"A time when you received care" and "how you knew you
were cared for."
After a long day of exploring attractions on the southeast coast of
Mexico I fell into a tired stupor. There was something foreign taking over my
mind. A nauseating rush passed through my head. I breathed slowly for a short
while until I could no longer control my breath. I knew I was about to get
sick. I rushed to the washroom where I ended up staying for hours. From 9:00pm
until 1:00am my boyfriend’s family (now in-laws) and their friends brought me
Gatorade, held my hair, massaged my back, and showed care and support in many
ways. At 1:00am I started to pass out
and lose function in my hands and feet.
No one left my side. Even in the darkest
hours of the night of this family’s vacation they were gladly and openly
supporting me. By 3:00am an ambulance
was needed as my body started to lose a lot of function due to severe
dehydration. The convulsions began.
While I was being strapped down in the ambulance I had my boyfriend
next to me. In cars behind were people who I had just met two days prior. I
knew they were not only there to make sure I was okay but to be there for my
boyfriend who also needed the support as he wasn’t convinced that I would be
okay. The next day, visitors, again, whom I just recently met, came to the
clinic to check in, bring fresh clothes, and to offer a strong hand. I was overwhelmed by the care and support of
these people who I’d only known for 48 hours.
They were taking time out of their vacation to offer whatever they
could. I felt genuinely cared for and knew my immediate family, who were hours
by plane away, wouldn’t need to worry about anything because I had what seemed
to be family by my side.
After watching 13 bags of intravenous drip into my body I was ready to
slowly make my way back to the beach bungalow.
I needed to recover, regain some strength, and try to enjoy my last
three days in the warm weather.
When I think of this experience I don’t think of how awful I felt and
how my illness ruined the trip. This was
a memorable trip because of the people who cared for me when my partner and I
needed it most. I remember the
thoughtfulness, kindness, and comfort people offered. I haven’t seen some of these people since the
Mexico experience that occurred almost 5 years ago but I think about them often
and hope they know how appreciated their support was.
--
A side thought on ‘care’ and this may come across as obvious but
‘care’ often seems to be given more easily to loved ones, those in emergency
situations, or those who stand out from the normal day to day doings. I get the
feeling that if someone fell ill on public transit or was in a car accident
they would be provided care and support by bystanders, however, if the same
bystanders were to walk along East Hastings Street in Vancouver and see people who
were unwell or in need of some kind of care they may carry on with their day
because the area is known for homelessness and high drugs use. It may seem ‘normal’ to see people struggling
in these conditions in this specific area so care isn’t offered. Or, is it not
the normalcy of it but that bystanders are scared to help or think a quick
offering of care will not fix the ultimate ‘problem’? In the end care doesn’t
have to come down to curing an illness or finding the solution to a problem. Care
goes beyond medical and finding solutions. Care reaches the most important
thing, the person and the emotional being that resides within.
No comments:
Post a Comment