Sunday, November 4, 2012

Praying

Another post about Y-kun. I hope this story will have a happy ending...

Y-kun came to English a bit late a couple of weeks ago and had a long and terrible story about how his grandfather fell off a ladder when he was trimming trees and sustained a head injury.  I gather he wasn't found until hours later and was transported by medical helicopter to a university hospital an hour away.  As Y-kun explained in his noisy, childish way, the grandfather is in critical condition and probably has extensive brain damage.  It was difficult to really tell the gravity of the situation by Y-kun's narration but it doesn't sound good.

Y-kun's burly, farmer grandfather has been an anchor in Y-kun's rocky life and this is a terrible blow to the somewhat unstable family.  I did speak with the grandmother the first week and confirmed that the grandfather is in intensive care and that Y-kun's mother and grandmother spend much of their time at the hospital.  Y-kun and his sister are not allowed in ICU.  I am praying for Y-kun and his family and offered to help by picking Y-kun up from school.

This week Y-kun arrived at English as usual and I asked about his grandfather.  Again, a garbled tale and it took some effort to understand but this is how Y-kun explained it.

"My grandfather was moved to a new room and that's good.  He still isn't conscious but he can't be in ICU forever.  So I got to go to the hospital to see him.  And just like my grandfather always yells at me every morning I yelled,

"Kora!  ('Hey you!')  What are you doing still in bed!  Hurry up and get moving!"

"My grandfather really reacted to that." (Y-kun says laughing.)

"Wait a minute.  Your grandfather knew you had come to visit him and he was happy to see you?"

"No.  He's still unconscious, but you should have seen his heart monitor jump when I yelled at him!"

Hmmm.  That sounds pretty typical of Y-kun.  Yelling in the hospital room...  and while the medical staff are trying to be so cautious about the grandfather's care.  I have a feeling Y-kun isn't going to be welcomed by the hospital in the near future.

I think Y-kun's grandfather must have been very happy that Y-kun came to cheer him on.

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