Goodbye, My Dear Ah Gong......

I remembered I was in the ward room 25 of Block 73, SGH with my mom...... just next to us, my Ah Gong was lying on the hospital bed. I could see a ghastly pall over his face, and he had grown even thinner and sullen than before. My mom asked if he could recognize me. He said with much difficulty that too man people had visited him already. (This includes the fact that he has too many grandchildren to remember their faces, including mine.)

Suddenly, Ah Gong groaned that he wanted to 'pang sai' (pass motion) and he began to wheeze repeatedly, and made a feeble request for the doctor. I alerted the doctor to attend to Ah Gong, and as the doctor began to examine him and quickly covered the bed with the curtain, leaving my mom and I to stand out of the way.

I knew by then that this could be the very last moment of Ah Gong. Currently, there is still the alert for H1N1 and only two patients are allowed for visitation at the hospital at any one time. My cousin and his wife had arrived and my mom and I met them at the lobby to exchange visitation stickers.

I waited with some of my relatives, my 1st auntie's husband and daughter near the waiting area of level one. That was when that fateful call arrived to announce that Ah Gong had passed away......

Even though Ah Gong did not make it, I still thank God because I was confident that the Lord was with him through his suffering and pain. Thank God that he passed away peacefully and without much pain as well. Thank God........ :)