Today is my eldest son's birthday. Happy birthday Khairul. Mama loves you.
Two days ago, I had to go to PPUKM (Pusat Perubatan UKM) in Cheras for an x-ray. Needless to say, hospital is a dreary and dreadful place to go. And for sure, a destination which I don't relish going at all.
Everytime I go to PPUKM (that's like once a fortnight), I would feel really miserable and despondent. Whenever I look around, I see a sea of sick people. A couple of weeks ago, I was at the Orthopedic Clinic for an Orthopedic Sports appointment to treat the persistent pain in my shoulder.
There, my heart bled. Besides the patients with "hidden" orthopedic problem, like mine, because it is something not evident to other people, except you, yourself, there were 4 patients who stuck a chord in me. And their orthopedic problem was for the world to see as you could clearly see what was troubling and afflicting them.
One was an adult male who had to wear a metal brace over his head. Can you imagine what he had to go through having to carry that heavy burden on his shoulder? But he bravely walked about the Clinic, waiting patiently for his name to be called.
Even more touching and heart-rendering was seeing three child-patients. One was a little girl (no older than 13 or 14). She was wheel-chair bound. What touched my soul was that the "wheel-chair" was customised using a lazy chair (the one old folks like to relax in) and a trolley board (you should imagine the chair being placed securely on the trolley board).
It was apparent that the parents were not well off, hence the simple but practical and innovative wheel chair for that little girl. And, what touched me most was the fact that for her appointment, she was accompanied by not only her parents but her elder sister too. Ever so often, her parents and her sister would talk to her, fed her water and bread, and would reposition her so that she'd be more comfortable. At one stage, all three helped her to stand up as I reckoned, she was getting tired sitting down. All three were sitting down behind her in case she fell. I could see the overflowing love for her. I could sense she felt truly loved.
The second child that stole my attention was a little boy, approximately 9 or 10. This boy was securely strapped in a luxurious-looking wheel chair which could be adjusted to recline 90°. What tugged my heart was how his father kept showering attention on him, talking to him incessantly and touching, cuddling and caressing his hands and feet. Nevertheless, his mum's stony and indifferent attitude amazed me. His mum hardly even looked at him, let alone communicated or interacted with him. The scene perplexed me.
And finally, I was mesmerised by the next scene before me. A little girl around 7 or 8. I reckoned she's a paraplegic. The wheel chair looked expensive too and she was comfortably reclined. She was accompanied only by her mum. What touched the very core of my being was how the little girl's mum gazed lovingly into her eyes, how she talked and played with her little girl despite there being absolutely no reaction from her. She cooed, she cajoled, she lovingly talked to her daughter. She kept adjusting the girl's position to make her more comfortable, and now and then she was smothering and raining her little one with kisses.
And the above scene brought to mind, how we able-bodied human beings took things and life for granted. We, able-bodied beings, who have able-bodied children and spouse, seldom paused for a moment to thank the Creator, the Exalted for the blessings He has heaped on us. Seldom do we show our appreciation for the good tidings that Allah has showered on us.
Think for a moment, those gems (the parents of that special children) who seemed blessed and joyful despite their kids' condition. And the irony of it all, everyday, we hear of stories of irresponsible girls who dumped their babies (some still alive) to be devoured by animals. Hey, even animals love their kids and would fiercely protect them. Humans? Some are not fit to be called human after all!!!
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