You were on your way out of the ward after your rounds..jus then, a figure caught ur eye..he was sitting cross-legged with his back hunched forward..you walk towards him and realised he was one of your patient who was discharged a few days ago..you exchanged a few words with him and his daughter..he looked breathless but other than that, he was fine..assuring him and his daughter that he will be fine, you headed home for the weekend..
when you were doing your rounds on the following week, another man was in the patient's place instead..browsing through the registry, you realised his name was no longer in it..thinking he might have been discharged during the weekend, you continued the rounds..as you were exiting the ward, you heard one of the staff nurse talked about that patient..you stopped by and asked her about it..
it seems that the patient passed away earlier on Sunday..he was actually doing quite fine one Saturday and Sunday morning..he was able to walk around the ward and talk for hours without the help of oxygen mask..the doctors and staff nurses were sure that he could be discharged soon..on Sunday night, he was suddenly breathless again..the medical team tried their best..he passed away soon after his attack..
prior to his attack, he was chatting to this staff nurse..he told her that he has lost all strength and hope to live on..it saddens him each time he was warded as he sees his family members took turns to take care of him..he feels like a burden to his family..minutes after this chat, he had the fatal attack..
you were sadden by this news..just moments ago you rejoiced thinking he got better and was discharged..it seems as though it was only yesterday you saw him the first time in the ward..it seems as though it was only yesterday you taught him the correct technique of using his inhalers..it seems as though it was only yesterday you stopped by his bed to chat to him and his family members..and now he is gone..
at least throughout his stay here his family members took turn to take care of him..they took turns to visit him..the other patient at the neighbouring ward wasn't so lucky..she was one of the regulars in this hospital..and each admission would take weeks, even months..never once have you seen her family members..she was abandoned by her family to a nursing home in the area..each time it was the nursing home who admitted her..and now, the nursing home is abandoning her in the hospital..it seems that her family has stopped paying the nursing home..
Life is short..treasure those around you..
