Ibuku Pulang ke Rahmatullah

By : Hubby (SHAH)

22nd May 2007...one month ago my mother, my super Mak had passed away due to liver failure. She was hospitalised in Penang General Hospital for four weeks.

I rushed back to Malaysia once I received SMS from my niece about her condition a day after she was admitted to the ward.

She was so helpless..lying on the bed liked a baby. Hardly opened her eyes and her stomach was bolted due to her sickness. For that one month, she ate nothing accept water and milk which was fed from a tube. I wish I could replace her place or I could donate half of my liver for her so that she can live longer.

I supposed to take her with us to Yanbu when we come back for summer vacation next June 28th and then take her for Umrah. That was what we had told her many times and I knew she was fondly waiting for that moment.

During that 2 weeks period ( for I only had emergency+ annual leave max 14 days) , coincidentally my sister (Yong) had passed away due to her long heart illness in Taiping. She was fine on the day I visited her. She looked so cheerful and she gained her appetite on that day and ate "baklava" I brought for her. At one time she looked so happy to see me and suddenly her face turned gloomy, but she tried her very best to hide it away. It was probably when she saw me in front of her, I think she already knew that there must be something worst happened to Mak though nobody told her that. Maybe she feel so sad that she can't visit Mak in the hospital.

The day after I went back to Penang to be with Mak, because I thought she will survive because previously she had a much more crucial situation but with Allah Will she stayed longer than we ever thought. She had her surgery in 1997 and she was a strong women. I bought her new wheel chair a month before and I wanted her to be at home as soon as possible and use that chair. I love Yong very much and I know she knew that. She's the one who was taken care of me when I was a boy. I used to say "cuat Yong" (buat susu Yong) when I wanted milk to drink.

Out of sudden, the next day I received a call telling me that she was admitted to the ICU unit. After 3 days, she did not show any response and improvement. She was totally depending on machine ventilator. Then, my brother in-law(Abg Lop) asked the doctors if there any improvement or anything that they can do to help her? But the doctor said , " Let it be God Will, we had precsribed her the highest dose of drug. Nothing much else we can do". Unbearable to see her situation, he decided to bring her home. After 2 hours , came home, she had died peacefully on her own bed, the same bed she slept for the past 30 years. That night Abg Lop and I were talking about his memories with Yong and suddenly I saw tears running down on his face. He lost someone he loved, a true love, a wife who was his companion for more than 30 years. While, I lost my sister who had taken care of me instead of Mak. Our tears was totally different. Now, he will be alone without his companion and lonely. To me lonely .. is killing. Suddenly the thought of my wife came to my mind. Alhamdulillah ... I still have my wife...my lovely wife.

After her funeral, all of us was discussing whether shall we tell Mak about this ?? Everybody says no. "No you should'nt, that will worsen her", says Cu, Mak youngest sister. We decided to keep as secret and nobody will tell her. That is our promise.

We went back to Penang after Yong funeral. We don't want to left Mak alone. Now, is our turn to look after her. Although nothing much we can do but being beside her was a feeling that you can't share with other people. We waited the moment when she open her eyes and smile to us. I wanted that moment again which I already missed for 8 months since I moved to Yanbu.

16th May 2007. Today, I must go back to Yanbu. My unplanned vacation had came to the end. As usual, I went to the hospital early in the morning. That was my last day with Mak and I knew I will not see her again. That morning for the first time she opened her eyes and smiled at me. I talked to her and asked her forgiveness. I kissed her cheeks and forehead and I knew that will be the last. The doctor told me her condition was not so good and her blood pressure was very low. I called my brother(Abg Wahab) and asked him to come. He and my sister in-law (K.Yah) arrived half an hour later. They started to recite Al-Quran and surah Yassin.

The clock was showing 10.30 am. Abg Wahab reminded me to leave to the airport now, because the traffic condition here was unpredictable. I had to catch my flight at 12.00 noon. He told me not to worry about Mak because they would be there to look after her.

Deep in my heart, " I'm very sorry Mak, I have to leave. I hope Allah will permit us to meet again and if not in this world but in alam Akhirat..." I am preparing myself for any worst situation might happen. This time, I hugged her quite long and kissed her and told her I have to go now, and told her my wife and my children will come back on 28th June 2007 and they will come and visit her. I knew she missed my son, Amzar very much. Amzar was once stayed with her for a month before we flew to Yanbu. To her Amzar just like me. She told me to take care of Amzar and not to be "rough" at him.

Just one week after I came back to Yanbu, I received the bad news. It was an sms from my nephew, Faidz. The words were : Opah dah meninggal pukul 6.30 ptg.(Grandma had passed away at 6.30 p.m)

Inna Lillah Wa Inna Ilaihi Raji'uun.

Al-Fatihah to Mak and Yong