Saturday, August 22, 2015

Live life to the fullest - han's road traffic accident July 2015











 < Live life to the fullest - Zhen Han's road traffic accident July 2015 >

As a handful of you might know, Han was involved in a road traffic accident during the end of last month and was admitted to NUH for two nights. As I began to sort out my thoughts and start typing, I kind of don't know where and how to start it. Perhaps I should start off with the facts.

Han was travelling on an expressway on his way back home from work. A car made a quick sudden swerve into his lane and he could not brake in time. He then traveled in between two vehicles and the next thing he remembered was sitting in front of the car, with his bike.

He rang me up and informed me about the accident after receiving support and help by other drivers and riders. Cisco officers who were nearby quickly came to his aid as well. The ambulance came and took him to NUH straight away. He was admitted for two nights and from the X-ray, he understood that he fractured his left shoulder blade bone (the triangle bone at the back), his fourth and fifth rib bone as well as his ring finger on right hand. Slight abrasions were on his legs.

Fast forward to the present, a month or so has gone by. Han is back to work and on his way to recovery. YAY! When he just came back home, I assisted him with routine care. First time wiping such a big bum! Haha! The ones that I took care of as a preschool educator were all cute and tiny. Jokes aside, I am just so glad and extremely relieved that he is back home, safe and sound. His finger is healing well but he still need a splint to hold it in place for the fracture. His shoulder blade received the most impact and at the moment, he still can't lift up his arm fully or swing it around like a free-style rapper. His broken ribs are the naughty ones that cause him pain, whenever he breathe in deep, cough or sneeze. I have to remind him to 'swing your (left) arm' as he walks. He was also advised by the doctor to lift his left arm to the fullest and then extend it further with the support of his right arm. At the beginning of his recovery, I also noticed that he tend to slouched his back. Perhaps it was due to pain or it being a protective instinct to wrap his injured arm around himself. After a few days, I asked if he could straighten his back more. Many times, I tend to ask myself if I am too long-winded, imposing my expectations on him (not only related to this accident) but I guess I wish the best for him. I also reminded him to remind me if it becomes really bad. Haha! *self-reminder

Coming back, I also learned the importance of being prepared, prepared of the emergency, unforesee circumstances in life. For instance, Han only have one short sleeved button shirt and a loose decent pair of Velcro berms, which was his attire on days that he have to step out of the house. Due to his injures, he could not lift his left hand up thus, he can only wear button shirt. Uniqlo is indeed a life saver. I also tried to make him feel comfortable by propping his arm and head up with different cushions, pillows, jackets and so on. Changing the positions of the items accordingly so he get better support. A chair was brought into our room so that he can sit up straight. We feel that good posture was crucial to his bone healing, hopefully the pieces heal (aka join back) into the shape that the bone was like before. To its best lah, it will not be the shape prior to the accident.

Now, having all these said, I am feeling so blessed for him, and for myself. SO SO SO BLESSED by all the gods up from the heaven. This could be so much worse. The driver could be like some other irresponsible hit-and-become-runner but he did not. He stopped, stay put and spoke the truth. The cisco officers, ambulance and traffic police ensured Han received medical attention. The doctors and nurses at ward 51 in NUH, thank you so much for giving us reassurance, advice and encouragement. Our close friends and his lovely work colleagues who dropped by the hospital to send their regards. 不要麻烦他们 (don't trouble them), he said but I knew that he appreciated all of your kind words and gestures.

As I reflected on this incident, I was once again reminded of how unpredictable life is. Many years ago, my secondary school teacher whom I deeply respected told me that on and off, he will imagine his life without his mother and each time he does that, he will get so upset. Yet I have to do this, he said, because what if one day, it really happens? I have imagine the scenario several times, a life without my best friend, but let me share this with you, when it really happens, it is not the same. It will still hit you in an unimaginable manner. Nowadays, I am so relieved to hear him coughing and sneezing because he refrain to do so previously due to the acute pain. He is indeed my baby boy.

So, please cherish your time with your loved ones surrounding you today, tomorrow and every single day and let us live life to the fullest!



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