Yesterday afternoon, my friends and I took part in an anthropometry project conducted by a post-graduate student . We agreed to be the subjects for the anthropometry project. One of my friends took the measurements first and I was the second person in line. That friend of mine asked us not to look at her while the doctor was going through the procedures. Therefore, I took her chinese newspaper and climb up the bed. I got attracted by the pictures on the cover of the metro section. So I decided to go through that article first before reading other sections. I read the title of the article and I felt sad instantly. This article is about a little girl who passed away 135 days after the doctor diagnosed her with brain tumour.
Elena Desserich was five years old when the doctor told her parents that there was a tumour in her brain. He told them she has no chance of survival because surgery could not be done to remove the tumour and that she only has 3 to 6 months of time remaining. Her parents were devastated and the time left is not much; not enough time for them to watch their daughter attending driving classes, having her first date, getting married and having her own children.
Surgery could not be performed and therefore the only option for Elena was chemotherapy. However, the drugs made her nauseous. The first time she started vomitting was the time when her father brought her to the cinema for a movie. She started complaining of feeling sick not long after they arrived there. Without any toilets in sight, her father was forced to use both his hands as a vomit bucket. After that, they went to the toilet to clean up. Oh my, after reading these paragraphs, I know that tears are going to flow out of my eyes real soon. I felt so sorry for Elena. I was imagining the scene at the cinema. How sad and how helpless they were.
Her clothes and pants were dirtied by the vomit and she was standing in the gent's room with only her panty on. Elena asked her father why was there a tumour in her brain? Why her friends did not get this disease? She has asked her parents these questions for a month. But her parents did not have answers to her questions. They could only tell themselves that this is a test from God, to test their faithfulness in God.
Elena was a lovely girl, she was cute, smart, active and she loves to smile. However, this disease changed her. She became tired easily. As time passed by, she had difficulties speaking and moving her right arm. Afraid that Elena might lose her speaking ability and sight soon, her parents tried their very best to teach her sign language, hoping that she can communicate with the world despite her disabilities.
Anyhow, the cruel reality happened. As her condition worsened, she could not talk and move her right hand any more. This made her no longer able to use sign language to express her thoughts and the worst thing was she could not even describe and tell other people about her pain.
Finally, the day had come. Elena passed away. Her parents were packing her things and they were suprised to find heart-shaped messages with the words, "I Love You" on them. Elena wrote the messages when she was still able to write at that time. She hid them everywhere, inside the drawers, slits of the couch, her father's bag... Her family started a treasure hunt and they managed to find hundreds of these messages from every corner of the house. Each and every message was what Elena wanted to tell them, that she loves them and she hope that these messages will give them the courage to live on happily.
Her parents set up a foundation called "The Cure Starts Now" (CSN). The foundation is meant to help children with brain tumour. They hope that children with this disease will have courage just like their daughter, to face it together with their families.
Elena's courage in facing her disease enables us to see that love, is the most powerful thing on earth; eventhough we may die and leave this world, but our love is eternal, it is ever lasting and it is the best present for those who are left behind.
I felt sad rading this article. A child should not suffer like Elena did. He or she should have a happy childhood; playing with toys, jumping and running around... Maybe God has a different plan for these people. I believe everything happens for a reason. So those who are left behind, please do live on with courage because the deceased would want you to live happily.
No comments:
Post a Comment