My
name is Luqman Hakim and I would like to tell a story about myself. Yes, about
me. A story that took place in the year of 2012, an event that had changed me
and the way I view my life. That year would mark my second last year in high
school if being in Form Six was not my choice. Alright, here how my story goes.
The new year was here. Every time came
a new year, there must be some new goals or resolution that one would like to
achieve. This and that. For me, my wish remained the same every year. As cliché
as it might sound but my wish was always to become a better version of myself,
to manage my time better, to become more responsible with all the commitments
that I had, and perhaps, to lose weight as well since I had never succeeded in
achieving that one.
Wednesday, 4th January 2012.
I still remember, I was quite nervous on the way to my first day of school. I
guess it was normal since it would be my first day in Form Four. After
completed Penilaian Sekolah Menengah
(PMR) examination the previous year, I was still clueless on which class I
would be placed in that year. Would I be in the science stream class or art
stream class? I asked my father once, “Abah, do you think I will get into a
science class?” and he said, “I do not know about that but if they put you in
the science class, are you sure you can do well in studies? One has to be good
in mathematics.” Right, I was bad in mathematics but ever since I was in the
primary school, I wanted to be in a science class because I would like to study
biology – a subject that was, to me, interesting because we would get the
chance to learn about the human structures, animals, and plants. Well, my hope
came true when I reached school and I looked at the notice board near the
green-coloured school hall, where the lists of Form Four classes were being
displayed and I saw my name in the class “4 Teta,” a science class!
On the third day of school which was
on Friday, 6th of January, I did not feel well as I had stomach ache. At first, I felt
like skipping that one day but then, when I thought about it, I might as well
just go to school. It was not the first time I experienced a stomach ache in
the morning before going to school, anyway.
It was a rainy season so, like any
other days before, it was raining on Friday too. That morning, after arrived at
school, I made my way to my class that was located at the second floor of block
B, just beside the school hall and science labs. As usual, I was one of the
earliest students to arrive and the sun was still hiding, waiting to rise.
Sitting next to me was Haizaitul Shahira, a tall, dark-skinned, almost skinny
girl with a long face jaw, bespectacled, and had a hijab covering her head. We
were talking about some random topics while waiting for the first class to
start.
The first subject of the day was
Islamic studies. I took out my Islamic studies text book along with an empty
note pad and my stationery pouch from my new light beige-coloured Body Glove
bag. When I was about to step out of the class, Madam Lee Peck Choo suddenly
came in to give a little talk. A Chinese, short-haired, bespectacled, and
probably in her late 30s or early 40s, she was our class teacher. After she was
done with her talking, I went out of the class, heading to the Islamic studies
room that was located at the upper floor of the workshop building, not far from
block B. This was the moment that changed everything.
The rain was not as heavy as when I
first arrived to school that morning. The weather was nice, cold, and cozy. I
decided to use the nearest staircase beside my class to go to the Islamic
studies room. I went down the staircase and as I stepped on the last step, I
trembled to the front. That moment went by so fast. All the books and my
stationery pouch that I held tight against my chest being tossed in the air.
With a quick reflex, I held on both sides of the stairs to prevent myself from
falling further. The action that I did all went against the odd and I still
fell down. The situation did not get any better, instead, it had gotten worse!
The decision that I made to hold the
both sides of the stairs was the same as if I were forcing myself from falling
down when my body was already reaching the floor. As a result, I had my left
knee twisted into a crack as I slipped down the wet slippery stairs.
I heard “crack.” I knew something was
not right. Madam Lee Peck Choo that was standing not far from the staircase saw
me falling off the stairs and asked, “Luqman, are you alright?” I could not say
a word. I guess, I was too shocked with the situation. I just shook my head,
indicating no. She then asked Anaz Fikri, – one of my classmates, curly-haired,
fair-skinned, and he had a mole on the right side of his forehead – to help me
out. “Can you get up?” asked Anaz, concerned. “I can’t get up,” I replied as I
endured the agonising pain which slowed each word that I uttered. My body was
drained out of energy. I remember I profusely sweating while feeling scared and
anxious at the same time. There are some pupils stood at the balcony observing,
some of them thought that I simply fell off the stairs without seriously
injured myself but the fact was that something unimaginable had just happened.
Mr. Quek Eeu Len who taught physical
education had been called to help me. A man in his 30s, he was known among the
students for his looks, had a relatively muscular physique, a pair of thick
eyebrows, and could speak Bahasa Malaysia fluently despite of him being a
Chinese. Mr. Quek Eeu Len helped me by slowly trying to get me seated comfortably
on the staircase. The members of Red Crescent along the members of St. John Ambulance
came to the action. The school’s management instantly called the hospital to
have an ambulance sent to the school. In the meantime, Ningkan Hamilton,
another classmate of mine – big in figure and bespectacled – was instructed by
Mr. Quek Eeu Len to get a bag of ice from the school canteen to sooth the
swollen part of my left knee. My mother hurried to the school after hearing the
news of my accident from the school. My mother presumed that I was just twisted
my ankle, she was shocked to see the presence of an ambulance when she arrived
to the school compound.
I felt that every staring eyes were
locking on me. Madam Lee Peck Choo, Mr. Quek Eeu Len, two medical assistants, a
nurse, my mother, members of Red Crescent along with the members of St. John
Ambulance, so as the school headmistress and a few other teachers were
surrounding me. I had become the centre of attention that very morning. Then, I
was instructed by the medical assistants to straighten my left leg slowly, I
felt an intense pain on my left knee. After a few agonising attempts, I finally
managed to strengthen my leg so I could be lifted by six people to transfer me
to a thick white linen to be brought down from the 2nd floor to the
ground floor with ease. When we reached down to the ground floor, I was carefully
carried to a wheeled bed and then being wheeled toward the ambulance. It was a
foreign and I would say, an exciting experience to be urged in an ambulance as
a patient for the first time ever in my whole life.
I was brought to an immediate
attention after we arrived at the Emergency Unit of Sarawak General Hospital. Immediately
after that, I was surrounded by a few nurses and a doctor. I was injected with
syringes for a total of six times – for blood sample and natrium chloride
purposes. According to the doctor, the result of my x-ray had shown that my
thigh bone and my tibia bone had disjoined. After a few discussions, the
doctors decided not to conduct an operation on my left knee but instead they
had my knee casted. I was relieved.
It is almost impossible for me to tell
every single detail in this short essay. There were a few sad moments that I
had to endure and few happy moments that I cherished. The saddest moment was
that I had to accept the reality that I could not proceed with my Form Four
studies, I remember I wept and resented myself for the accident that happened. I
thought about the possibility that could happen to me if I had not fell off the
stairs that raining morning. Now, I realized that I must move forward to my
future and burn away all the sad memory behind.
From the period when the accident
happened, I had changed my orthopaedic case for three times. On 30th
April 2012, after almost four months, my leg was free from the case and my leg
felt lighter than ever. Although the orthopaedic case had been removed, I still
could not stand and walk like a normal person. I guess, every good thing takes
time.
I
went to the hospital two months after for another x-ray scanning. When the
doctor confirmed that I have nothing to worry about my knee, words cannot
express how happy I was. My left knee was better than before. I was blessed.
One
day in the month of October 2012, after months and countless days of waiting, I
tried to stand up again. I used all the strength that I had to pull myself up
to the chair. Then, I tried to get a grip of the window bar, at this moment I
was already standing on my feet by my own. I reached toward the crutches and
clutched it under my arms then made an attempt to walk slowly. With His blessing,
I succeeded. I was unable to walk for approximately 10 months but in the mid of
November I was finally able to walk on my own, without the crutches, like how I
used to!
Winston Churchill once said, “Success consists
of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” Yes, there were
many times when I felt like giving up. I cried a lot too. However, I kept
trying to stand up to be where I used to be, to be able to do things I used to
love again and I did it. It was not a matter of time but instead, it was a
matter of myself –
would I believe or stop believing?
would I believe or stop believing?
