Sunday, July 02, 2017

A fractured calcaneum.

Assalamualaikum wbt.

Dear oh dear apologies again for this long hiatus, busy with this thing called Life.

A lil update; I moved to another state earlier this year and my new jobscope involves putting people to sleep, making sure they wake up painlessly, and trying not to mess up while doing so.

Anyway this post is to tell y'all a story about my family and a fractured bone.

Late last April my dad fell while climbing a steep tembok and his weight got shifted to his right feet, the impact shattering his right calcaneum (which is basically your heel bone)

Image result for calcaneus fracture

(not his xray, but pretty much almost the same)

It was an open comminuted fracture, which means there was an open wound, and the fracture was in pieces (not a simple crack). Dad underwent surgery to fix it, plates and screws put in. Now at post-op almost 3 months, he is partially weight-bearing with the help of crutches and still on leave from his job.

Those who knew my dad would know that he is not the kind who can sit still even for a minute. What we were about to learn when dad fractured his heel is, that he not only broke his bone, he broke all our hearts. My dad is a marathon runner, he cycles more than 10km every week, he gardens everyday, he's in charge of weekly runs to the markets, God knows how much he roams around at work, and his life is always always constantly on the move. 

So you can imagine how difficult it is to see our beloved ever-active daddy confined to the living room with a swollen occasionally uncomfortable foot. My younger brother and I were both not staying close to home so it sucks even more.

These past few months made us realized things we took for granted; namely:

1) How important my dad is in our household. No one to take out the trash, no one to water the plants, no one to run errands, no one to vacuum our carpets and sweep the floors (my dad's a dust OCD) and a whole lot more chores done by dad that we didn't appreciate as much.

2) How important my mom is in our household. Seriously, next to a frustrated husband, my mom is the most awesome wife to have if you ever got sick. When my dad felt helpless with things he couldn't do, my mom fills that void perfectly. She drives my dad everywhere, she took out the trash, she went for groceries on her own, you name it.

3) How dry our bathroom can be. Coz dad was on crutches so it gets dangerous when the bathroom floor is wet and slippery, everyone makes it a point to wipe the floor clean after use. Also how dusty our treadmill can be (coz the one running on it was always Abah. luls)

4) Our family cat Obi is awesome. As if he knows my dad is not well, for the first few days my dad on MC, Obi would linger around the house, as if trying to keep my dad company even though we know he always roams around the neighbourhood when my parents are at work.

5) Priority lanes for wheelchair-bound patients at the pharmacy sometimes wasn't really a priority. One time my parents went for the doctor's appointment and reached the pharmacy to retrieve some meds, the lady said no need to queue coz dad's on a wheelchair. In the end, the wait lasted longer than those in the queue.

6) Taraweeh and Ramadhan this year were different coz my parents couldn't break fast at the mosque like they used to, plus it's easier for dad to taraweeh at home.

Urghh maybe this fracture is a blessing in disguise, for verily with every hardship comes ease. In a way we're fortunate that no other broken bone was involved when dad fell. Also I learned a lot watching how my parents complete each other in their own special way.

To anyone reading this, can you please send in a little prayer so my dad can get back on his feet and to his own active self, marathon-running and all? Thank youuuuu we love you abah! Hang in there!







1 comment:

Hidup Haira Je said...

Aminnnn.. Get well soon, uncle!