DAD: LET'S TAKE A WALK

Tuesday, 3 March 2020

HEALED IN 21 DAYS, NOT 180 DAYS


This is one among my favourite stories It is about a 75 year man who is a bit of a rascal and fun-loving character. His name is Bernard.

Do share if this story inspires and edify you.

Late last year he came to my centre with a serious spine injury and operation wounds. While in hospital he fell in the bathroom after the operation and was lying in the bathroom for 2 hours until his wife/girlfriend went inside the toilet and found him there. The bathroom incident happened when his wife/girlfriend, depends with whom you ask, went to get some stuff from the private hospital stores. Bernard went into the toilet to pee and he fell, aggravating his post operation wounds.

He tried to reach the bathroom’s call bell, but some smart Alex tied up the long wire that allows it to dangle all the way to inches off the floor on the handrail. Making it out of reach for him as he could not stand he lied on the floor. The wife/girlfriend came back a few minutes later not realizing that he had fell, thinking that he had been wheeled for more test. After almost an hour watching the tv she went to the toilet and found him there. Oh, they actually had to break the toilet door to get in.

On reaching our centre somewhere on the first week of October 2019, he could hardly walk, sit or talk much and suffering from excruciating pain.

Physio and acupuncture was arranged for him daily and within days he could talk, sit and stand. That’s when the fun start and his wife/girlfriend pusing kepala(shook her head). He started calling all his friends, all loud rascally, fun-loving professionals who visited him. Follow by bunch after bunch of gorgeous women although in their 60s and still hot coming to visit him in droves.  Bernard told me loudly these are my girlfriends. I told him you want to die talking like this. Bernard happily replied, I have gone through worse.

Within the second week he went to his home one day with his wife/girlfriend and came back to our centre in a big black Porsche Cayenne, and he went out every day. And on the 21st day of October I wanted to kick him out, albeit jokingly, and he said, “Never mind paid one month might as well enjoy peace and quiet here.”

Here I must point out the the key things that helped in his recovery.

The first is that Bernard is generally a happy man and was an active man. He has lots of friends and he was not afraid to be vulnerable in front of them. He did not ask for pity, In fact, the rascal (in a nice way) took advantage of his droves of girlfriends with his conditions. Of course, the other is the support from his wife/girlfriend was tremendous. The wife/girlfriend was so supportive in spite of her recent trauma of losing her 40 year old daughter to cancer. The wife/girlfriend teared when she shared this and asked why her daughter being young did not fight on. But that did not stop her being a cheerful soul.

Being in the care industry allows me to meet many people whose life inspired me and helped me to look beyond myself. It helped me to realise that there is nothing wrong with being sick or need help. Being vulnerable is not a weakness but a strength that I can draw on.

Oh Bernard left me with a beautiful video saying thank you to everyone and I do believe in miracles.

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