Day 120 Post-Op

 30 July 2021

        4 months ago when I had my total thyroidectomy, there were 1,178 new Covid-19 cases in the entire Malaysia. Look at where we are now : 16,840 new Covid-19 cases today with 810 new cases in Perak alone! And just two days ago, we logged 17,405 new cases, the highest ever in Malaysia. But everyone fears that the highest is yet to come!

        Things can really change in a split second. I could still remember how eager I was to start the new academic year when I went to school on 15 January to attend the meetings prior to school re-opening. And just 2 days later, I was thrown into immense worry when I discovered the lump in my neck.

        On 1 April, the country's Covid-19 situation was under control. But 4 months down the road, our hospitals are at breaking point and someone's comment that if you were to throw a pebble in Selangor, chances are you would hit someone with Covid-19 doesn't sound like an exaggeration anymore. 

        Two Thursdays ago, I rushed to the market early in the morning to stock up on meat before online classes commenced for the day. Several hours later, in the afternoon, hubby was notified that he had been mobilised to assist in MAEPS. And now I'm stuck with finishing all the fish, chicken and pork in the freezer on my own.

        Just a few minutes before I started to pen this post, a church friend whatsapped me to share some sudden and sad news. A choir member, Jason, who chants for the responsorial psalms, is now a statistic in the Covid-19 death toll. He last contacted the choir group on 23 July.

        This is all a reminder that life is fragile and there can be a complete turn of events in just a snap of the finger. There is no need to fret and stress, as we humans can achieve nothing if it is not the will of God. We should always surrender ourselves to Him and to let Him take care of everything.

"Man proposes, but God disposes" (Proverbs 19 :21)

Missing Hubby Dearest

 24 July 2021

        One week ago, on 17 July, I bade hubby goodbye as he drove to the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang, which is one of the Covid-19 Quarantine and Treatment Centers in the country. Together with many other medical personnel from different states, he had been mobilised to assist their overworked colleagues as Malaysia valiantly battles the rising severity of the Covid-19 pandemic. He will be there till 16 September.

On the morning prior to his departure to the battlefield

        Hubby was most courageous and positive about this mobilisation. He is ever ready for a challenge and wants to embrace this as a good learning experience. At times, I got a peek of the worry and fear that must have been niggling at the back of his mind. He talked about the possibility of returning home in a body bag, requested for a simple funeral and reminded me of his PIN to his savings account lest I needed to withdraw money.

       As I assisted him with the packing, I tried to remain stoic. But the minute his car had left, I crumbled. I finally understood how the wives must have felt when they sent their husbands off to war. This is not an ordinary work trip; this is an assignment to the battlefield with all the dangers involved. I understand how pointless it is to cry but I really couldn't stem the tears. 

        Throughout this week, I kept myself busy with lesson preparation and spending time with my parents, occasionally tidying the house here and there. It was easy to dissolve into tears whenever I was reminded of hubby (when I ironed his clothes, when I collected a parcel ordered by him, when I applied the Dermatix that he bought for me, when I made honey lemon juice with the lemon that he had so thoughtfully squeezed out for me prior to leaving, etc.).

        228km away from hubby, I cannot do much for him. I can only pray, very earnestly, for our good Lord to guide and protect him always. The threat of the virus is a constant cause of worry and fear, as everyone and everything is a suspect. Just yesterday, there were 15,573 new Covid-19 cases in the country (a new record) with 7,672 cases in Selangor alone!

At his hotel room in Pulse Grande Putrajaya (formerly Shangri-la Putrajaya) prior to his advance into the battlefield on 19 July 2021