From a Medical Officer in Kuching

Hi all, it's been a busy week, with DG visiting and our Supreme Boss, Minister Chua Soi Lek visiting.

However, let's not forget why we are here, I mean why we became doctors in the first place and why we continue to become doctors, despite the public backlash against doctors recently and the rude patients.

Let me share with you a humbling experience I had today.

ABK was a fifteen year old boy who had been fighting T-Cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia since last year.

He managed to finish his chemotherapy in March this year and his marrow remained in remission post chemotherapy. Despite our hopes he relapsed in less than a month. After much conselling, ABK underwent a second round of chemotherapy.

This second round of chemo was really bad and he nearly died as a result of it. However, he managed to go into remission. All this while only his mother, Madam S and brother were there to support ABK throughout his ordeal. The father had abandoned them as soon as ABK was diagnosed with ALL.

Much to our dismay, ABK relapsed while on treatment. Madam S and ABK eventually decided that he had enough and decide to bring ABK home. He died at home peacefully a few days later.

All this happened about three months ago.

Today, I saw Madam S and ABK's younger brother. I was surprised to see them and asked what they were doing.

She told me they had come to return the hospital blanket that had been used to shelter ABK till his last days.

They had travelled all the way from Sebuyau, just to return the hopsital blanket. Those not from Kuching, Sebuyau is about 150km from Kuching. For us who have cars, this is no problem. Madam S came by mini bus and the ticket fare is RM50-60 one way for a person

This was a humble single mother who was abandoned by her husband and left alone to bring up her two young sons, had to witness ABK go through much suffering and had her hopes dashed cruelly twice, and finally lose her eldest son.

How often do we inconvenience ourselves, to return things to its rightful owner?

Words cannot describe how moved I was by this simple gesture. Even though, the hospital blanket isn't mine and I won't even miss it ( I doubt the hospital would).

I told them I had to hurry off to another appointment and wished them luck. Truth is I had to leave because if I stayed any longer in their presence, I'll start to cry.

Call me sentimental, call me emotional, I dare you.

But how often do you get such decent human beings?

I lost my faith in the human race after the brutal rape and murder of 8 year old Nurin.

But with this simple gesture, Madam S has restored my faith in the human race.