circle of life

It was one of those rare occasions . Like those " schoolgirl " days when a bunch of giggly girls get to go out , have lunch & window shop. Grace , KC & I managed to meet up a few days ago . We planned to try out a new outlet in the Gardens , MVM , followed by some shopping.

We had a simple lunch at Red Ginger at North Point. No fuss food with a easygoing ambience. Good for a meet-up . Starter was pie tee , reminding us of Penang. The dory fish with that mustard coloured sauce smelled so enticing that Grace changed her order immediately she saw , or rather smelled my plate . For dessert , we ordered "pulut hitam ", another nostalgia food.


Shopping was a great flop. We did not manage to get anything. Not the things we planned to buy. Out of stock was one reason. But mainly because we spent too much time browsing & choosing. We were enjoying ourselves so much with the feast of our eyes that we forgot the time. Alas , we needed to leave or be caught in the homeward jam.

Ah, those schoolgirl days ..... retirement IS the beginning of childhood dreams.

celebrity status

ICU is back to the normal " rat race " routine . The tidal flow has resumed.

Langkong has been transferred out to the normal ward yesterday. He appeared to be coping well. One ICU girl still has to be up there to monitor him.

Our little celebrity is beginning to live it up. She gets a minor make-up session a few times a day. Hui Yi has been on the mask again. The tube is out for more than 24 hours. The newspapers are showing outdated pics. She is able to order her meals. She is continuing her physio well with the assistance of Aleena. Looks like she too , is ready for exodus. Her parents are wonderfully supportive.

Very soon, this saga of celebrity patients will be over.

We really hope the effort given to these celebrities can be repeated for each & every patient who comes in.

Recuperation time

Raya has come & gone. For the Muslims , one can continue to share the celebrations with their friends for one whole month. One by one, the muslim girls are trickling back.

Over this season there is only a skeleton staff on duty in ICU. Fortunately , nothing "great" happened. Yes, " great " as in VVIPS or transplants.

Tun is recovering quietly in the VVIP suite. Syabas.

Langkong , the lung transplant man is behaving normal once again. He bathes in the bathroom. Go for his daily walk around the ICU. Eats normal food & watches AStro in his free time.

Hui Yi has just been re- extubated but needs a BIPAP machine to help her breathe. She was still unable to cope well on her own. Her parents spend a few hours with her every shift. She is able to watch TV with them. Her progress is still slow but she should be able to reach a normal lifestyle.

Again, I pray that those involved will continue to work for her progress genuinely.

Raya open house

Today is Raya. Tun threw a open house at the lobby. Many relatives of patients are pleasantly surprised when they came to visit. Almost all stopped by to take a bite. Some of us on duty are unable to go down. Nevertheless, we managed to get a taste when our colleagues who were able to , shared their food with us. Thank you.

Hui Yi is still on the ventilator. She seemed to be taking everything in stride eventhough she is so very uncomfortable . The Chinese docs on duty are trying to sort out her infections. Let us continue to pray for her recovery.

a bit of consideration

Today is the eve of Raya. Many Muslim doctors & nurses have gone on leave . The ICU can be considered fairly quiet. All cases cancelled due to closure of beds & lack of staff. Well...

Hui Yi is still ventilated. VVIPS are still coming. Photo sessions are still continuing. Who wants to put a stop & allow the poor girl to recuperate ? We can only pray that after having a third heart & a better chance to live , Hui Yi can get to see the world outside IJN.

We are very happy Tun is getting into the Raya mood. He is throwing a party at The IJN lobby itself. Selamat Hari Raya to Tun & all Muslims !

Let the spirit live on ....

Values reset

Today the maxim " life is so unpredictable " is very true. I thought all is well . When I returned to work after a day off, I saw Hui Yi back on the ventilator. She has taken a turn for the worse after the several episodes of excitement the day before. Three to four sessions of press proved too much. Are we only concerned with publicity or do we really want Hui Yi to return to normal living ?

Another sad piece of news was a Muslim girl met with a car accident after her night duty. She suffered loss of consciousness . She became aware only when she was at the hospital. Even then, the authorities sent her home. She lost consiousness again at home and her husband had to send her to another hospital. Another cause of concern, isn't it ?

Hope we see each individual as someone's mother or daughter. Her loved ones will be utterly heartbroken should anything untoward befall her. Put ourselves in the shoes of the family.

a time to celebrate

Now that the big man is out of ICU & the two transplanted patients are on the road to recovery, the muslim girls can look forward to celebrating Raya the usual way. Many were contemplating "balik kampung" months ago until....

Well, it is almost back to the normal Raya season. Only a few Muslim girls will be around. The Indian & Chinese girls will have to slog it out with double shifts & missing their day off for the week. With acute shortage , this scenario appear to be norm.

Better management of human resources seems to be the only way out. Massive import of foreigners can create many socio - economic as well as health problems. This is now very apparent not only in the Klang valley but also in towns on the East coast!

Pay three workers to do one person's job or pay one worker double to do three persons ' work. Think about this.

a step forward

The heart girl is into her 3rd day with the new heart. As a 15 the year- old she is very fearful of her next next step. She is scared she will lose it all if she makes a wrong move. All the docs around her are also very wary. The counsellors are cajoling , even lightly threatening her to take the next step forward. She is about to take a breath on her own with her newly implanted heart . Without her big bag that has been her heart for the last one year.

Her parents who have been crying since she was admitted into the ICU, now beamed with joy. Hui Yi appeared normal despite several onslaughts. A failing heart , a mechanical heart , a rejected heart & now a new heart. In her journey , she has experienced a roller coaster of haemodynamics and spirit.

The divine intervention much talked about is still there with Hui Yi. She has the prayers of all Malaysians. Yes , all. The Hui Yi case has ascended all boundaries . Remarkable ,isn't it ?

A cry is heard

When I walked into the ICU, I went to have a look at Hui Yi , the girl with the newly transplanted heart. Her colour was a deathly grey. I was telling myself , " oh my goodness ! she is going to die ! " Her mum was already crying softly in one corner of the hospital.

I forgot . Malaysia was praying for her & the prayers were answered. She got a chance for a third lease at life. 1 st - the LVAD. 2 nd - heart from a 16 year-old Ipoh boy. Now , a matched -to a T heart from a 20 year-old man from Johor.

Now , her colour is pale yellow . Never mind that she had given blood from how many generous Maslaysians.

A miracle from God. Knock & the door will open. Let us continue to pray that she will be able to stand on her own two feet & able to live a fruitful life.

life worth living

Just visited a friend who has completed her last course of chemo . Diagnosed with 2 nd stage cancer of the breast a few months ago , Elsie was utterly devastated then. Yesterday , she was full of zest. She is impatient to get back to work. Very positive & very energised by the long MC, she says she is trying to live each day of her life to the fullest.

Sickness comes to all. You have an 82 year old in ICU trying to return to normal stream life ASAP. You have a 15 year - old girl with a mechanical heart for a year still patiently waiting for a donor. You have a refugee with 2 holes in the heart trying to get donations to get her heart repaired.

What is it in for us ? Why ? What then ?

Because of our aspirations, our hopes & those around us whom we love .