The answer lies in the heart of the battle.
Proof that Alan Ming has a lion heart.
"Alan, you are a prime candidate as drop dead case. You have severe triple coronary vessel disease. 2 vessels were 100% blocked. Another vessel is 80% blocked. Your heart is now left with 35% function. You are so blessed, my friend. You got diagnosed on time!"
“What are the treatment options available, Dr Mohan?”
“Heart bypass surgery is the best option.”
“What if I choose not to go for heart bypass?”
“I can put you on medications. But you risk having heart attack anytime. Or worst. Drop dead. Don’t waste your life, my friend. You have much to offer.”
Drop dead anytime? Blessed? Don’t waste my life? That doesn’t jive.
I just came back from Mount Kinabalu hike in April. It is the highest mountain in Malaysia. My friends were fast. I couldn’t catch up.
1.5km to reach Panar Laban. I was sweating profusely. My heart rate was raising fast. I began to feel difficulties in breathing. Maybe, the altitude sickness kicked in.
Suddenly, it began to rain. What? The weather forecast said it was a fine weather day. The rain forced me to slow down. It was persistently gentle drizzle. It lowered my heart rate. I began to cool down.
Looking back, if not for the extraordinary timely gentle rain, I could have a heart attack and drop dead. Instead, my heart condition was diagnosed. Dr Mohan was right. Indeed, I’m blessed. I was given a second chance. And I made the decision to go for heart bypass surgery. I shouldn’t waste my life.
Then, the day came. 10 July 2023. Sunway Medical Center.
Dr Tan, the anaesthetist asked me: “What procedure you are coming for?” “Heart bypass surgery.”
Suddenly, there was a total blackout. It was as if my power button was turned off.
After an eternity, I opened my eyes. 12 am midnight, sharp. My chest felt like as if broken into thousand pieces. I couldn’t feel my left leg. There were these….tubes in my mouth. I…. couldn’t speak.
I tried to breathe through my nose. There was no air going through my nose. It was as if I was drowning. For the first time in my life, I thought I was going to die. I signal weakly the nurses to remove the tubes.
“We can’t, Alan. We must wait for Dr Tan’s instruction.”
The intubation tubes aggravated my tonsils. It triggered my gag reflect. My phlegm and saliva was all over my face. I couldn’t take it anymore. I tried to remove the tubes myself.
“NO! You can’t do that!” The nurse immediately restrained my right hand. I groaned and tears were streaming from my eyes in pain and helplessness. The nurse called the Dr Tan.
I heard: “Max dose of morphine…. We will wait for you to remove the tubes. Ok Doc.”
It was a long, tormenting 6 hours wait before Dr Tan came. At 6.30am, he appeared.
“How are you, Alan?”
I put both my hands together, begged him to remove the intubation tubes.
“OK, let’s remove the intubation tube.”
Words couldn’t describe how relieved I was, to feel the air pass through my nose into my lung. I thought I was going to die, but I breath again.
“You are blessed, Alan. Don’t waste your life. You have much to offer.” said Dr Tan in a peculiar, profound, prophetic manner.
In the mobie Iron Man 2008, Tony Stark tried to escape from that cursed cave in Afghanistan with his crude armor, he needed some time to load the armour. Dr Ho Yinsen sacrificed himself to buy some time for Tony. Just before Tony leave the cave, Yinsen’s last words to Tony: “Don’t waste your life, Sir.”
Yes. Don’t waste your life. My dear friends, don’t waste your life. Because life is precious, life is great. The average life span of heart bypass surgery patient is 17 years. I’m blessed, for I’m given notice of the time I had in this mortal world. So will I, by making the best I have and be grateful from this day onwards. I have only 17 years, to do so. Before my heartbeat stops.
The answer lies in the heart of the battle.
Proof that Alan Ming has a iron heart.
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