RATE YOUR PAIN ON A SCALE OF 1 - 10

Hospitals: they can be fearful places or they can be places which give health care professionals an adrenaline rush every day they come into work.

My little sister has been through a lot over the past year.

A whole year of unimaginable physical pain.

A whole year of walking in and out of hospitals.

A whole year of having her body throw one obstacle after another at her.

This year has gone so quick for me. I’ve achieved a lot and kept myself busy every day so it feels like time has flown past. But I can’t even begin to imagine the year my sister has had.

I wish I could talk more about what she’s been/going through but I have to respect her privacy and I doubt she’d want me to plaster her personal life across the internet! But for all of those who read my blog, if any, I beg of you to pray for her health; both physical and emotional.

I have always admired doctors. The way they remain professional at tough times, the way they know exactly what to say to put your mind at ease, the way they can recall the heap of information that they learnt all those years ago at university. It wasn’t until I became a medical student that I began to gain a new found awe for doctors and other health care professionals.

Being in the hospital to visit my sister has shown me the responsibility and power that a doctor may knowingly or unknowingly hold. The sense of ease that washes over you when a doctor comes into to see you is something which is indescribable. Especially when you know that someone you love is in a vulnerable state and there’s nothing in your power that you can do to change that.

In the midst of it all, there’s one person that I admire the most (directly after my sister); and that is my mum. How a mother can watch her child go through all the things my sister is going through and still remain as strong as she is, is beyond me.

“How would you rate your pain today, A”

“Probably around 3 or 4…”

It wasn’t until I heard this conversation between the nurse and my sister that I began to appreciate the good health that I have been blessed with.  Imagine having to suffer the pain that is constantly there; regardless of whether it’s a 3 or a 4. It’s strange, even as I write this post on the train; I can feel a lump rising to my throat. But I know that won’t change a thing. All I can do now is pray and hope that one day; I will have the same strength that my 16 year old baby sister has.