This Birthday

At the Surgical Family Lounge, I sat and waited like the other people who have families going through some surgeries or procedures. There were about ten people there trying to keep busy and killing time. It didn't help that the lounge chairs felt stiff, hard and uncomfortable. I was fidgety. I also felt quite tired and I drifted in and out of sleep. I didn't get a good night's sleep the night before and had to wake up at 3:30 AM to get to the hospital on time.

Kepi's surgery lasted for three hours and his surgeon recommended an overnight stay for observation. This meant welcoming my 40th birthday at the hospital. This is the second time I welcomed my birthday in a hospital. The first one was during my bone-marrow transplant procedure in 2014. For some reason, a tinged of sadness came all over me. Probably because I was in a hospital and bad memories came flooding in. Or perhaps I miss the presence of family and friends. I can't really put my finger on it. I may not admit it in the open but hospitals have a bit of a traumatic effect on me.

I hardly slept that night. Sleeping on a recliner at the hospital isn't really ideal. I don't understand why they offer those recliners for people who want to stay overnight. I was stuck sleeping in one position and my back was killing me. I really should be thankful I have a place to sleep, but I wish it was more comfortable. Again, restful sleep eluded me.

I may be tired and sleepy, but for this birthday, I only wished for one thing - healing for Kepi.