1st – it was my grandma in early 2010
2nd – a dear friend of mine, in mid of year 2010
3rd – and now, my mum’s younger brother
I was half asleep yesterday when my cousin rang me and told me the shocking news. I mean, it still is shocking although all of us were kind of anticipate that he would not survive his battle with cancer for long, but not that fast. This uncle of mine (who is also my godfather for he has no child) was diagnosed with TB early this year after my grandma’s funeral. He’d lost half of his body mass and after few months of treatment in Malaysia, he came back to indo for recuperation. Only to be diagnosed later that he had lung cancer, in which, he is not aware of..til death took him away. Stadium 4 cancer + bad tuberculosis + cancer cells had spread all over his body = he had slim chance of survival.
The siblings wouldn’t give up. He wanted to recover so badly as well. He had been wishing to go to China and the idea just fitted well. China + stemcells treatment. And off he went. And after a month, he passed away yesterday, just like that. No sign. Nothing. He just kept perspiring, had short breath, doctors and nurses were sent in to help and he lost the battle. Just like that.
I was more in horror to deliver the news to my mom. And really, to my horror, I just said, “Mum, papi (it’s how I address him) has passed on.” I believe my mum just dropped her phone and started crying hysterically. Lucky her friends were there and I had to ask their help to accompany her. It was a really big blow on her because she just chatted with him and planned to visit him at the end of this year. But fate speaks differently.
I’ll be going back for the funeral service. My aunts and the other uncle are in China, taking care of the cremation and logistics matter. I can totally empathize their feelings. Blood ties, no matter what, are thicker than anything else. All of them must be devastated. At least my mum is.
Mum, “He just told me that he was having his lunch and that was the last time I talked to him.”
Aunt, “He asked me to help him putting on his socks before he headed to airport, and I couldn’t believe that it was the last moment that I had with him.”
The last time we talked:
“Oh, what’s good in Beijing?”
And I said, “Well, beside the Great Wall and Tian An Men, maybe..their superb peking duck.”
“Oh..when are you coming?”
“Let’s see...end of year? We can all gather there in Beijing to celebrate old & new.”
“Ok..”
And now, he couldn’t even wait for Christmas to be home.
