SHE’S A SURVIVOR!

Teacher Ms. Evon

I don’t remember the exact date, but it was sometime in August 1980. My youngest sibling was only a three-month-old baby; I was five and my sister was four. The whole family had been overjoyed at the arrival of a baby boy after having mostly girls in our family.

My father was a flight engineer in the Royal Malaysian Air Force. As his main base was quite far from our living quarters, he used to leave early in the wee hours of the morning to work and return home quite late at night or sometimes only the next day. At that time, he only owned a Yamaha RX 115 which he used to travel on.

One night in August 1980, my sister and I were waiting excitedly for my father’s return as he had promised to return home early and buy some candies on his way back. As we were waiting, our excitement got diverted to the sound of an ambulance racing past our quarters with the siren blaring away. Being young, we were always amused by the sound of the siren and imitated the sound. Little did we know that the sound of the siren would stay in our memories for many years. The ambulance was carrying my father who had met with an awful accident.

My mother knew something was horribly wrong when two high ranking officers appeared at our doorstep.

“I’m sorry ma’am to disturb you at this hour, but I have bad news...” his voice went lower.

“Your husband, Sergeant Stephen Raj, has met with an accident. But don’t worry, he has been taken to the general hospital and he is going to be fine. We will take you to the hospital now.”

That’s what all good-hearted men will say at times like that, even if the victim is not going to be fine. When my mother got to the hospital, her heart had almost stopped beating. The surgeon told her that my father had gone into a coma stage. She thought it was the end of his life.

She visualized herself being alone in this world with three young kids and millions of questions came into her mind… “How am I going to take care of these kids? What is going to happen to us?”

Being a strong, brave, intelligent, and independent woman, she survived! And she made sure we came out of this trauma too! Having lost her own dad at a young age, she saw how her mother, my maternal grandmother, had raised six children single-handedly. She never gave up hope on him even though the doctors had lost hope and said it was all in God’s hands. He was practically a vegetable, lying motionless on the bed with tubes all over his body.

I still remember vividly being taken to his room and was asked to call him “Pa”, hoping he might wake up hearing his elder daughter’s voice. But nothing happened! Mother and my grandmother took turns to take care of dad at the hospital while a kind neighbour and a few relatives volunteered to baby-sit us while mother was busy at the hospital.

It was the third month; my father was still in a coma. The doctors tried to persuade my mother to agree to let him go but she refused. She had so much faith and believed that God will work his miracles soon. True enough, that night a miracle happened, and my father suddenly called for my mother. Amazingly, he could only recognize my mother and no one else.

It took him several months to recognize his friends, relatives and even his own children. Unfortunately, the impact of the accident made him paralyze. However, thanks to my mother’s determination and the constant physiotherapy, he began walking again. Slowly, he managed to use his left arm and leg, but his right side was permanently damaged due to a head injury. It took several years for my father to talk and walk normally. He had to be medically boarded out due to his condition. Today, at 71, my father is as fit as a fiddle, enjoying his retirement with all of us by his side.

My mother suffered mentally and physically during all those years after the accident when he was recovering. However, due to her strong character, she overcame all the obstacles patiently. Both my parents never failed to provide us with good education, moral values and having faith in God. If it weren’t for my mother’s strong personality, my siblings and I would not have had higher education and successful lives.

Mum, I saw your tears, your sadness at the shattered dreams. But mum, you survived! You saved us too with all your sacrifices. That’s why you’re the best and will always be my role model! A mother’s love is unconditional and only grows stronger over a lifetime. Not only on Mother’s Day but every day of your life, appreciate your mother, show her kindness, love, and make her proud!

~ “To the world, you are a mother, but to your family, you are the world.”~