Its been a while since I last blogged.huhu.Currently doing my Psychiatry posting.hmm.I learnt quite a lot within the past 1 week.It's not something that you can get from the books.It's a true life story told by someone who went through it.For this current posting,it's not the typical psychiatry posting like what I went through in Year 4,it's LIASON PSYCHIATRY which means other disicplines from all other departments referring cases to psychiatrist to deal with the psychological issues.
We had a 2 days visit to Hospital Sg.Buloh.It was a nice place I tell you.One word for it 'BIG'.hehe.Well,that's not the main thing.We were there for a reason.Everyone was assigned to 2 different wards.On my 1st day there,I was assigned to the ward while on my 2nd day there,I was assigned to Pusat Kawalan Kusta Negara, one of the earliest infectious diseases center in the region, bravo!.I was exposed to 2 different patients with 2 different experience but with 1 same illness,HIV.Due respect to both the patients whom I clerked,am very thankful to the both of them who gave me a whole new perspective about HIV,one of the most stigmatized illnesses around the world.I guess some of you make think "So what's the big deal,its a fact that everyone knows!".In my point of view,it is a big deal and it is totally different when you're the one who personally chats with them.I somehow had a short dive (2 hours was not enough to fully understand what they went through) into the life of a HIV patient.The Q's is,who are the one who stigmatize?It's US,the society and to be more precise the medical professionals. In fact,I've personally seen or I should say WITNESSED the whole discrimination thingy occurring in the ward. I'm not trying to criticize the medical professionals as I myself will be part of it very soon,insyaAllah.I'm just here to share a story of how we look at people differently and often judge people for something that may or may not be their fault.Not all HIV patients got themselves involved in immoral activities and finally ended up with HIV.Some were just normal individuals who had normal lives but just got unfortunate.It's just sad falling in either one of the categories of patients which I've mentioned above.I'll be sharing with you 2 different stories from 2 different patients but with the same illness.
True Story No.1 :
"I take full responsibility for what I've done and undertsand that what I'm going through IS the price I've to pay"
Well that was the exact word of the patient which has been translated to English.Some may say "Padan muka","Serves you right","Why were you silly enough to get yourself involved in drugs,homosexuality,prostitution and etc.??" My answer on their behalf is "They were not as fortunate as others that they chose the wrong path and ended up unfortunate".I'm not agreeing to what he did.It was still very wrong of him.Looking back at this patient who lives in a felda settlement,which sounds perfectly ok to most of us but what made it NOT OK was that the felda he lives in was full of HIV patients,drug addicts and practically everything which involves the life ruining substance (if being misused of course!) "DRUGS a.k.a DADAH". With all that in mind, I don't totally put the blame on him. He was 15 when it all started. The influence was way to strong for a young teenager like him to handle. So he did not have the strong will and made the wrong move.But,who are we to judge? Only the One on the top, Allah can judge us for what we've done. Going in and out of prison was just as good as passing a drive-thru for a quick meal to fill the tummy. Prison was equivalent to 2 weeks of free food, free scolding and etc. But did it made him a changed man?Definitely a NO.He was back to his usual routine which was practically eat,sleep perhaps dream about drugs. Despite of all that, he had a good family support. He was telling me that whenever he was badly craving for drugs, his mother would come near him and would gently stroke his hair and touch him in a motherly sort of way. He is lucky in that sense. Thank Allah for giving him such caring parents and family who unconditionally loved him.
True Story No.2
"I was from a religious family.I've never gotten myself involved in drugs or things against my religion until I met this girl when I was sent to Thailand by the police. I accept the fate from Allah. It was my mistake which I will regret for the rest of my life".This guy here is a refugee from Myanmar. He was a very honest looking guy. He was in his early 40's but looked slightly older than his age. I could roughly gage that he went through a hard life. He traveled all the way from his country to Malaysia with a pure intention to earn a living away from his own country who discriminates him. Unfortunately, he was caught and sent to Thailand. He did not give up. He did odd jobs to support himself. Life doesn't always go as planned. One day he met an attractive Thai lady at the market. She was a fruit seller. I guess she manage to catch his attention that they fell for each other. After 2-3 months, they crossed the line. And yes he regretted it A LOT!That's why we Muslims believe never go out in two's because its not only the "two" of you, there's a third party with you.hah!sounds mysterious aight?!Well,it's true.What caught my attention was actually how the healthcare system was like in Thailand. He felt unwell after the "incident" with his new girlfriend. He had no money to go to the clinic so he waited after 3 days. The doctor advised him to get a blood test done. His reply was "I don't have the money". The doctor then replied "If you don't have the money, we can't proceed with the test. You could possibly have HIV. Well, it doesn't matter. It's better for you to not know. If you're tested positive, it might ruin your life but if you're tested positive then it's just your luck". Being frank is good at times but the way I see it in his case,it was rough for someone foreign to the country to handle. Well, he went back without knowing his HIV status. He then went back to Malaysia to start a new life. A few years later, he got married to a widow of 2 kids of which was an arranged marriage. She was not pretty physically but she had a pure and beautiful heart. She was and still is a good wife and mother. He lived happily with his wife and 2 step kids.He was well all along until 3 months ago when he felt unwell. Things just happened fast. He went to the clinic, complained of prolong fever and vomiting. The doctor explained that it was pretty unusual to have gastric like symptoms along with fever. So he was subjected for a HIV rapid test. It was just not his day. It was +ve.At least the doctor was kind enough not to make such "rough" statement like the one before.Above all, thank Allah though. He did not do silly things like committing suicide and what not. He accepts the news as a form of punishment. He did not immediately told his wife. Until he was required for referral to Hosp Sg Buloh. The doctor told him to get his wife tested. What miracle it was, Subhannallah, she was tested -ve. -ve even after they've been together for 4 years. He said that "I slept with a girl I just knew for 1 night and got infected with HIV. I've been sleeping with my legally wedded wife for 4 years and she's free from HIV.Allah is Fair and Just".
Those are the 2 different individuals whom I met. Kind enough to share their story. I don't mean to brag about HIV and what not.It's just a little reminder to everyone and to myself that don't discriminate no matter how wrong the person is. Everything happened for a reason. I hope that you've learnt a little something from the story above which I definitely did. InsyaAllah. I hope that the society won't look at these people differently. Treat them just the way you want people to treat you.
