Back to the routine

The other night when I came home from work and found Malik having difficulties breathing, it reminded me of another time he was like that and we had to take him to the hospital. I knew at that point that I needed to pack him up and get him to a hospital. I wasn't worried, but calm. We had been through this before. I remember my first week in Hong Kong when I was alone looking for the nearest hospital knowing that at some point we may need to know this crucial piece of information. Every day on the way home from work I passed the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital and so I always knew I could go there. So that is where I took my son. I left my wife in tears in fear and asked Jarek to take care of her. Tevia really struggled with this. I think there was a lot of fear about taking Malik to a hospital outside of the US. I prayed for her to be strong and took Malik to the hospital.

Most hospitals I have been to in the USA (which isn't many) always seem crowded. I was expecting this one to be worse. But in fact, it was quite dead. It was around 6:30 PM and we were immediately admitted. The "urgent care" room was small and they hooked Malik up to oxygen and I showed them his charts and gave his history. Their English, though not perfect, was understandable and didn't seem to cause any issues. A little later a woman was admitted who was in undeniable pain. She was doubled over and was speaking in English though she looked Asian (couldn't see her face). She asked for pain medication and moaned. I was glad they got us out of there quickly so as not to frighten Malik.

I was asked the type of room I wanted - which was surprising to me. I could choose from a "private" room, or one with 2 people, or one with 3-5 people. Each had a different price, and so I had to choose. I chose the private room. In the end I probably could have chosen the 2 person room and still had a private room as the pediatric section was fairly empty, but I'm glad I chose the private and so we were really in our own little world. The room was large and had a bed for Malik and one for an adult. There were two flat screen LCD TVs and DVD players as well. We had our own bathroom and a table with chairs and some windows with a beautiful view over the area of Hong Kong called "Happy Valley."

The service was great and I never felt scared or fearful of getting a disease (which I usually do in hospitals). I think this was mostly because we were in our own room and felt completely separated from the rest of the hospital. Malik had wires and tubes everywhere so he couldn't do much. He had an IV in his left arm, an oxygen reader and heartbeat monitor on his right big toe and was usually hooked up to oxygen with a mask. He, as usual, stayed in good spirits. He didn't cry when they gave him the IV. I told him it would hurt and he looked at me as they did it. He flinched and grimaced and then said to me with a little moisture in his eyes, "well, at least I didn't cry." It was nice to have him be so strong. It helped me.

Being in a hospital room for a day and a half wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected. I was fasting the first day, but the food we could order looked good and Malik liked it. The second evening Tevia and the other boys came and we had dinner together. I ordered curry fried rice and it was great. Jarek ordered the very typical meal of noodles in soup with beef and it was awesome.

I prayed a lot that first day. I wasn't worried Malik would die or anything, but I wanted to get him home. I felt guilty that I had dragged my family here to Hong Kong and was causing pain for my son and wife. I knew deep inside that this can happen, and has happened, in the USA, but I prayed a lot to God to calm my wife and make the rest of our time in HK like the last couple of months. The reality is that our family has been super healthy since arriving here - which has been a little surprising to me. With the pollution, a new country, stress, and different food I was expecting a few more coughs and colds.

One positive thing of the stay in the hospital was I was able to start the book "Twilight" that I have wanted to read for so long. We had purchased a copy here a couple of weeks ago. Tevia loved this book (and I believe Cari and Tevia's mom did as well). I absolutely loved it and finished it in the time I was there. It was also refreshing to know that this book was written by a member of the church and yet it wasn't preachy or anything. Just good, solid reading and a wonderful story. It is about love and what we will do for love. It made me think of the love my wife has for me for being willing to come out here with my boys and stand firm by my side. Though I am sure she wanted to come, I don't think she truly anticipated the sacrifice from her side. She is with the boys all day long since they aren't in a school and though she has enjoyed homeschooling, she still gets little break from them. I come home later than usual and so she sees me less. She has no friends to talk to and can't get around easily with the boys. She has shown her true love for me by coming here and standing at my side. I love her so much for that.

We are now back together at home. It almost feels like it was a dream and didn't really happen. The boys are back playing Nintendo; Tevia is reading her books. And I am grateful to have this. To be together as a family. Life is so fragile. Things do go wrong. But we must go on and thus take advantage of every moment we have together with those we love. I try hard not to take that for granted. I am excited to see my parents in a week.