A couple of days ago, I had to get up at 2am. Nans was having trouble breathing and so we decided to bring her to the hospital. As diagnosis usually comes after a battery of tests and interviews, it was decided that she has to be admitted for treatment and observation.
As someone whose secret fear (and now it’s finally revealed to the universe) is seeing signs of parental mortality and aging, I am always in a state of denial whenever I begin to entertain thoughts that tats or nans could be suffering serious health problems.
And so on that day, I preferred considering the ordeal as “checking in” on a vacation spot – a very flashy hotel. The amenities you pay for are basically the same anyway: soft bed, comfortable room, a television, a refrigerator, a private toilet and bathroom and ration of meals. Now they even serve snacks in between meals! You also get your patient’s kit consisting of face towels, toothbrush, toothpaste, rubbing alcohol, skin tape, a bar of soap, syringes, specimen cups and a digital thermometer (and, unlike those in hotels, you don’t have to steal them because they’re absolutely yours!). There are staffs coming every day to clean your room and change beddings. All that one has to do is find a way to spend the day without having to die of boredom (if you are not really there because of a terminal disease). In my case and that of nans, we brought a lot of romance novels to keep us occupied. When the printed words are causing us eye strain, we simply drift off to dreamland.
Of course, we can do sightseeing on the side if our butts get too heated up. There are actually plenty of wonderful things to see in a hospital: New-born babies who become testaments to the miracle of life. Family members attending to the needs of their sick relatives – a true manifestation of the capacity of the human heart for deep-abiding love and loyalty. People-duly recovered from diseases – ready to move on and live fulfilling lives. And yes, medical practitioners in action who exercise their God-given skills to defy the pull of death and prevent the loss of a loved-one. There are sights too, that can dampen the spirit but then as I have said, I would rather see the glass half-full than half-empty and so my subconscious has directed my senses to embrace only that which will bring sunbeams to my experience there.
Naturally, I wouldn’t want to be back there in whatever circumstance – ever, but the will to survive will always run through our system, hence, I have a feeling that I will be taking another vacation there in the future although I’m praying that I will be blessed with a longer reprieve.
If there is one lesson though which I’ve learned all over again from this experience, it’s the fact that life is precious. That family relationship are, too. That everything is a fleeting gift that could easily be taken from all of us in the blink of an eye.
That’s why always make every moment count while we still can.
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