Ever been in a desperate situation?
I woke up one morning to a strange sound. It sounded like someone trying to throw up. Like when a woman is in the early stages of pregnancy. But this sounded slightly different. There’s a tone that made it sound alarming. I immediately went out my room to check it out.
The sound came from my mother’s room. I called out to her but there was no reply. I went in to her room. Mum was sitting on her bed slightly leaned back balanced with one arm. Her shirt was wet with sweat and she was pale. I ran up to her and asked her what’s wrong. She couldn’t answer. She just stared at me with fear in her eyes. She couldn’t move either.
I called the ambulance. No one picked up. Desperate I called the fire department. They redirected me to another agency dealing with emergency matters. A lady picked up the call. I asked for an ambulance. Before getting the ambulance, she start asking for my details like national identity number, house phone number and mobile phone number. I was getting angry. All these questions seem so unimportant. Then she asked me what wrong. I told her my mother’s condition. She asked more questions why is she in that state. I shouted at her, “I’m not a doctor! I need an ambulance now!” She said the ambulance will be there within half an hour. I was speechless.
Maybe what they said is true. Don’t believe everything you see on tv. Whenever somebody dial 911, the police, ambulance or fire department would be there within minutes. But here in Malaysia, they will play the 20 questions game with you. But what choice do I have? I waited.
I kept talking to my mum although she couldn’t answer me. Then it strike me. Is she having a stroke attack? I began to panicked. I thought of carrying her to my car and bring her to the hospital myself. But I wasn’t sure if I can move someone who just had stroke. Also, it’s very risky for me to carry her down the stairs. Mum isn’t exactly light. Finally I thought I’ll just risked it.
10 minutes later, out of a sudden, mum moved her hand. Slowly but surely, her breathing slowed to normal and she’s no more gasping. When she was able to stand up and move, I helped her down the stairs and to my car after calling back to the emergency number to cancel the ambulance. Believe it or not, the ambulance haven’t left yet.
I drove her to the hospital. At the emergency ward, the nurses and doctor immediately took over. All this while, although I was panicking, I was still very cool and clear minded on what I needed to do. After mum was pushing in to the ER, I called my office to take the day, off explaining my situation. Then I called my uncle to let him know what happened. After that, I just sat outside waiting.
Then, I broke down and cried.
