Hospitals are the worst enemies of kids. Even I despise it for being boring and scary. However, I often visit the huge white building because I always get sick when I was younger. Among my sisters, I have the weakest immune system thus I am also the usual patient of our psychiatrist.
When I was in Grade 2, as usual, I have colds but what made me wince in pain was every time I cough, I feel as if my brain wanted to escape my skull. I literally felt my brain pumping with every cough. We went to the doctor but my usual check-up turned into something worse than just that. I was diagnosed with Dengue after a few days of dealing with the head-throbbing cough.
As a kid, of course, I had no idea of what my condition was. I just remember enjoying my life back then since I only lie on my bed, watch my favorite series, Meteor Garden, listen to various kind of songs played on MYX and enjoy every food that I want (I always ask for Daing na Bangus from Chowking). The only thing I hated during my stay was every time I see the nurses come in my room because it means finger-pricking time. They’ve already pricked every single finger that I have (even twice or thrice at some fingers) but they just would not stop. I also hate it when my sisters do not visit me because even though we always fight before, I would still want to see them visiting me and asking me how I am feeling. Though, they said that however badly they wanted to see me, our parents did not allow them because kids aren’t supposed to be in hospitals.
Unlike my sisters, I was not a thin kid before so the doctors had difficulty finding more veins to insert the dextrose with. “Your fats are covering up the veins and that’s why we need a surgeon to find your veins for you,” was how Mommy made me understand the situation. I even remember thinking of the surgeon as one of those military guys that’s why I was so scared of the operation. Apparently, the scary military guys are called sergeants and not surgeons. Anyway, during the operation, Mommy and Daddy stood beside me and whispered prayers in my ears. Religion does not mean anything to me before, but their prayers somehow calmed me and put me to sleep. Until now, a scar of that operation is still visible on my foot and would remain with me forever. Just like what ate tells me, I’m scarred for life.
For a month of being in the hospital, I only knew of leisure, pleasure and escape from school. It was only after I got out of the hospital that I knew of my real condition. The doctors were already waiting for me to bleed which is the worst case scenario for Dengue patients; my platelet count dropped to as low as 17,000 yet the normal is supposed to be from 150,000 to 450,000 for a healthy kid. Daddy was never the religious type of person but my condition was so bad that he started praying in the chapel of the hospital. I didn’t know how to react back then when I knew but I was really touched; as of this moment, I still feel like crying just remembering him being that way. Daddy and I usually go out of the church while mass was going on because I feel sleepy. However, since then, I started to go to mass as much as I can because as Mommy said this is already my second (more like third because of the drowning incident which is another story) chance to live, that is why I should start living it with more meaning and giving it more value.
My trip to the hospital made me realize how much my family would sacrifice just so I could survive; even though the doctors were already giving up on me, they just wouldn’t. I know they would go beyond what they can do just to have me here alive. There was never a moment that my family, especially Mommy, left me alone. My trust and love for them just grew stronger after I survived that mosquito attack.
If my family had done that for me, how can I forget God who helped me and my family get through that problem making us more united and not broken? He made us learn many lessons from what happened. He made me open my heart for Him and my family. God works in mysterious ways and I never doubt His ways for our family.
Those mentioned above were the major changes in me but of course, little things also matter in forming me as a whole. During those lazy moments of lying in bed, watching movies and listening to music, I realized that I really love music and bands. I always stay tuned to MYX and eventually loved different genres of songs or anything F4-related (Yes, I am one of the fangirls). It made me open my eyes to so much music that to this day, I can’t live a day without listening to music. Actually, who doesn’t?
Even though I was still young back then, I know I learned a lot of lessons from it. All the things that happened contributed to how I approach life now. It made me stronger so when the time comes that my family needs me, I could also do anything just to help them. I would also be willing to go beyond what I can just to save them. I would want them to know that they are special to me by risking my God-given life for them to also live.
The huge white building, annoying nurses and needles, scary surgeon, yummy Daing na Bangus, handsome F4, creative songs and my loving family all contributed to developing who I am now as a person. These are the pesky happenings that I would not want to experience again but would be happy to glance at once in a while.
