Visiting Tok Su

I rushed to Ampang Puteri Hospital last night, upon hearing that Tok Su had been admitted to the ICU.

Tok Su is my late Mum's uncle (which makes him my grand-uncle) - the only parent she had after her own father passed away and she was Tok Su's favourite niece. He's 85 now, but still of sound mind and pretty good health. His condition was not serious, but he was under observation in the ICU.

Apparently, during his regular medical check-up, there was a point when he did not respond to outside stimuli. The doctors said that the bloodflow to his brain had temporarily stopped causing him to fall into a state of temporary vegetativeness.

By the time I reached the hospital, Tok Su was okay. He was in good spirits, ever the gentleman and was quite animated, explaining to me what had happened to him. He even joked about going to karaoke and dangdut and even made a passing remark about one of his shares on KLSE. He was fine and I was relieved.

Then he spoke to me about Mum. He said, "Look at the number of people, that came for her funeral. Your mother is a very good person and was well-loved by all those who knew her. Itu tandanya hidup yang berkat. You should strive to live like her."

I was moved by his words and searched for the strength to hold back my tears, but I didn't manage very well. It's been over a 100 days since Mum's death and this is only the 3rd time, I've shed a tear for her. I was never close to Tok Su, but Mum's death had brought us closer together. Perhaps, because we both missed her.

I left Tok Su to rest about an hour later - with the thought that family means more to me now, than it ever did. And that in the last one year, my perception of what living a good life means, has changed tremendously. It's the intangibles that make life worth living - a life my Mum had exemplified.