the will to live on

As i peruse over today's The Star news highlight, one title caught my attention. The story revolves around a young woman named Yvonne who fought bravely and buoyantly over her incurable sickness which left her with semi-facial paralysis, deafness, partial blindness, poor balance and a stiff right leg - the infrequent genetically-inherited disease: Neurofibromatosis type II.

She survived 6 surgeries to remove tumours - 1 on her spine and 5 on her brain - and is set to go for a seventh surgery next month to remove a 5cm tumour at the base of her brain. Despite all that, she is still optimistic about life and even sells custom-designed Heart4Hope T-shirts to raise fund for her surgeries.

A few things struck my mind as i fought hard not to overly symphatize with her. What a sick person needed most is courage to fight, not some commiseration over her 'unluckiness encounter' with what the fate has in hands. As i read more about her story, i grows uneasy with how swift i tend to forget how lucky i am to be who i am and where i am right now. It is true that a human is a creature of forgetfullness. Its a wonder how we keep on living on earth so 'happily' without concern over the right things that matters. Seeing how Yvonne keeps on struggling with her life, i become ashamed of myself: i'm just a bit 2 years older than she is, i'm healthy, i know the main purpose i live and i'm not in danger of any kind you can think its possible, and yet i can keep on living leisurely as if there is more days to come in my life (just only after one week ago, i've become so saddened by the fact that my body is a bit unwell and sluggish. How fast I am in forgetting my resolve to sincerely celebrate life and make full use of it T_T).




I know its entirely impossible to keep on living forever, but it is not unachievable for us not to 'die' eternally. I'm talking about the chances of each one of us to leave a legacy of hope behind. Provided if we are truely crystal clear and steadfastly hanging onto the obligation each one of us being handed to: be a khalifah and ubudiah to Allah the One and Only Almighty.

Well, all i can say to myself right now is: If you miss an opportunity, do not fill your eyes with tears over your regret of what could have been and what you can do at that time. Those tears may hide yet another opportunity lying right in front of you. Keep on moving and seize all the chances that you can!!

ps: i'm grateful that right now i'm currently seating in VIP seat of life (a doctor to be insyaAllah. eventhough I still have goosebumps all over my body when i watched some grossly skin lesions especially on the genital part.). That and my perpetual hobby (reading) help me broaden my mind and toughened my spirit along the way. Please, dear God, don't let me wandering around aimlessly in life when i've already found the meaning of my life...

T_T