In this Summer, I went back to China for 6 weeks alone, Terry and Sonny stayed home, most days Sonny had his swimming lesson.

On May, I got  a phone call from my sisters, my mom wasn’t doing well, they afraid there wouldn’t be much time left for her. Anything happen to my mom, Terry and Sonny are there to support me. Terry said to me: ” You only have one mom, if you don’t go to see her before she die, you will regret forever. ” Sonny said:” I’ll stay home, help daddy working in the farm.” I bought tickets next day, left for China in a week.

I arrived there at midnight on Saturday, Monday morning my younger sister and I took mom to hospital, checked in right away with a help from my friend who works at that hospital. There were 2 or 3 beds in a patient room, a bathroom with shower and a TV; it was much better than few years ago.

In the hospital, the nurses’ job is to give the patient medicine, give  shots,or change IV bottle. There is no nurse looking after a patient 24hours, or bring food to a patient. That’s the job of the patient’s family , that’s what I did in the hospital for my mom. I had a canvas folding bed, at night I set it beside my mom’s bed and slept there, put it away during the day time. It was hot, one light blanket was all I need. The hospital has a cafeteria, food was good, you can choose from over 50 different dishes every meal, mom liked their food.

My mom has had diabetes for 11, 12 years, her kidney doesn’t function very well now. Before I went back when her legs swelled up, my sister took her to hospital and stayed a few days. Until she was doing better, then back home with some medicine. Things were getting worse, the medicine she was taken to help releasing water from her body, it started losing its affect on her. A month before I went back, mom went a different hospital and stayed 10 days. Their treatment didn’t make a big difference, she couldn’t stand there any longer. But at home, she couldn’t lie down to sleep, she couldn’t breath otherwise; she only could sit up while she slept.

Doctor Li, who was in charge of my mom, is a small and fairly young girl, about 27 years old. My friend told me, Dr. Li just graduated from school, it is her first year working in the hospital. She is a very gentle and soft spoken person, whatever medicine she gave to my mom, seems working. In first two days, mom did many tests and check up; at 3rd day, mom’s legs back to normal size, she could lie flat in bed and slept well. She was improving so fast, on 8th day, we checked her out from hospital, at that time she could walk to bathroom herself.

I didn’t cry when I saw my mom at first night. But I cried and couldn’t stop my running tears and nose, for a person and a family I’ve never met before.

An old lady moved into the same patient room 2 days before my mom checked out, she was in serious condition, couldn’t move, couldn’t talk, couldn’t see. Her two daughters with her, they seems love and care her a lot. In 3 hours after she checked in, her eldest son arrived from another city. Her elder daughter said:” Mom, your favorite son is here, he come back to see you.” It’s not a big room, I could see and hear everything. Tears came down on the old lady’s face silently, her daughter wiped tears for her and told her ” don’t cry”; her son sat beside her and held her hand. All of that opened my tear gate, I turned around to face the window, tried to cry in silent, but I couldn’t control myself. The other daughter tried to tell me what happen to her mother, she saw me crying, I couldn’t manage to say a word to respond. Their love toward their mother touched my heart, I cried, cried because I saw and felt their love.

My mom was sleeping when it happened, so she didn’t know about it. Back to home, I told her, even my feeling and thoughts about that family. Can you imagine what my mom respond to me? She said:” It is nice, her son came back from another city to see her. Look, you are as good as they are, you come back from Hawaii, even farther place to see me and take care me. You saved my life, without you be here, I wouldn’t be here right now.” This is how my mom thinks, a different view I’ll never see it by myself.

When we were young, our parents gave care and love to us, raised us as good as they could. When they get old, we take care them and love them, that’s what we suppose to do. But my mom always has this gratitude toward us for giving her love and care, in her late years of life.

When I left Hawaii for China, I only had the worst thought with me, that was watching my mom die and bury her with my sisters. But this trip taught me that you don’t give up a hope easily, always keep a hope in your heart no matter how hard and bad situation you are in. Life is unpredictable, it gave me a big and good surprise, I’m lucky and feel grateful to it.