She was only fourteen years old. Average sized, sweet with shoulder length hair tied in a pony tail. She had her backpack with her at all times. It was 4am at the emergency ward at Serdang Hospital. I smiled and sat beside her at the corridor. I was curious as to what she was doing here and who was in the emergency ward. She was quite hesitant and reluctant to tell her story at first. I just smiled and waited to kill time and finally, her whole story came out.
She was here to accompany her mother. Her mother was having difficulty breathing and her brothers brought her here. When I was in the ward, I saw her with a woman on one of the beds. Her mother was a diabetic patient who had both her legs amputated. She had to go dialysis weekly. She said she was in Form two. I could not recall her school's name or where she was from. But she was from somewhere around here. Her father was at a drug rehabilitation centre. She had three older brothers and she was the youngest. Her eldest brother was in his final year at ALAM (Akademi Laut Melaka), Malacca. Her second and third brother opted to work to support their eldest brother and family. I held her brothers in high regard for shouldering the responsibility that should had been their father's. She did not go to school if she had to look after her mother. Her mother had been in and out of hospitals since she was twelve years old. She was so used to hospitals unlike me. She was so accepting and making the best of the situation. Not blaming her father or her life. Never once did I heard of her grumbling or grousing her dissatisfaction or discomfort of being here. I honestly did not know what her future held for her but in the hands of her brothers, she would be alright. In shaa Allah.
2nd Story ... Uplifting
When we were warded for a few hours in the four-bedded second class ward 6 at Selayang Hospital, I got to meet this young man in his thirties. His bed was next to Syafiq. Thus, to while the time waiting for a vacant room in the first class, he and I got talking. Of course the story would be about his reason for being in this ward. He was a very friendly and cheerful guy but little did one realised what pain he had to suffer.
He said he was waiting for his turn to x-ray his left leg. It was already four days. He worked at a futsal court. His right knee had been installed with screws a few years back due to an accident. He said one of the screws had already loosened due to his most recent accident. He had a misstep at the Komuter station and fell. When he could not get up, they called the ambulance. That was how he landed up here in this ward. He was also diabetic and had to undergo dialysis twice weekly. Yet, he was so positive about life. He still played futsal although his health constrained him. He was still single and lived with his mother. His cheerfulness helped Syafiq and I to be more positive when we were actually feeling so low about being warded. The worries and fears of the unknown injury in Syafiq's shoulder was the unvoiced fear. Here, Allah met us up with this guy to get some strength and hope. SubhanAllah.
3rd Story ... Humbling
While waiting for Syafiq's turn to be x-rayed at the orthopedic unit, I met up with this lady sitting on a chair near me. I smiled at her and asked the boy next to her as to why he was not in school. She smiled at me and started her story. I guessed hospitals were lonely places where one could get very down and depressed with the sick all around us.
She said her daughter, the boy's mother, (there were another two of his siblings), was in the ward near the x-ray unit. She was already in stage three tongue cancer. That was why the doctor allowed her children and mother stayed the night at the wards. Hospitals ruling was only one family member preferably female to accompany patients at night. Her daughter started by suffering from mouth ulcer. It was too often and when it became unbearable, she went to the clinic which did a swab of her tongue and sent it for a biopsy test. It tested positive for tongue cancer which was already at stage three. She underwent chemotherapy for almost two years. The doctors had to amputate her tongue as the cancer had spread to her throat and lungs. At the same time she started chemo treatment, she was pregnant with her fourth child. She gave birth via cesarean to a baby girl which now lived with this lady, her grandmother. The baby was already a year old. This lady came all the way from Bentong, Pahang to be with her daughter as the doctors said she was in a serious situation. Since the family lived in Kuala Selangor, it was not practical to go home and come back again. Anything could happen. Her daughter's husband was with her when this lady was telling her story. She was so accepting and was prepared to face whatever eventuality.
People meet for a reason. It is not coincidence that we meet up with these people. It is already pre-ordained by Allah. At a time when I am at an all time low, these people lift my spirits, give me hope and strength with their stories and how they cope with their mishaps, make me feel so grateful for the little mercies of Allah to ease my own trials. I look at Syafiq and I keep repeating "Alhamdulillah" for still keeping Syafiq safe and in one piece for me. What we are facing is so trivial compare to all the stories that I have heard while I was in the hospital.
These are only three of the stories that I want to share with all of you. While in the hospital I have learned to be a good listener. Most of these caregivers just want to pour out their worries and fears. All they need is someone who have the time to listen to them. I do not know how to offer words of comfort but I suppose, like me, being able to share, is the biggest comfort of all. I hope these stories will be able to uplift and give strength to whoever is facing his own tests and trials. Do offer a prayer for all those patients and especially for the caregivers.
