A year ago today, Baba was admitted to hospital for what we believed was food poisoning from over feasting at the pre Ramadan get-together the day before.
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8 March 2023, screengrabbed from the video Baba made Q record of him - for when I'm gone he said in the video. |
This led to multiple hospitalizations, and a life saving surgery plus one after another procedures in effort to make him better.
Baba beat a lot of odds, everytime I had to sign the release form, my body shakes as I'm reminded of the odds stacked against him, it's always less than 50%, and each time it will work for a bit, then some, most times him not getting worse is already a blessing for us. By grace of Allah, Baba turned 80 while he was in HDU, we celebrated with whispered prayers, to ease his pain and for him to get better if he's meant to.
Prolong stay in the HDU/ICU is never good, there's too many superbugs that you'll catch, making you sicker than you already are. The lung infection that Baba contracted about three weeks post surgery keep making him sicker, and when they had to keep changing the ventilator, we knew that there's not much we can do apart from keeping Baba comfortable and have his final wishes fulfilled, to go home.
After 66 days of being in the ward after the surgery, Baba was brought home for for what we thought was his final hours, but Allah knows best, we were give sixteen days to care and nurse him at home.
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Baba and his two favorite grandsons, they dressed alike in home thobe and decided to take the bus to the city! - 12 March 2016. |
Baba had hundreds of family members and friends visit him in his final days, people from near and far came, some who haven't seen him in decades, all of them had nothing but great things to say about him.
Baba's final days were constantly surrounded by loved ones, my sister and I never left the house from the moment we came home with Baba until we left with him on his final journey.
Baba breath his last, surrounded by us in the wee hours of June the 3rd, 2023, on his eldest grandson 16th birthday which also happens to be the 44th anniversary of his mother, my grandmother Zaynab's passing. We were were devastated, heartbroken would be an understatement, but we gratefully let him go as we know the long illness he had has cleanse him of all sins and he's in a better place now. His final resting home was right between his parents, as his always wished.
Baba, not a day has gone by that I have not think of you, I still expect you to call at 7pm to remind us to pick you up. At times as we are driving up the hill, just before we reach the field, I still wonder if you are home yet and what you'd like for dinner.
I pray that I will always be Fuad's daughter and takes after all your good traits.
Baba, Aten rindu sangat kat Baba.
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Baba and his carbon-copy |
