A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine one year my senior had a big crash while riding his bike on Ubin. Two days after the crash, his wrist and lower arm had swelled up pretty badly, so he went to the hospital to get it checked out. It was x-rayed for suspected fracture, and put in a cast as a precautionary measure.
Two days after that, they discovered that flesh-eating bacteria had gotten into his bloodstream. Initial reports from the hospital put the mortality rate at 50%.
After much prayer, and some 3 or 4 operations later, he's out of danger. Every op, they slice open his arm from fingertip to elbow to clean out the wound, before shutting the wound with staples. He's got about 50 staples in his hand at the moment, and will probably be scarred for life, but he's alive. He's got another op scheduled for friday.
I was visiting him today, when another friend of ours popped by to visit. She had just gone for a dental appointment in the hospital that morning, and while taking an X-ray to check for cavities, discovered a large tumour in her jaw. I think she's 21 this year. As of this moment, she's at NDC undergoing further X-rays, and she's got an op scheduled for friday afternoon.
I was sitting outside his ward with his girlfriend, ruminating over these events. It was shocking enough to be reminded of our own mortality hardly two weeks ago. Did we need another reminder so soon? Will our prayers be answered once again?
As we were sitting outside the ward thinking about these things, I saw a juvenile woodpecker investigating the tree outside the window, and a strange lizard making displays with a flap of skin below its jaw. It was nice.
