ME
For the past month or so, I kept getting this feeling that something wasn't right at home. Despite my mother's constant reassurance that everything was fine back home, I knew things weren't, but I didn't probe. My exams were coming, and I didn't want to be distracted, though in the end, I got more distracted thinking about what had happened or could be happening. And when I touched down 3 days ago, I discovered what it was exactly.
I saw my father. He was wearing a cap, but I could tell that he was bald, and his left eye was swollen, with the eyelid almost shut. I just went numb with shock, and in my mind I kept thinking, "Ohmygod what happened what happened". He got emotional when he saw me, and broke down in tears and hugged me. In my entire life I've only seen my father cry once, and that was at my grandmother's (his mother) funeral. And he told me everything, about how on 30th November he had to undergo a cranial-facial surgery to remove a malignant tumour in his left ethmoid sinus. He had underwent chemotherapy before that to remove the cancerous growth but it was unsuccessful so his doctor had recommended surgery. Ordinarily they could have just accessed the tumour through his nose but because the tumour had spread, they had to access it through his skull. My father removed his cap and showed me the sutures on the top of his head, ugly brown stitches that made my heart break at the sight of them. Everything was going well, and then, the week before I was due to be home, he got a severe eye infection that had to be operated on again. This time around, the hospital stay was such a traumatic experience for him, because he had to be put on a drip constantly and made to take IV antibiotics every 6 hours. They inserted needles into the back of his hand till it swelled and the veins retracted, which made it difficult and painful to insert more needles in. The antibiotics hurt when they entered the body, because they entered by a bolus dose each time.
And as I listened to my father's story, I cried. For him, for the immense pain and suffering that he had to go through, for my mother who tirelessly took care of him despite her rheumatoid arthritis problems, for my brother and sister who had remained so strong during this difficult time for the family. And throughout this whole episode, I had been in Ireland, oblivious to it all.
I understood the reasons why my mother wouldn't tell me all this. It was my exams period, and she knew I would worry and she didn't want me to be distracted. I couldn't do anything from so far away anyway. But I still feel horrible, that I haven't done anything for my family throughout the whole thing. My mother stayed with my father every night for the 2 weeks that he was warded in hospital. My brother became more mature, more responsible and understanding. More guai and tia uwei. My little sister had to stay at home alone every night- she, who is afraid to go out and throw the rubbish at night. She also took it upon herself and went around town everyday buying Christmas presents on behalf of my parents for the rest of the family.
So this holiday, I'm going to devote my time to my family, to taking care of them. I'm going to spend time with them, especially since I'm only home for 3 months every year only. I thank God that my father is recovering well now, and I pray that he'll be back to fighting fit health soon.
<♥>
Hello, my name is Mylene.
Screams
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
This Christmas break is a holiday like no other, and not in a good way.For the past month or so, I kept getting this feeling that something wasn't right at home. Despite my mother's constant reassurance that everything was fine back home, I knew things weren't, but I didn't probe. My exams were coming, and I didn't want to be distracted, though in the end, I got more distracted thinking about what had happened or could be happening. And when I touched down 3 days ago, I discovered what it was exactly.
I saw my father. He was wearing a cap, but I could tell that he was bald, and his left eye was swollen, with the eyelid almost shut. I just went numb with shock, and in my mind I kept thinking, "Ohmygod what happened what happened". He got emotional when he saw me, and broke down in tears and hugged me. In my entire life I've only seen my father cry once, and that was at my grandmother's (his mother) funeral. And he told me everything, about how on 30th November he had to undergo a cranial-facial surgery to remove a malignant tumour in his left ethmoid sinus. He had underwent chemotherapy before that to remove the cancerous growth but it was unsuccessful so his doctor had recommended surgery. Ordinarily they could have just accessed the tumour through his nose but because the tumour had spread, they had to access it through his skull. My father removed his cap and showed me the sutures on the top of his head, ugly brown stitches that made my heart break at the sight of them. Everything was going well, and then, the week before I was due to be home, he got a severe eye infection that had to be operated on again. This time around, the hospital stay was such a traumatic experience for him, because he had to be put on a drip constantly and made to take IV antibiotics every 6 hours. They inserted needles into the back of his hand till it swelled and the veins retracted, which made it difficult and painful to insert more needles in. The antibiotics hurt when they entered the body, because they entered by a bolus dose each time.
And as I listened to my father's story, I cried. For him, for the immense pain and suffering that he had to go through, for my mother who tirelessly took care of him despite her rheumatoid arthritis problems, for my brother and sister who had remained so strong during this difficult time for the family. And throughout this whole episode, I had been in Ireland, oblivious to it all.
I understood the reasons why my mother wouldn't tell me all this. It was my exams period, and she knew I would worry and she didn't want me to be distracted. I couldn't do anything from so far away anyway. But I still feel horrible, that I haven't done anything for my family throughout the whole thing. My mother stayed with my father every night for the 2 weeks that he was warded in hospital. My brother became more mature, more responsible and understanding. More guai and tia uwei. My little sister had to stay at home alone every night- she, who is afraid to go out and throw the rubbish at night. She also took it upon herself and went around town everyday buying Christmas presents on behalf of my parents for the rest of the family.
So this holiday, I'm going to devote my time to my family, to taking care of them. I'm going to spend time with them, especially since I'm only home for 3 months every year only. I thank God that my father is recovering well now, and I pray that he'll be back to fighting fit health soon.