charm bracelet on Mananya’s wrist. Mananya was in her favorite green Dartmouth sweatshirt. Her face looks happy and restful without any make-up just as we requested (Mananya doesn’t like make-ups). The family was very satisfied with the service provided by Jennifer and the people at McDermott-Crockett.
The pictures are at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/panuakdet/NammonAtMcDermottCrockett#

On April-21, Professor Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, Mananya’s PhD advisor, organized a memorial service at UCSB. Many people took the stage to say things about Mananya. The family including his brother Petch also had a chance to tell people about Manaya’s childhood; and the family had a chance to listen to Manaya’s friends and professors about how much they love her. Professor Alan Heeger, the nobel laureate who signed Mananya’s PhD thesis, also attended the service. The family was deeply grateful for his support.
The pictures are at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/panuakdet/MananyaNammonSMemorialServiceUCSB#
The event was also covered by Daily Nexus, the UCSB students’ newspaper

Esteemed UCSB Grad Student Passes Away

On April-22, McDermott-Cockett transported Mananya’s body to LAX. A few friends went to say the final good-bye. We also had a chance to press the constructive complaints about the handling of Mananya (when she was alive on April-12) to the Thai Airways on-duty station manager at LAX, Khun Pongsathorn. With help from Minister Wachira and Khun Somthavil (Sandy) from the OEA (Office of Educational Affairs, the Royal Thai Embassy), we were confident that our issue would get a full and immediate attention by the management. There was one of a few instances where I could not hold back my tears. That happened when I introduced the TG station manager to Mananya’s friends from LA/Pasadena (Keiko and Peera J), and told him that this is the kind of support that she gets from her friends all over the world: from SB, from LA, from Texas, from the SF Bay Area, from all over the east coast, from the UK, from Germany, and from Thailand. Please make sure that the Thai Airways gives her the kind of dignity that she deserves. Mananya’s parents later reported that the Thai Airways did a great job on that flight for the whole family, and they’re thankful for all the Thai Airways staffs on that day. However, the issue on April-12 would still have to be dealt with to prevent future hiccups (to be reported later).
The pictures are at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/panuakdet/NammonAtLAX#

On April-24 to April-30, there was a Thai Buddhist chanting ceremony for Mananya at Wat Phra Sri Maha Taat at Bang Khen. I unfortunately did not have a chance to attend. But friends reported that there were a lot of people and it was very heartwarming for the family. The parents got to see Mananya’s body again after the long flight and reported that she arrived in a perfect condition. Many people who could not attend sent funeral wreaths and flowers, including Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (daughter of the King).
Picture of the Princess’ flower:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150179143458481&set=o.161354800592934&type=1&theater

On May-1, there was a cremation service at the same temple. Mananya’s mom gave a speech about Mananya’s life, her history, her accomplishment, and also a very touching poem about her daughter. This cremation service was also royally supported. That means His Majesty the King of Thailand sent his representative to symbolically ignited the fire at the crematorium. In Thailand, this high honor is normally only given to high-ranking civil servants and soldiers. Mananya received this honor as a special case.
The pictures are at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/panuakdet/NammonCremation#

On May-2, the final sent-off for Mananya’s cremated remains happened in Rayong Provice, on the eastern coasts in the Gulf of Thailand. The family took her remains from the temple in the morning with some Buddhist ceremony. We boarded the Police Inspection Boat #633 in Sattahip, Chon Buri and approximately 35 minutes later we arrived at the GPS coordinate: 12.595093,100.970459, where we said the final good-bye to Mananya. This location is also approximately where her grandmother was sent off after she passed away. The sky was very, very beautiful on that day — exactly just the way Mananya would like it to be.
The pictures are at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/panuakdet/NammonAtSea#

=== 2) Donations to the family ===
As stated in the previous emails that I set up a plan to accept monetary donations to Mananya’s parents based on two guiding principle: 1) Mananya loves her parents; and 2) Mananya also loves a few charitable organizations who took care of her in her final years. The plan approved by her parents was to encourage people to contribute directly to Mananya’s favorite charities (Susan G Komen for the Cure and the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara), and if they so wish, they can contribute money to the parents via PayPal (teerachan@gmail.com) or transferring to Annie’s checking account:
Citibank Checking Account
Name: Teera Chantarojsiri
Account Number 40022408229
Routing Number 321171184

The money will be used to offset the costs of travel and the funeral solely by Mananya’s parents discretion. To date, we have received about $2,900 at that account. Again, I am sorry that the family cannot provide individual receipts or acknowledgements due to very busy schedule. But please be assured that the money will be put to good use and the family is very grateful for your generous support.

Since this has been one month already, the family has decided to stop accepting donations within about a week. Therefore, April-25 will be the last day that we will accept donations to Annie’s bank account. And all the money will be transferred from Annie to Mannaya’s parents.

=== 3) Donations to charitable organizations ===
Many people sent notes to me or to Mananya’s parents that they have made donations in Mananya’s honors to various charities including Mananya’s favorite which are:
1) The Cancer Center of Santa Barbara
https://secure.ccsb.org/donate/
2) The Susan G. Komen for the Cure
http://ww5.komen.org/Donate/Donate.html

The news about donations in Mananya’s honor really have lightened up the mood for Mananya’s parents. It means so much for them to know that Mananya has inspired people to take care of each other especially those who are less fortunate. Mananya herself, after her death, donated her cornea (the glassy layer in her eyes) to be used for transplant. Her good Karma and the good Karma that others do/have done for her will provide a great comfort to the family.

Apart from the above charities, some people are very creative such as a Thai scholar friend (who wishes to be anonymous) who said she would donate ice creams to poor kids every year on Mananya’s birthday (Oct-10), as a remembrance for Mananya’s love for ice creams.

Other charitable activities that I want to share with you include:

[1] Team Nammon-Relay for Life: an event to support American Cancer Society (ACS). The team was organized by Kayla Nguyen, Michele Guide and other friends of Mananya at UCSB. They also sell really cool t-shirts for $20 to raise funds (Mananya approved the design). They have raised AT LEAST $2000 to support the ACS. Wow! I have been a volunteer driver for the ACS for 3 years and I know that they are a very good organization that uses donor’s funds really well. They provide all kinds of services to the cancer patients and family. In 2009 after her first remission, Mananya already made a call to sign up as a volunteer driver for the Road to Recovery Program, only to find out later that the cancer came back to her lung so she could not do it. What Team Nammon-Relay for Life did was, in a sense, continuing Mananya’s dream to help people through the ACS.
Their facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_201866576513609

[2] According to the “KUS25 for Nammon” facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_161354800592934&ap=1), Many friends in Thailand have organized various charity events in honor of Mananya. For example: Tapanee Padungstayawong has organized a campaign to raise funds for a hospital on Khao Yai, near the Temple Wat Magut Kiri Warnna. As reported last week, they have raised at least THB 26650 ($888) for this cause.

[3] Mananya’s mother has used the donations the family received during the Buddhist chanting ceremony (at least THB 36100 or $1203) toward the breast cancer support funds at the Queen Sirikiti’s center at Chulalongkorn Hospital, medical equipment funds for a small hospital in Khao Yai, and the Sayamintara medical institute at Siriraj Hospital. On June-7, the 50th day anniversary, she is scheduled to visit the center for the blind in Ram-Intra to make another donation in Mananya’s honor.

=== 4) The fellowship to honor Dr Mananya Tantiwiwat ===
In honor of Mananya, the UCSB has set up a fellowship fund to help support other graduate students who are the most Mananya-like. An excerpt from the fellowship website:

“The Mananya Tantiwiwat Fellowship is created to honor Mananya Tantiwiwat’s life and achievements and to continue her life’s work by providing the opportunity for future graduate students to follow in her footsteps. The fellowship will be awarded to graduate students who go above and beyond in their research, teaching and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students. Other criteria include helping others and reaching out to the community while displaying the characteristics of determination, charity, excellence and good heartedness, traits Mananya had in excess. By supporting this Fellowship, we can pass on Mananya’s spirit and the impact that she would have had on the world had she been with us longer”

Donation is tax deductible and can be done online using the link below:
https://secure.my-websites.org/supporter/donatenow.do?n=Fs%405Cs&dfdbid=1143035

Special thanks to Mananya’s advisor Professor Thuc-Quyen Nguyen for making this happen, and for going beyond the role of an advisor so that we feel she is a part of Mananya’s family.

Michele Guide wrote a beautiful biography for Mananya on that fellowship website.
http://www.science.ucsb.edu/docs/tantiwiwat_bio.pdf

=== 5) Mananya Memorial Blog ===
Mananya’s family in Thailand, the team led by Prin, Pang, and Toei, have set up a blog to collect essays that people have written about Mananya. Some are in Thai; some are in English. You can read them at:
http://nammonmemorialblog.blogspot.com/
http://nammonmemorialblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Homepage

Prepare some kleenex before you start reading. 🙂

And thank you all for your contributions.

If you have something to write, or if you cannot find your writing, please report to the webmaster, or to me and I will relay the message.

🙂
– mock
email: mocksk@gmail.com
Phone in Thailand: +66-82-474-6185

I have a relatively simple task that needs to be done for Mananya/Nammon. Anybody who
1) has a car AND
2) has some time
3) is local to SB/Goleta (or is visiting!?)
can do this. I have #1 but not #2.

TASK SUMMARY: Securely wipe data off Mananya’s old macbook. The macbook may or may not be functional.

There are multiple ways to do this
1) If you know how, you can do it yourself (but I have to be present when you do it because Mananya specifically asked me to make sure it’s wiped clean.)
2) You can ask an expert on what the easiest way to do it is. Then you can provide me with instruction and tools (if needed).
3) You can try asking a “Genius” at Apple Store to do it for us.

I recommend #3.

So, if you take up this task and choose strategy #3, here are the steps:

1) Pick up the macbook from Mock (805-450-7320). It’s in my trunk, which is usually parked at home (5730 Stow Canyon Rd, Goleta)

2) Make an appointment with the apple store genius bar.
http://concierge.apple.com/store/R317

3) Take the macbook there and tell them (the Genius) that:
“The owner is dead. She wanted her hard drive to be securely wiped clean. I’m not sure if the macbook is operational. Can you please help? Is there a charge? If so, how much? If you cannot do it, can you please explain and/or write a short note on how her friend can do it for her? If this is REALLY difficult, then can you please take the hard drive out for us? We will not hold you liable for any damage. Thank you!”

4) Get back to Mock with the results.

5) Accept Mock’s eternal gratitude. 🙂

URGENT NOTICE:
Sorry for the short notice and for mass email. But the hard deadline is approaching for sending the writing about Mananya to mananyamemory@gmail.com to be included in her memorial/memento CD, distributed at her funeral in Thailand (and may also be distributed to her friends in the USA later). The deadline is 10PM sunday night (TONIGHT, April-24, 2011) Pacific Time, 7PM TONIGHT Eastern Time, and 12 PM NOON on Monday (April 25, 2011) Thailand Time.

Brother Pang, Toei and their team in Thailand are taking charge of making this CD. Mock (me) is doing his (my) best to collect essays and videos from the folks in the USA and send them over. Please feel free to call or email me today (any time at all) if you have any questions. 1-805-450-7320. mocksk@gmail.com

Again, the writings should be sent to mananyamemory@gmail.com
Vidoes should be uploaded somewhere (that allows download), and please send me the links to download.

THANK YOU TOO MUCH, SO MUCH, VERY MUCH!! (It’s a Thai joke)
🙂
– mock

Practical help needed for Mananya: Tasks 1-5
23 April 2011
Dear Mananya’s friends,

Today, the Thai friends team led by Pam have (obsessive-compulsively) cleaned out the rest of Mananya’s apartment. We have quite a few tasks left to be done. Some of them can really use your help (esp if you are local). 

If you want to help out on any task, please email the contact person to coordinate the efforts. Thank you very much for your kindness! 
🙂

Mock: mocksk@gmail.com
Gift: giftchob@gmail.com

Task 1:
Take the queen size mattress and box spring from Mananya’s apartment and bring it to Gift’s apartment or your home if you want them. 
— Coordinate with gift. Gift has the key. 

Task 2:
Take Mananya’s medicines and dispose them according to the law. You will have to pledge confidentiality and respect patient’s privacy. 
— take them from mock 

Task 3:
Take Mananya’s electronic junks and donate or dispose them properly. Most of them are still functional. 
— take them from mock 

Task 4:
Figure out how to securely wipe data off Mananya’s old MacBook (more than 6 years old). Alternatively, just take the hard drive out and destroy the hard drive. Then donate/recycle the computer. 
— take it from mock 

Task 5:
Figure out how to do Mananya’s tax. It’s now very late (she passed away on the tax filing deadline). and we don’t even have the W2 on hand. But if you know the law and have time to help, we may be able to recover some tax return for her parents. 
— discuss with Mock

More tasks will be published later! 

🙂 
Thank you!!!
– mock (Panuakdet Suwannatat)
1-805-450-7320

PS. See Mananya’s updates (past and future) at http://www.thaischolars.net/special/Mananya/

https://picasaweb.google.com/panuakdet/MananyaNammonSMemorialServiceUCSB#

Updates on Mananya (23 April 11, #1)
Dear Mananya’s friends,
April 23, 2011
7:32 AM in Santa Barbara

This email is the last non-urgent mass email updates on Mananya Tantiwiwat (Nammon). From now on, updates will be posted at
http://www.thaischolars.net/special/Mananya/

The previous emails are also there. Thanks to Chin (Chinawat Isradisaikul) for setting it up. Thanks to p’Somthavil (OEADC.org) for the idea.

Mananya was on board the plane TG 795 last night (April 22, 2011). She was in a private cargo compartment (# ALF80030). Mr Danchai Srisermpoke took care of her really well. The family and friends observed the loading.

The family (Mom, Dad, and brother, including a large picture of Mananya) flew on the same flight. It is on schedule to arrive at 6:40 AM, Sunday April 24th, in Bangkok, Thailand.

More updates about the 7-day funeral service tomorrow.

You can contribute an article about her and send it to mananyamemory@gmail.com. The CD team (in thailand) will need it before Monday April-25. Thank you very much!!

Monetary contribution to her parents and/or her favorite charity are welcome. Please see details on the previous updates or email me.

🙂
Best Regards,
– Mock (Panuakdet Suwannatat)
1-805-450-7320

Dear Mananya’s friends,
April 22, 2011
00:40 PM in Santa Barbara

This email is about my dear friend Dr Mananya Tantiwiwat, or Nammon (น้ำมนต์) who passed away on April 18, 2011, in Santa Barbara, California.

The Tantiwiwat family has made every attempt during this difficult time to ensure that this email only goes to those who know Mananya. If you feel that you are not related to this matter, please kindly ignore this email or reply with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the first line and your email address will be removed from the list. Please also accept my sincerest apology if you have received this email multiple times.

Now, for the updates …

== MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNERAL
The funeral will be held at Temple Wat Phra Sri Maha Taat at Bang Khen (วัดพระศรีมหาธาตุบางเขน), Phahol Yothin Rd, Bangkok for 7 days from Sunday April-24 to Sunday May-1. Cremation will take place on May-1. If you are unfamiliar with a Thai-Buddhist style funeral, the following link can provide some insights (Thanks, Bier, for the link):
http://www.theworldunseen.com/Thai_Funeral.asp

Guests should plan arrive at the temple before 6:30 PM. Go to Sala 7 (the 7th pavilion) or ask for Mananya Tantiwiwat’s funeral (thai spelling: มนัญญา ตันติวิวัฒน์). The chanting sessions last about 30 minutes. People normally wear only black and white.

The temple’s location:
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&rls=en&q=wat+phra+sri+maha+taat&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

== MEMENTO CD/DVD
If you want to say something about Mananya, you can write it out (in plain text) or record a short video and send it to:
mananyamemory@gmail.com

It can be as short as a few sentences. It can be as long as few pages. It can be a poem. It can be a scanned image of hand-written messages. It can be in English or Thai or any other human language. Please be sure to put down your name. It will mean SO MUCH for Mananya’s parents and her extended family. 🙂

This will be given to her parents and we may print or include them on Mananya’s memorial CD/DVD (to be determined). Please kindly include your mailing address if you won’t be able to attend the funeral to pick up the CD/DVD. Thank you very much.

== MEMORIAL SERVICE AT UCSB
I will post the pictures of the memorial service at UCSB later. We thank everybody for attending and giving the family a chance to see how much people care about Mananya. We especially thank Prof Thuc-Quyen Nguyen and her colleagues + students for making this happen. You have done so much for Mananya.

== DONATIONS
The following is an updated information on how to make donations to help Mananya’s family offset the treatment/travel/funeral costs, or to support Mananya’s favorite charities:

[*** Way to help #1 ***]
You can send money to Manaya’s parents by transferring money to the Annie’s bank account:

Citibank Checking Account
Name: Teera Chantarojsiri
Account Number 40022408229
Routing Number 321171184

(*NEW*) Checks can be sent to:

Teera Chantarojsiri
PO Box 12151
Berkeley CA 94712-3151

(Payable to “Teera Chantarojsiri”)

You can also use PayPal by sending money to Annie’s account:
teerachan@gmail.com
(Please choose the option “Personal” gift, not as a “Purchase” which would incur a fee.)

All money (100%) will be given to Mananya’s mom and dad to be spent at their discretion. This is NOT a charitable donation and is NOT tax-deductable. Due to the extremely busy schedule of the family, we apologize that we will not be able to provide a receipt. But we will provide a summarized report when the time allows. As of the time of writing, we have received $1,770.00 (USD).

This plan has been approved by Mananya’s parents and Annie herself on April-19, 2011.

[*** Way to help #2 ***]
You can donate directly, in Mananya’s honor, to the following two organizations that Mananya cares deeply about:
1) The Cancer Center of Santa Barbara
https://secure.ccsb.org/donate/

2) The Susan G. Komen for the Cure
http://ww5.komen.org/Donate/Donate.html

The donations to both organizations are tax deductible.

Kayla Nguyen (a friend of Mananya) has organized an event called “Team Nammon-Relay for Life” to support the American Cancer Society. Please see the facebook page for more information:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_201866576513609

The University of California, Santa Barbara is in the process of setting up a fellowship fund in Dr Mananya Tantiwiwat’s honor. Details are emerging. I will keep you updated.

[*** Please note ***]
As a close friend, I know that Mananya would approve the above plan but would DEFINITELY OBJECT and RESIST any attempt to solicit donations in an aggressive manner. Please feel free to publicize this plan to people who care about her but please do not spam people on her behalf. Please keep that in mind. Thank you for your kind and thoughtful support 🙂

== CONFIRMED TRAVEL PLAN
Both Mananya’s body and her family (Mom Sureeya, Dad Manoonsak, and Brother Petch) will travel on the same flight.

Flight: TG795
From: Los Angeles International, Los Angeles, USA
Departing: Friday, April 22, 2011 11:20:00 PM

To: Suvarnabhumi International, Bangkok, Thailand
Arriving: Sunday, April 24, 2011 6:40:00 AM

== GOING TO THE AIRPORT
We welcome anybody who would like to caravan from the McDermott-Crockett Mortuary in Santa Barbara to the Thai Airways Cargo Department in Los Angeles. All the family members and some Thai friends, including Minister Wachira and Ms Somthavil from the Office of Educational Affairs, Royal Thai Embassy, will travel in the same caravan as Mananya. Her father will accompany her in the same vehicle.

If you are in/around Santa Barbara:
You may come to McDermott-Crockett Mortuary (2020 Chapala) at 12:30 PM. We will form a caravan and leave strictly before 1:00 PM for LAX.

If you are in/around Los Angeles:
You may come meet Mananya for the last time at the Thai Airways Cargo (6501 West Imperial Highway, Los Angeles, CA). The estimated time of arrival (ETA) is 3:30 PM, but that may change depending on traffic. There won’t be any formal service or even a casket display. In fact, the space may be very limited. Feel free to show up and give support to the family but please observe all the rules.
You may also show up at a restaurant in Thai Town (exact time and place TBA) as the family will be there after Mananya is sent off to the Thai Airways Cargo.

== DETAILED SCHEDULE FOR THE FAMILY
[ On Friday April 22, 2011 ]
10:15 AM – Ta picks up Mock and Dad, and Dad’s luggage.
10:30 AM – Mock and Dad are at Enterprise-rent-a-car. Ta goes back home.
11:00 AM – Mock rents a minivan or a large SUV. Reservation # 979399111. Mallory has confirmed that at least a minivan will be ready for us (confirmed at 6:50 PM of April-21).
11:30 AM – Mock and Dad will be at Mananya’s Apartment. Mom and Petch will be waiting, ready to board, all luggage ready to load.
11:50 AM – The rental minivan will be at Pam’s apartment, picking up Pam.
12:05 PM – The rental minivan must leave Pam’s apartment.
12:30 PM – The rental minivan must arrive at McDermott-Crockett. All related parties who wish to go along should have arrived for preparation. Provisions for the caravan’s details such as speed and rest stops will be discussed and decided.
12:45 PM – Ta will arrive at McDermott-Crockett with Gift, Minister Wachira, and Ms Somthavil (Sandy).This is the cut-off time for the caravan participants.
12:58 PM – All engines started. All passengers boarded. All cabin doors shut. All seat belts buckled.
Vehicle #1: Mananya, Dad, and the driver from McDermott-Crockett
Vehicle #2: Mock (driver), Mom, Petch, and Pam.
Vehicle #3: Ta (driver), Gift (driver’s driver*), Minister Wachira, Ms Somthavil/Sandy
Vehicle #4-n: whoever shows up by 12:30 PM are welcome! Please carpool if you can.
01:00 PM – All wheels rolled. The destination is at:
Thai Airways Cargo
6501 West Imperial Highway, Los Angeles, CA
(310) 670-8591

03:30 PM +/- 30 mins – All vehicles should have arrived at the Thai Airways Cargo. While the paperwork is being processed (McDermott-Crockett will take care of this), people will have a chance to meet and talk casually. Due to airport’s setting and probably some safety regulations, we will try to keep it quiet and no flowers, no cards, no public speaking. Mananya will be loaded and prepared for the flight. We trust the Thai Airways to do the job. We will respect all the safety rules and will not go into the TSA restricted areas. Mr. Nat/Sutsveta Svetasobhana, the Thai Airways general manager at LAX, agreed to take care of us in every way possible. We hope for a smooth and dignified process.

04:30 PM (or at any convenient time before 05:00 PM) – The family will depart for Thai Town, tentatively Rod Ded Restaurant (ร้านรสเด็ด) (5623 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles) to commemorate Mananya’s favorite cuisine. Warning #1: parking is very tricky. Warning #2: food is so good that you would have to come back every weekend.

07:00 PM – Mock (driver), Mom, Petch, and others will drive from Thai Town back to LAX.

08:20 PM – Everyone arrives at LAX international terminal, Thai Airways counter.

11:20 PM – TG795 takes off.

[ On Sunday, April 24, 2011, Thailand’s time. ]

06:40 AM – TG795 arrives at BKK (Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok, Thailand). The sacred journey of Mananya will have taken her back to her motherland.

From then on, I will leave the job of organizing and coordinating everything to Mananya’s family in Thailand. I will miss hear dearly. 🙂

With Best, Best Regards, and Lots of Love,
– mock
(Panuakdet Suwannatat)
cell: 1-805-450-7320*

P.S.:
*Urgent matters only, please. Already 1,790 airtime minutes and counting! Also, already 2 big bags of cough drops and counting. Gladly, I “inherited” some great-tasting cough drops from Mananya (with her parent’s permission). Even now, she continues to help me. 😀

Dear Mananya’s friends,
April 21, 2011
8:50 AM in Santa Barbara

This email is about my dear friend Dr Mananya Tantiwiwat, or Nammon (น้ำมนต์) who passed away on April 18, 2011, in Santa Barbara, California.

The Tantiwiwat family has made every attempt during this difficult time to ensure that this email only goes to those who know Mananya. If you feel that you are not related to this matter, please kindly ignore this email or reply with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the first line and your email address will be removed from the list. Please also accept my sincerest apology if you have received this email multiple times.

Now, for the updates …

== INFORMATION ON THAI FUNERAL
As stated in the email update yesterday, the funeral will be held at Temple Wat Phra Sri Maha Taat at Bang Khen (วัดพระศรีมหาธาตุบางเขน), Phahol Yothin Rd, Bangkok for 7 days from Sunday April-24 to Sunday May-1. Cremation will take place on May-1. If you are unfamiliar with a Thai-Buddhist style funeral, the following link can provide some insights (Thanks, Bier, for the link):
http://www.theworldunseen.com/Thai_Funeral.asp

== MEMORIAL SERVICE AT UCSB
There will be a memorial service for Dr. Mananya Tantiwiwat this Thursday, April-21, 2011, from 12 PM to 1 PM in ESB 1001 (Engineering Science Building), University of California, Santa Barbara. Professor Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, her advisor, and her friends at school are organizing this for her.

== CONFIRMED TRAVEL PLAN
Both Mananya’s body and her family (Mom Sureeya, Dad Manoonsak, and Brother Petch) will travel on the same flight.

Flight: TG795
From: Los Angeles International, Los Angeles, USA
Departing: Friday, April 22, 2011 11:20:00 PM

To: Suvarnabhumi International, Bangkok, Thailand
Arriving: Sunday, April 24, 2011 6:40:00 AM

All the necessary paperwork is ready and on hand. We especially thank the Minister of Educational Affairs, Royal Thai Embassy, Ms Wachira Tirakornvisesphukdi; and Ms Somthavil Thongprasert for coordinating with the Thai Consulate in Los Angeles to speed up the process. We thank Knot and Peera J who picked up the documents (and food) and drove from LA to Santa Barbara for us. (Thanks also for all others who offered to do this.) They are faster than FedEx and DHL.

With Best, Best Regards, and Lots of Love,
– mock
(Panuakdet Suwannatat)
cell: 1-805-450-7320*

P.S.:
*Urgent matters only, please. Already 1,716 airtime minutes and counting! But thanks to Verizon, they agreed to retroactively changed my plan to an unlimited plan just for Mananya (also a Verizon customer). Even Verizon loves Mananya 😉

Dear Mananya’s friends,
April 20, 2011
9:45 AM in Santa Barbara

This email is about my dear friend Dr Mananya Tantiwiwat, or Nammon (น้ำมนต์) who passed away on April 18, 2011, in Santa Barbara, California.

The Tantiwiwat family has made every attempt during this difficult time to ensure that this email only goes to those who know Mananya. If you feel that you are not related to this matter, please kindly ignore this email or reply with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the first line and your email address will be removed from the list. Please also accept my sincerest apology if you have received this email multiple times.

Now, for the updates …

== ONE LEGACY
Yesterday morning (Tuesday, April-19, 2011) at around 9 AM, the recovery team from One Legacy, a donate life organization (www.onelegacy.org), has recovered both corneas (กระจกตา) from Mananya. Thanks to Mananya’s final act of kindness, a lucky complete stranger will get to see the beautiful world again. The formal consent for such organ/tissue donation was given over the phone by her mother at around 12:15 AM of the same day. It was a long phone call in the middle of the night, and it had to be done that night before the corneas would become unusable. By giving this consent, the family has fulfilled Mananya’s wish as stated in her advance healthcare directive (signed on January-26, 2011, to which I was honored to be a witness together with Pam). The sparkle in her eyes will continue to shine and light up the world.

== VISITING MANANYA
You may visit Mananya today (Wed, April-20, 2011) from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM at this place:

McDermott-Crockett & Associates Mortuary
2020 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
(Chapala at Mission)
Tel: 800-842-5241 or 805-569-2424 http://www.mcdermottcrockett.com/

The family plans to be there at 1 PM. We may or may not stay until 5 PM depending on the situation.

== THE TRAVEL PLAN
Jennifer at McDermott-Crockett has told that she expects the travel date to be this Friday, April-22, 2011. She and her family (mom, dad, and brother) will accompany her on TG 795 from Los Angeles (LAX) to Bangkok (BKK). Departure time is 11:20 PM. Mananya’s body needs to get there by 6 PM.

== THE FUNERAL IN THAILAND
She will be resting at the temple Temple Wat Phra Sri Maha Taat at Bang Khen, Phahol Yothin Rd, Bangkok for 7 days from Sunday April-24 to Sunday May-1, during which time there will be chanting by Buddhist monks and related Thai-Buddhist ceremony. She will be cremated on May-1. For those who are unfamiliar with a Thai-style funeral, I will try to find a useful educational material on the web and will share it with you at a later time. (Or if you find it, please send it to me and I’ll disseminate. Thank you!) For now, the important thing to know is that: during the 7-day ceremony, Mananya and the family will welcome the visitors at the temple each evening. People, wearing all black and/or white, will listen to the chanting with the family, with social breaks in between sessions. All are welcome and you do not have to be a Buddhist. It will be a chance for the great support system of the Thai culture to help in the grieving process for everybody — the family, the extended family, the thousand of friends near and far away.

== WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR MANANYA
Many people asked how they can help. Sometimes, the feeling of helplessness can be very painful especially for those who are far away. Many people tried to ask me to tell the family beautiful things to cheer them up. Many people really insisted on monetary assistance for Mananya’s parents to help offset the costs of flying here (at moment’s notice), taking care of Mananya and friends (e.g. feeding me everyday), the funeral back home, and related expenses. Some wants to know what Mananya’s favorite charity is so donations can be made in her honor.

After a long discussion with Mananya’s parents (mom and dad), we have made the decisions based on the following guiding principles:
1) Mananya cares deeply about her parents. What makes her parents happy will make her happy.
2) Mananya appreciates the care she has been given in the past three years from the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara. She also likes to “wear pink” in support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a foundation that funds breast cancer research and education.
2) Mananya is a proud person and wants to be treated with dignity.

Therefore, the following arrangements have been made and approved by the family:

[*** Way to help #1 ***]
You can send money to Manaya’s parents by transferring money to the Annie’s bank account:

Citibank Checking Account
Name: Teera Chantarojsiri
Account Number 40022408229
Routing Number 321171184

You can also use PayPal by sending money to Annie’s account:
teerachan@gmail.com
(Please choose the option “Personal” gift, not as a “Purchase” which would incur a fee.)

Annie (Teera Chantarojsiri) agrees to take care of the account (both the bank and PayPal). All money (100%) will be given to Mananya’s mom and dad to be spent at their discretion. This is NOT a charitable donation and is NOT tax-deductable. Due to the extremely busy schedule of the family, we apologize that we will not be able to provide a receipt. But we will provide a summarized report when the time allows.

Annie is a trusted friend. She is one of the “Mananya’s daughters”. She has been taking care of Mananya really, really well by her bedside up until the last moment. This plan has been approved by Mananya’s parents and Annie herself on April-19, 2011.

[*** Way to help #2 ***]
You can donate directly, in Mananya’s honor, to the following two organizations that Mananya cares deeply about:
1) The Cancer Center of Santa Barbara
https://secure.ccsb.org/donate/
2) The Susan G. Komen for the Cure
http://ww5.komen.org/Donate/Donate.html

The donations to both organizations are tax deductible.

[*** Please note ***]
As a close friend, I know that Mananya would approve the above plan but would DEFINITELY OBJECT and RESIST any attempt to solicit donations in an aggressive manner. Please feel free to publicize this plan to people who care about her but please do not spam people on her behalf. Please keep that in mind. Thank you for your kind and thoughtful support 🙂

WHAT IF “I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO SAY!!” ?
Life is so beautiful and taking care of each other is beautiful. The following guide helps us, the livings, take care of each other in a thoughtful manner. I found it to be very useful. 🙂
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/helping_grieving.htm
It includes examples of things to say and things not to say to each other during this difficult time to avoid hurting your loved ones’ feelings unintentionally.

== MANANYA IS A HAPPY PERSON
Of course, having cancer is not something to be happy about, we should truthfully acknowledge that; but please do not let it define Mananya. Her life is so beautiful and has so many dimensions. She is a runner, a biker, a hiker, a Physics nerd, a happy eater, a Del Pueblo Cafe sunday patron, a Four-Mod skeptical lover (believe me, she can sing many songs), and she loves “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars, and “No, No Never” by Texas Lightning (source cited: Moriah), and there’re so many, many positive stories about her. She wants her happy images to be remembered. Those who know Mananya well would know this. Ying Wipawadee knows this, and she made the following wonderful short (5-mins) video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOQL3h0m3ao&feature=player_embedded

When we write stories about her (either in the writing or the video forms), we shall bear this in mind. When we make a decision to do things “for her”, let’s give the priority to Manaya’s wishes rather than our own feeling of loss. 🙂

With Best, Best Regards, and Lots of Love,
– mock
(Panuakdet Suwannatat)
cell: 1-805-450-7320*

P.S.:
*Urgent matters only, please. Already 1,460 airtime minutes and counting! But thanks to Verizon, they agreed to retroactively changed my plan to an unlimited plan just for Mananya (also a Verizon customer). Even Verizon loves Mananya 😉

Dear Mananya’s friends,
April 19, 2011

As you may have already known, my dear friend Dr Mananya Tantiwiwat (or Nammon, as I call her) has passed away at around 1:35 PM yesterday (April 18, 2011) in Santa Barbara, California. (Thailand time: 3:35 AM, April-19) She was 28 years old. This email is to give you more information about what will happen next.

The Tantiwiwat family has made every attempt during this difficult time to ensure that this email only goes to those who know Mananya. If you feel that you are not related to this matter, please kindly ignore this email or reply with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the first line and your email address will be removed from the list. Please also accept my sincerest apology if you have received this email multiple times.

WHAT HAPPENED?
Mananya was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. Since then, she has been receiving treatments from the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara and related agencies. There have been ups and downs throughout the process. The details are delicate, beautiful, and very inspiring. However, out of respect for Mananya’s privacy, I shall keep it brief on the illness part until the family finds the correct balance between privacy vs complete information. Let’s just say that she died very peacefully with exactly all her wishes fulfilled at the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. She was under the care of the palliative care doctor Michael Kearney who assured us this morning that she was “beyond any suffering”. Her dad Manoonsak, her mother Sureeya, her brother Petch/Jeerayoos were all present at the time. I and a few close friends were also lucky enough to be there. 🙂

THE PLAN FOR MANANYA
The Tantiwiwat family wants to have a traditional Thai Buddhist style funeral for Mananya in her motherland, the Kingdom of Thailand, as soon as it is feasible. Her body will be transported in an orderly, dignified way to Thailand. The ceremony will be held at Wat Phra Sri Maha Taat temple in Bangkok. She will be cremated. Her extended family and friends in Thailand will get to join the funeral and ceremony.

THE LOGISTICS
McDermott-Crockett & Associates Mortuary will take care of Mananya’s body for a few days before the necessary paperwork and travel arrangements can be made for her to be transported to Thailand. Jennifer at McDermott-Crockett assured us that she will take care of all the necessary tasks such as obtaining the death certificates, transportation permits, arranging for cargo, etc.  We hope to use the Thai Airways as the family (mother, father, and brother) already have the return tickets and wish to accompany her on the same flight. Her insurance is likely to cover the transportation costs including the mortuary costs.

CAN WE SEE MANANYA?
I was told by Jennifer at McDermott-Crockett that while Mananya is resting there, she can get visitors. Please check with them about the visit rules and whether or not we can send cards or flowers. Please also call to check before visiting just in case she has to “commute” to the hospital for organ and tissue donation. (Yes, she has been giving all her life and she continues to give even after her death.) Mananya will stay there until she can fly. This will likely be around Friday +/- one day. I will let you know when the date becomes more certain.

The mortuary’s information:
McDermott-Crockett & Associates Mortuary
2020 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Tel:  800-842-5241 or 805-569-2424
http://www.mcdermottcrockett.com/

MEMORIAL SERVICE IN SANTA BARBARA?
The Tantiwiwat family is focused on bringing Mananya back to her home in Thailand. We do not have a capacity to organize a memorial service here but we do not resist any attempt by her friends to do so. In fact, we would welcome it. 🙂

MANANYA’S GRADUATION
Mananya has been with the University of California Santa Barbara since 2005 in the PhD program in Physics. Professor Thuc-Quyen Nguyen is her advisor. After almost 6 years of hard work (even while she was going through treatments), she finally got her dissertation approved by the committee on April 14, 2011, successfully and beautifully completing her duty as a Royal Thai Government’s scholarship student just four days before she passed away. The “graduation” pictures have brought tears of joy to the photographer’s eyes (i.e. mine!). The link below is the public album for everyone to see.
https://picasaweb.google.com/panuakdet/CongratsDrNammonPublicAlbum#

There is also a private album that I think Mananya would like me to share with only those who’re very close and have already seen her at the hospital. If you need access please kindly ask me for the link.

FINALLY
I hope that the transition process will be as smooth and as beautiful as possible for the Tantiwiwat family. I will do my best to facilitate communication. Please feel free to call or email. I may not be able to respond right away, but I will read all the emails eventually. If the matter is urgent and important, please call repeatedly and leave a short voice mail. I really thank you all for your support.

With Love,
– mock / Panuakdet Suwannatat
1-805-450-7320
mocksk@gmail.com

P.S. Send me your email address if you want to be included in further notifications.