New Year's Blues

Dhezza looking pale and wan on the hospital bed

Its been a harrowing new year for me and my family. On New Year's eve, my sister, Dhezza, became very sick and in a few days, she became so weak that she couldn't even stand on her own. We were very concerned of course so we rushed her to the hospital and they immediately checked her blood platelets since Dengue is quite rampant here in our country.

The first test showed that her platelets were normal so we thought it was just a simple case of the flu. But despite our efforts to lower her body temperature, it still wont go down from 38.5 degrees. So we decided to have her confined to a hospital and we had another test made. This time, her blood platelets were only 40. The normal count should be 200 and above. Then she started to vomit streaks of blood, apparently her gums were bleeding. That is definitely a sign of dengue and apparently she got the worst strain. We were almost in a panic when she started to urinate blood as well.

I work nights so I sleep during the daytime. At around 6pm on January 4, my youngest twin sister, Chit, barged into my room and woke me up. She told me to remain calm but Dhezza definitely has dengue and she needs to have a blood transfusion. To top it all, she needs 10 blood donors ASAP. Then Chit's twin, Fay, also came in weeping carrying Dhezza's baby WHO WAS ALSO SICK and could possibly have dengue too.

I was numb for a few minutes, maybe the shock was too much and imagine being woken up so abruptly and being faced with such horrible news. So I decided to send a text message to my Team Leader to inform him that I would not be able to report to work because of the situation. My sisters stayed home to take care of our niece Yannah and our father, Darrell (my sister's ex-boyfriend and Yannah's dad), and I drove to the hospital. It was a very tense drive, were very silent and everything was grim.

Dhezza's rashes were the worst on her legs, they looked like they were burning

When we arrived at the hospital, I couldn't believe how pale and weak Dhezza have become. She and I has this love-hate relationship, I didn't know how affected I would be after seeing her looking like that. So I couldn't stop myself from crying and I had to go home soon after that. I was supposed to stay there and look after her but in my condition, I couldn't help anybody.

I couldn't donate blood myself since I had a cough back then and I also have a medical condition of my own. I texted all my friends in the hopes of getting anyone to agree to donate blood for her. I had several replies from my friends who seemed willing enough but couldn't donate blood at that time since it was a weeknight and they have work, etc. I was really surprised when one of my officemates, Aki, volunteered to donate blood though she still has a shift that evening. I was so humbled by this. Unfortunately, Aki also has a cough so she cannot donate blood as well.

Well, I never prayed as hard as I prayed after that night. I prayed the rosary and hoped for the best. My niece started having rashes all over her body which is another sign of dengue but luckily hers is milder than what Dhezza has. I started to think, why was this happening to my family? I mean, we were so happy during Christmas and New Year. The timing was so off. Also, I started wishing her illness to be transferred to people who deserves to have it (wicked people, criminals, those people who do evil things to others) but I thought of the old saying "God does not give you trials that you cannot solve." I felt ashamed for having thoughts like that and I just did my best to become strong for Dhezza and my family.

Well, thanks to God help and the kind people around us, Dhezza was able to go home on January 11. She had a little relapse and had to go back to the hospital just hours after she arrived home but thankfully, she just had migraine. Now, we are slowly trying to get it all behind us. Hopefully, nothing like this happens ever again or at least not in the near future.

Dhezza desperately trying to remain cheerful though she was as weak as a kitten

Charmedwishes...
Blessed be!

Time to Sleep: Tension in the Morning

Hello! Thanks to those who left comments in my blog, I really appreciate it. I will be visiting your blog shortly after this post. Something really tense and sad happned this morning in our house. It involved primarily my mother and my sister, who just had her baby last December.

My sister has always been a very sensitive person. Sensitive in the sense that she doesn't like being reprimanded (who does, come to think of it) and she doesn't want to be made to feel that she is not in control. Now, my mother on the other hand, is a very domineering and opinionated woman. When she wants to say something, she say it at once, regardless whether or not if it was delivered in a tactful and nice way.

What happened was that my sister was putting her baby (my niece Yahannah, I posted her pictures here in my blog) to sleep and she had to go out of the room to do something. My mother was cleaning the house because she was expecting company, one of her organization comes every Tuesday morning here in our house. Now, we were all startled when my sister, her name is Aiza, suddenly screamed and of course we all rushed to the room where the baby is in. It turns out that Aiza saw the baby (Yahannah) lying on the floor when she entered the room, prompting her to scream like that.

Now my mother loves Yahannah, so she was really concerned for the baby so I guess without meaning to, she let fly some choice words like "stupid girl" to my sister. She took the baby from Aiza's arms and then started to cradle the baby. Now my sister was miffed about this and said that she already has everything taken cared of and she grabbed the baby from my mother's arms.

Needless to say, we (my younger twin sisters and I) were all taken aback by this disrespectful behaviour by out sister. Though we must admit that sometimes, Mommy tends to get a little overboard and she does say things which are hurtful, we had to give her the respect she deserves especially since she is our mother. Mother definitely thought that my sister was showing poor behaviour too and she immediately let my sister have it.

So for 10 minutes, mother began her tirade against my sister Aiza (that if weren't for the baby, Mommy would have turned her out of the house, that Aiza was a bigheaded, Aiza is always afraid that people are taking the baby's affection from her, that sort of thing) whioch of course made the atmosphere in our house very tense and we were all quiet.

Now guys, what is your opinion about this? I know that some of my readers are also parents. If this happned to you, you're a new mother and your own mother was teaching you how to take care of your child, how would you handle the situation?

Well, needless to say, Aiza and Mommy are giving each other the cold shoulder now. I hope this would be resolved soon. That's it for now, take care and enjoy!



Charmedwishes...

Blessed be!

The Gift of the Mirror

In ancient days there lived a man and his wife, and they were blessed with a little girl, who was the pet and idol of her parents. On one occasion the man was called away on business in distant land. Before he went he told his daughter that if she were good and dutiful to her mother he would bring her back a present she would prize very highly. Then the good man took his departure, mother and daughter watching him go.

At last he returned to his home, and after his wife and child had taken off his large hat and sandals he sat down upon the white mats and opened a bamboo basket, watching the eager gaze of his little child. He took out a wonderful doll and a lacquer box of cakes and put them into her outstretched hands. Once more he dived into his basket, and presented his wife with a metal mirror. Its convex surface shone brightly, while upon its back there was a design of pine trees and storks.

The good man's wife had never seen a mirror before, and on gazing into it she was under the impression that another woman looked out upon her as she gazed with growing wonder. Her husband explained the mystery and bade her take great care of the mirror.

Not long after this happy homecoming and distribution of presents the woman became very ill. Just before she died she called to her little daughter, and said: "Dear child, when I am dead take every care of your father. You will miss me when I have left you. But take this mirror, and when you feel most lonely look into it and you will always see me." Having said these words she passed away.

In due time the man married again, and his wife was not at all kind to her stepdaughter. But the little one, remembering her mother's words, would retire to a corner and eagerly look into the mirror, where it seemed to her that she saw her dear mother's face, not drawn in pain as she had seen it on her deathbed, but young and beautiful.

One day this child's stepmother chanced to see her crouching in a corner over an object she could not quite see, murmuring to herself. This ignorant woman, who detested the child and believed that her stepdaughter detested her in return, fancied that this little one was performing some strange magical art--perhaps making an image and sticking pins into it. Full of these notions, the stepmother went to her husband and told him that his wicked child was doing her best to kill her by witchcraft.

When the master of the house had listened to this extraordinary recital he went straight to his daughter's room. He took her by surprise, and immediately the girl saw him she slipped the mirror into her sleeve. For the first time her doting father grew angry, and he feared that there was, after all, truth in what his wife had told him, and he repeated her tale forthwith.

When his daughter had heard this unjust accusation she was amazed at her father's words, and she told him that she loved him far too well ever to attempt or wish to kill his wife, who she knew was dear to him.

"What have you hidden in your sleeve?" said her father, only half convinced and still much puzzled.

"The mirror you gave my mother, and which she on her deathbed gave to me. Every time I look into its shining surface I see the face of my dear mother, young and beautiful. When my heart aches--and oh! it has ached so much lately--I take out the mirror, and mother's face, with sweet, kind smile, brings me peace, and helps me to bear hard words and cross looks."

Then the man understood and loved his child the more for her filial piety. Even the girl's stepmother, when she knew what had really taken place, was ashamed and asked forgiveness. And this child, who believed she had seen her mother's face in the mirror, forgave, and trouble forever departed from the home.





Charmedwishes...

Blessed be!

Yahannah, My Niece

Here are some new pictures of my niece, Yahannah Samantha. My, she is growing so fast!

Charmedwishes...

Blessed be!