There was also a student physiotherapist warded there. She too was in the ICU at HSA when the fire broke out there.
When I saw the mother of one of the nurses, I had to hold back my tears and smile instead. I remembered what it was like to see my late son in pain and how helpless I felt.
The fire at HSA and the loss of lives reminded me of the fragility of life; and how our lives can change within minutes. I hope the families who lost their loved ones know that we share their grief because we understand their sadness and their loss : it is less than a year since we lost Jalil.
After seeing the nurses at HSI, I wanted so much to be with my children : just to see them and touch them, and know they are healthy and well. So yesterday afternoon I had a late lunch with my daughter in Singapore. My son, Idris, later joined us.
We did not drive over to Singapore together but it was not a coincidence that both of us used Jalil’s cars. We were both thinking of him. He is no longer with us so his possessions are all that we have left of him.
During lunch my daughter told me she had dreamt of him the night before, and that when she woke up, her pillow was wet with tears. The fire at HSA; the patients who perished in it; and the families who mourned for them; had all brought back our own memories of visiting Jalil at HSA and his last moments there.
After I had told my daughter I had asked to be driven over in Jalil’s Range Rover, we continued to talk about the things he owned and loved.
“Do you know he had a car with the licence plate JLP1? And do you know what the letters stand for?” My daughter asked me.
“That licence plate meant a lot to Lil because to him JLP stood for Jalil Lilliput,” she said.
I almost choked on my coffee because when Jalil was little I used to call him “Lil Lilliput” because I remembered the name “Lilliput” from the book, “Gulliver’s Travels”. Even when they had become adults I would sometimes hear my other children call him “Lilliput”. I never really knew whether he liked me calling him “Lilliput” – I used to think he just didn’t want to hurt my feelings, and so he didn’t tell me whether he liked it or not. But I was wrong : he did like the childhood nickname I gave him and that licence plate proved it.
Later, at night, as I sat on my prayer mat, I thought of all the things that had happened, and what the doctors had told me about the fire at HSA.
I thought about the ICU patients.
I thought of their parents and families who were mourning for them.
I thought of Jalil.
I thought about the many times I used to write “Lilliput” on his birthday cards.
And the tears flowed.
I put my hands together and prayed for Allah’s Mercy and Guidance, and I asked Him to grant all the families, the doctors, the nurses, the firefighters, the police, and all the rest of us the strength and patience to carry on.
My family and I will continue to support everyone involved in this tragedy. We’ve already discussed how we will try to get donations for the medical equipment the hospital needs. We’re in this together. Muafakat Johor (a United Johor)
Dipetik dari akaun Facebook Zarith Sofiah Idris
*Tulisan ini adalah pandangan peribadi pemilik akaun Facebook dan tidak mempunyai kaitan dengan pihak editorial SmasaNews.com