In Memory of...

Sorry everyone, but this is going to be a solemn post so if you're not into reading something depressing please read another post - will be making another post either tonight or later in the week which will be a bit more cheerful.

Anyways...I've been a medical student for almost three years now - been around the hospitals a fair bit. Have seen happy things, have seen sad things. Have seen births, have seen deaths. Can one environment contain any more contrasting emotions? One family is in tears of joy; another family is in tears of sorrow as they have lost someone close. I myself have witnessed these events as a medical student. I smile with those who celebrate/are in joy; and I try to comfort those who are in a tough time. To be fair, deaths in the hospital has yet to make me lose any sleep or never really bothered me as I know everyone on the healthcare team has tried their best to save a person's life or at least have tried to make it as comfortable as possible.

When I first came to university - we were told in our first week that we will experience many personal obstacles. We are at the age where drastic things happen in our lives - some good, some bad. One of these "bad" things is death. Me being the typical fresher who didn't really pay attention in the lecture just brushed it off. Most of us tend to think: "Meh this won't happen to us."

October 24, 2011, I received the news that a friend of mine had passed away. I have never met this friend face to face, but we had shared many life stories and experiences. He was a guy I could talk to and have a nice laugh with, but because he lived in another country - I never had the chance to meet him. In terms of how I met this person? Well 4 years ago I purchased a custom item from him that required a lot of communication as we were in different countries - so I couldn't just walk into his factory and tell him what I want done. Anyways we would have periods where we would talk every single day - like loads, and then go through weeks where we wouldn't talk at all as this man was very busy with his business. Few weeks later - he would contact me again and we would talk about random things/he would check up on the product he made for me and whether I'm still happy with it. When I heard the tragic news - I was shocked. To be honest - I didn't know what to feel. It was mixed. Shocked, sad, empty...essentially confused. It was weird because I never met this man face to face, but yet cared about him. He was a very kind man. I still remember just last year he sent me a surprise Christmas present and I was planning to surprise him this year with a Christmas present. I had not been in contact with him for the whole summer as I did not want to bother him as he said he was very busy. Thinking back, I wish I had checked up on him.

Unfortunately this made me realize that death can occur in anyone's life. Like it or not, it's a fact. You can brush it off as much as you want, but it is something we will all have to face in our life. Take care of your friends, keep in touch with love ones, and if you know you don't talk to a friend that much - make sure you make every sentence count. You don't want to regret not telling someone something as anything can happen in this world. I wish I had told my friend how great of a friend he was to me and how much I enjoy his product. Hopefully he could decipher that from our conversations but I just wish I had told him plain and simple and thank him for his advice and lovely chats. If I could have done anything differently, I wish I had just contacted my friend despite knowing he was busy - just to make sure everything is alright.

But to those who are still reading - seriously, cherish your friends and loved ones. Death is a topic we all want to avoid and never want to think about, but it can happen to anyone. Because once you're in university and especially when we are all travelling away from home/friends, make an effort to keep in touch. Check up on your friends once in awhile. Be there for them. Support them. Don't hide things away and make sure they know you're there for them.

RIP buddy, you know who you are. Thank you for the great memories and the fantastic product. I will miss you.