Nothing To Lose

Don't Worry Be Happy

My mum was never in a good state of health. In fact, when I was in secondary school, the doctor found out that my mum's heart was not functioning properly. Two of the valves in her heart were not in good shape and needed replacement. As my mum was afraid of my brother and I becoming orphans should anything happen to her, she requested for medical supplement rather than surgery.

Finally, both my brother and I got our jobs and we could take care of her. However, instead of retirement, she chose to continue working as she wanted to keep herself active. Besides her work, she found time doing volunteer work in the community. She organised trips for the elderly in the neighbourhood, bringing them shopping and to places of interest. She attended singing classes every week. She was leading a happy life.

Bad news came after one of her routine check-up. The doctor said that the two valves in her heart were really giving way and she needed surgery immediately. I assured her that it would be ok, but the thought of mum going under the surgeon's knife made me very worried.

The day finally came for her to enter the operating theatre. It was a long wait outside the operating theatre as we waited for the surgery to be over. After many hours, it was finally over...... Yes, it was a success! The two valves were replaced successfully. No more fear for the surgeon's knife, well not really.

After a few years, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. Fortunately, it was discovered early and the doctor said that the success rate for the surgery was high. So, for the second time, my mum entered the operating theatre. For the second time, we waited for hours for it to be over. After many hours, it was over...... Yes, it was a success!

After going through two surgeries and knowing the parent support group in my school had been praying for her, she started to believe in God and started going to church. In case you are wondering, I was still very much a free-thinker even though I was teaching in a Christian school. I thought I wanted to see a big miracle before I would fully believe in the Lord. A miracle did happen years later.....

It was a typical afternoon in the year 2008 when I was in school. All of a sudden, my phone rang and it was my mum on the line. She sounded very nervous. What happened was that she went to the hospital for her routine health check-up when the doctor informed her that she needed an operation immediately! She wasn't able to tell me the details.

I dashed to the hospital in the shortest time. Unfortunately, nobody could explain to me what was wrong with my mum. I waited in the hospital overnight and I finally got the answer from the doctor early in the morning. He explained to me that one of the arteries in my mum' heart had ruptured. In normal circumstance, it would be a heart attack case and the patient would be in great pain. It wasn't the case for my mum. She walked into the hospital normally and did not feel any pain at all. The doctor deduced that the artery ruptured in such a way that it blocked the blood from gushing out. He also suspected that the rupture could have already taken place some time back. Since it was not causing my mum any pain, the doctor suggested not to touch it but to give my mum medicine and to monitor her regularly.

It then seemed like my mum was a mobile time bomb. However, that did not stop her from living an enriching lifestyle. She continued to be involved in grassroots activities. She was her usual jovial self in the neighbourhood, just like how the resident in the neighbourhood know her. She went for her check-up monthly. Her condition remained status quo.

Life went on, and she was happy. Life went on.......