Sunday, February 10, 2008

The Boy Who Saw Angels.

A Short Story by My Den
A NEW JOURNEY
All he wanted was to die at home. On 20 Jan 2007, with his parents by his side, *Adrian got his wish and was finally relieved of the pain he bore for four years. Adrian was only seven years old.

THE BEGINNING
"Look at those round eyes!" a delighted Joanne said. "Going to be a very handsome man when he grows up!" echoed Dan, both joining in the celebrations of *David and *Mary on the birth of their first child.

Adrian's birth was an answer to a long wished-for prayer and filled his parents lives with purpose and hopes. With his ever-present laughter, Mary loved to bask in the compliments heaped upon her son by both friends and strangers. But things changed when Adrian turned
three.

The PAIN
"The sudden onset of fevers, chills and flu accompanied by the loss in appetite and rapid weight loss were serious enough for the hospital to conduct blood tests and a bone marrow biopsy on Adrian. I am sorry but Adrian is suffering from acute leukemia," said Dr. Wong. David's and Mary's world collapsed.

The next four years of Adrian's life were spent in and out of hospital, undergoing painful chemotherapy. "It was so painful to see Adrian undergoing chemo, injecting drugs to the brain through a catheter under the scalp," choked Mary. There were also the side effects - the constant nausea, vomiting, mouth sores and lost of hair that three year old Adrian had to coped with.

DECISION
"Please Ma, no more chemotherapy," pleaded Adrian on hearing about his third relapse in Sept 2006. "I just want to live normally with whatever time I have left. I want to go to school, to Disneyland and I want to be at home when I die." Adrian knew he would die without treatment.

"It's time to let go," with a lumped in his throat, David told his wife. "Let's grant him his wishes and allow him to enjoy whatever time he has left with us."

For the first time in his life, Adrian went to school, something which he always longed for. A trip to Disneyland, Hong Kong, was also made possible with the help of "Make-A-Wish" foundation which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. Adrian waited every night for his father to come home from work so that they can spent time together. He enjoyed his time left in this world tremendously.

RELEASE
Holding her son's hands, "Adrian! Look out for the angels!" Mary besieged. In the early hours of 20 Jan 2007, Adrian's condition took a turn for the worse. He was so cold and in so much pain. Choking back tears, she could feel her son's life slowly ebbing from his tiny hands.

Summoning a last drop of strength, Adrian look at his mother and shouted :"Mama, I can see angels, angels, angels!"

REMEMBRANCE
Adrian will always lived in my heart. A brave young child whose life was cut short by a terrible illness and my heart goes out to his parents. Tribute should also go to "Make-A-Wish" Foundation for making possible the wishes of children with terminal illness.

*Names were changed to protect privacy

*More stories by MyDen
- A Live Unlive


7 comments:

Magdalen Islands said...

What an incredibly sad story, well written, it brought tears flowing.

My Den said...

Hi Magdalen,
Glad, it struck a chord with you. Thanks for visiting. Regards.

Keli said...

This story is too sad, almost unbearably so. Yet you somehow managed to convey a positive sense of freedom in the end.

My Den said...

Hi Keli,
Of all the stories that I had written, "The Boy Who Saw Angels" was the hardest to write simply because it was based on a true incident.

Writing the story brought back many memories of Adrian, his courage and his parents' pain.

The positive release at the end was
a result of Adrian's desire to stop the pain and turmoil both he and his parents were undergoing, knowing that he is beyond cure. It was a testament to his maturity and courage and I wanted to convey these feelings in the story.

Always glad to hear from you. Regards.

Melissa Donovan said...

I clicked through from your comment on my blog (thanks by the way ;), and thought, "Um, I've already read this somewhere else." For a heartbeat I thought -- well never mind what I thought. I realized I had read it on my subscription list; sure looks different on the site.

A sweet, sad story.

Melissa Donovan
Writing Forward

My Den said...

Hi Melissa,
Thank you for your kind comment and for your subscription. And best of luck on your contest. Regards.
Dan

Anonymous said...

what a sad sad story...brought me to tears and moved my heart for a momment...