A Rapid Recovery

I experienced an inspirational and uplifting meeting with Pong Seow Chin today at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital (KLGH).  September 10, 2013 marks my first introduction to Pong and my first visit to a Malaysian hospital after arriving in Kuala Lumpur less than 24 hours ago.  As soon as we were introduced, Pong received with open arms and spoke to me with a cheery smile and bright outlook.

Pong will be discharged from the hospital on Thursday, October 13th - two days from today - to return home to Ipoh.  An ambulance was reserved to bring take the two-hour trip from Kuala Lumpur to ensure her safe return home.  As an OKU, the Malaysian government must provide secure and appropriate transportation for Pong because she is an individual with a disability who cannot travel by car or public transportation.

            

 A mere two weeks after surgery,
Pong is recovering successfully
without aid from pain medication.

Before entering surgery two weeks ago, doctors warned Pong that she had a 50 percent chance of survival.  But after a five-hour procedure that necessitated the participation of seven doctors, Pong is recuperating well and leaving KLGH earlier than expected.

Pong waited five years for this surgery.  During the first four years, Pong remained on the KLGH waiting list, hoping to receive approval from the doctors that her surgery had been granted.  The fifth year of waiting was spent traveling between the Ipoh hospital and KLGH, working diligently to prove that the surgery was a necessary and life-saving procedure.  

During this five-year standstill, Pong could not consume more than 5 mL of water a day, about 1 teaspoon’s worth of fluids.  To quench her thirst, she could do nothing more than splash liquid down her throat.  Unable to sufficiently hydrate her organs for five years, Pong now suffers from irreversible kidney damage.   

Despite the daily health challenges Pong must address every day, she has a sincerely hopeful outlook and emanates with positivity.  I find it difficult to narrate her experience at battle with her health because it is unfathomable.  Moreover, Pong refuses to speak negatively or dwell on the past.   When I asked her how she felt when waiting to hear from doctors or how she her recovery is moving along in the hospital, she responded the same way each time.  

"Oh, I am fine. It is nothing. Everything is good!" Immediately thereafter, Pong flashed a grin, kindly shook her head to change the topic of conversation away from her health complications and moved on to an encouraging subject. 

What is her trick? A woman sporting this brand of fortitude must have a strategy.  “Always smile,” she says with a grin as she rested in the hospital bed, looking out onto the KL mountainscape.  “It is a waste of time to make excuses for ourselves.”