Ambulance

This is the reason to cutting short my visit in Malaysia, my mother. All my siblings are working and I am requested to attend to my sick mother. Since my mother is totally bed-bound, I have to call on the service of an ambulance to transport her to the hospital for her check up yesterday.

I was thinking that she might be given another CT scanning to confirm the spread of the cancer cells but the doctor confirmed it without the scanning. I was told that by giving her the chemo treatment, it would take her life within a week and so it was decided that chemo is out for her.

There is no medication for her and this puzzle me, nothing at all.

When the doctor saw my worried look, he suggested some kind of mushroom extract that would slow down the spread of the infected cells. There is not much to be done to what has already been spread around her organs but the mushroom extract will slow down new infected cells from infecting new sites.

All we have to do now, says the doctor is to make her as comfortable as possible and let "nature" take its course.

Please, be my friend, make doa for my mother. My doa for her to go without pain, comfortably and easily.

Yesterday her appointment time to see the doctor at Spore Cancer Center was 4.20pm but we came early at 3pm. I was engrossed with "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini and forgot all about the waiting. I was holding my mother in one hand and holding the book in the other hand, while rubbing my mother forehead, I kept on reading.

My mother's helper was saying something, more to grumbling but I ignored her. Then, I realised we had waited for 2 hours in the cold, comfortable room , all by ourselves.

No wonder the helper went to the toilet two times, no wonder she was taking a nap on her arms on the table behind me. All this time, I was so engrossed in the reading!

But where is the doctor?

Thats it!

I put the book down, with quick steps to the reception and standing still, staring at all the counter staff. Effectively, they all kept quiet and paid attention to me standing there, quiet.

With a quiet but killing voice, I asked for the doctor and I have waited, my dying mother have waited for 2 hours for him. Every other waiting people in the room were listening to me.

Where is the DOCTOR?

I left the room with this question. Later, 5 minutes later, the doctor came. Young.

I am Dr. Poh, or something like that. I wasn't listening anyway. I was screaming inside. But I keep my cool. I just give him the stare and kept my face straight, staring at him, hopefully he felt some guilt. But never do I expect an apology from him, which is wise of me, as it never would come, anyway.

Just 5 minutes of touching my mother here and there, maybe 3 minutes, said those few words and left.

I am good at waiting. I wanted to see somebody, waited for two years and I have seen this person at last, my reward for the patience.

What is 2 hours for me? I have all the time in the world to wait. But where is the work etiquette in the doctor?

Going home was rush hour time. Let me tell you the experience of going through rush hour in Spore in an ambulance. Feels real good.

Felt like some VVIP on the road, all vehicle giving way, what with the siren blaring all the way.

At rush hour and the ambulance blast through at 90kph all the way, with other cars giving way.

That took all the anger and frustration out of my system. I am alright now and kissing my mother all the time.

Bedok, Ansar Village.