Hidoi!

One of my friends here, Masa was involved in a really bad car accident when he and my other friends were travelling to Burnie (above Launceston). The road was slippery as it was covered with frost after a cold and rainy day. The car spunned and smashed into a tree.

He suffered a fractured left arm and worse, fractured his backbone.

Doctors said he was lucky that he could still move his legs and he did not feel any tingling or numb sensations to his legs as one of his spine bones was shattered and it was squishing against his spinal cord. Any further damage would have paralysed him as the cord will be severed.

I was really shocked and scared when I got the news coz it reminded me of what happen a year back when Veronica, who died in a similar accident in NZ during winter as well. I was travelling to Cradle Mountain in heavy snow so I do know how scary it was driving in such bad condition.

I've been visiting him in Royal Hobart Hospital 2 days now. He looked pretty bad when i first visited him but he's better now, since we have been entertaining him all the way. He was given "special" treatment by the girls as we all took turns to wait on him, feeding him and applying cream on him (he has a bad case of eczema).

He can't move at all as he was in neck braces and he cannot move his back as it's still vey fragile. So he was just lying very still on the bed but thank goodness he could at least move his right hand.

His fellow Japanese friends were kind enough to get him magazines (including Penthouse...which the girls didn't approve) and Ryo has been his translator to Masa's family ever since. We were also trying to get him to eat as he has been refusing food for fear of having to pass motion. I do know how it feels like. You wouldn't want someone to help you do your "business" and it's quite shameful as well. But the nurses were telling us to persuade him to eat.

Since i'm older than him (i'm older than most of everyone else here), I get to play the role of okasan (mom) and/or oneesan (big sister). Therefore, i have the ultimate power to make threats and harassments so that at least he eats something, even if it's only half a banana. I've also been pumping in chocolate milk and water in him and if he says no, i'll always give my deadly stare. Hahaha.... and he always give in in the end...

I don't know why I feel/emphatize with him or why i would take the effort to visit him in the hospital everyday while i can to take care of him but i think it's partly because the whole situation reminded me of my late cousin, Eddy who died of brain tumour 7 years ago. I couldn't do anything back then because i was in school but now that i have an opportunity to do so, i will try my best to give my moral support to Masa. Somehow, when i look at him, i also feel the pain and the suffering he has to go through. He told me that he needs his friends around him, not food. Gosh~ especially when his family is so far away and won't be coming over.

He will be transfered to another hospital this Tuesday to undergo a major surgery to have the shattered backbone removed and to have rods inserted to reinforce his spine. When the doctor explained the whole procedure to him (we were there as well), i felt like crying and i could imagine the pain he has to go through. God! But he has been very strong and courageous and he's been holding up very well on his own, unlike one of his ward mate (thank goodness in another room) who's been screaming and moaning since the day he's been admitted all the time. It was very disturbing as it sounded like something out of a horror movie and Masa couldn't sleep well because of that as well. I feel like taking something to knock that fella out cold and out of mercy as well. Sheesh!! Give us a break dude!! But Masa told me he understood why that guy was screaming like that.... I know he's in much pain but he's trying hard not to show it to show to keep us from worrying.

I'll try to visit him as much as i can before i head back to Malaysia for good next week and please do pray for his speedy recovery and for God to just give him all the strength and courage that he needs to go through this painful process of recovery.