In Loving Memory of Grandpa

On December 10th 2009, i lost my grandpa. i was at home asleep after a hectic work day, headache pounding inside my skull, when dad came into my room to break the news. i got up, changed and we all went to grandpa's place. He was 79 when he passed away.

His health has been deteriorating for the past few years, from being able to walk on 2 legs, to walking on 3 legs, before finally relying on the wheelchair to move around. He lost enormous weight, his skin brittle from old age, his once strong hands were no longer able to carry much force.

This year during his birthday, he refused to let us celebrate for him. When he was admitted into the hospital prior to that, he couldn't recognize me. From that time on, i had been very worried that the worst will come soon.

About a month ago, he was admitted into the hospital because his legs were swelling up. He was diabetic. A week after discharged, he was admitted into the hospital again for another problem. Upon diagnosis, his intestines are not doing its job and hence food is stucked inside rotting into toxic. The doctor performed an operation to unclog what was supposed to move out.

He went into coma since. When he woke up, he wasn't really conscious. He wasn't able to speak even though his eyes are open, and responding. Last week, we got a warning call #1 from the hospital on the possibility that grandpa will not make it. All of us rushed to the hospital fearing the worst.

He was on life support, relying on a machine to breath, on drugs to run the heart. The doctor's prognosis says his condition might be due to the internal organ has already started failing because his intestine started clogging again.

The day before he left, mom was with him, so were my uncles. His condition was terrible. Yellow liquid were oozing out from his arms and legs, so much that the bandages around his arms and legs were soaked.

At 1045pm, he was relieved of his suffering.

The whole weekend was filled with prayers and ceremonies. Everyone came back, uncles & aunties as far as from Medan, cousins, friends and relatives. Amidst the sad news, it's also a happy thing to see how strong the family bond still is.

This morning, the cremation ceremony took place. It wasn't really a good sight to see, knowing the fact that this really is the last time we will be seeing this man, the person we all grow up with, a father, a grandfather, a friend. i'm sure grandpa will not worry about us, we all know how to take care of ourselves now.





ChiM