(by Sri Wildani — Communications & Fundraising Officer)
A tiny crack, the sound that changed everything.
One fateful morning in January this year, Fandi* walked into the bathroom to get ready for school. As he bent over to wash his face, he suddenly felt a crack on his neck, followed by an excruciating pain that ran through his body. His vision began to blur, and slowly he lost his consciousness.
What follows was a terrifying journey that Fandi lives to tell.
In less than 24 hours, Fandi’s life changed dramatically. He came back to consciousness to a different reality – to the shocking discovery that he could not move his arms nor his legs. And shortly after, while still under observation in the hospital emergency room, his respiratory system collapsed, and he had to be resuscitated and intubated. He spent 2 months in the ICU tethered to a ventilator for support.
Doctors later confirmed that Fandi had tuberculous spondylitis, an infection of the spine that caused spinal collapse and vital nerve compression .
Fandi is now home. A new reality. Still relying on a ventilator for breathing, he needs assistance for the simplest daily activities.
The active and spirited 16-year-old boy who loved hadroh and played rebana (musical instruments used to play Islamic devotional music) with his friends seem to be another life. For Fandi, togetherness, music, and prayer are the parts of life he had enjoyed the most.
In the quiet room where he now lays, life has become much quieter. Memories of the joyful days with his friends, filled with music and laughter are his companions.
Hope never fades. It lives in his heart, and in his mother’s prayers. Several times a day, his mother carefully moves him to tend to the wounds and sores that have developed due to the prolonged pressure and immobility; She props him up in bed and performs chest percussion to loosen the mucus in the lungs and prevent congestion.
All these activities are now made much easier with a hospital bed at home. A gift and a blessing to Fandi, and for his mother.
In the face of untold challenges, Fandi’s heart remains gentle, and his smile never too far away. He loves to talk and share stories. His mother is his closest companion. Now, Rachel House’s medical team has become an important part of their journey. Whenever our nurse visits, Fandi eagerly tells them about the little wins and wonders in his day. “Nurse Rina, today I ate this… and it was really delicious,” he says with a smile. Our nurses’ presence helps him feel heard and supported, and importantly, lightens the burden that he and his mother carry; even as they live the questions, will he be able to play his beloved rebana again? Will he be able to return to the mosque to recite prayers and chant with his friends?
May he be carried by the wings of his dreams into the manifestation of his hopes.
*Name changed for privacy.