H O P E

I had this patient who I had a really interesting conversation with. He was a male, a tall one, about 6’5” in height, but lying in his bed he looks only about 5’8”. I entered the room and greeted him good morning. After a long conversation, he suddenly blurted out something that I never would have thought I'd hear in my existence. 

“I want to die.”

I was speechless for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts and my composure. Then I suddenly had the confidence to cheer him up.

“Don’t say that, there is still time.”

“There’s none, 6 months? 3 years? They’re not even sure if I will last that long. That’s not even enough to make me happy. How could I think of living if all the hope in me is already sucked out?”

I sat beside him feeling like I was setting aside the therapeutic communication.

“Let me share with you a theory that I have. Do you know the story of Pandora’s box?” He looked up and nodded once. “In my point of view each and every one of us is a Pandora, do you know why?” He didn’t remove his eyes from me and his face turned puzzled. “Because Pandora has let out all of the bad things, negativity, evil, etc., but there is something left inside, hope.” I smiled as I said the last word. “Hold on to it, for it is the only thing that separates you from death. If I let you die without me doing anything then that would totally violate my duty as a nurse, to care for my patient in every way possible, to assure his safety and make sure that he is living his life well no matter how short or long it is. Think of the present, the future, what you have and what you want to achieve. I know that there are a lot, hold on to those for those will make you think of tomorrow, will make you think of living another day. And your family? They never lost hope, for they know that you are strong, that you can withstand this storm. They need you just as much as you need them. As long as you’re breathing there is no reason to die, just be thankful for every day that passes by, for life is a gift from God that you shall not refuse.” All along the small speech that I made he was looking at me, teary-eyed and without a word he gave me a hug and said, “You made me strong, thank you. I never would have imagined life as that way. I never would have thought. I will hang on to those words.” He said with a smile that lit up his whole face. His relatives came in and he gave each of them a hug and thanked them for being strong for him.

I see life through other people, their circumstances, their heartaches, their achievements. Some people think of life as one dimension, just the present. How about the future? Isn't that part of life? Because someday it will be your present and that is inevitable. As long as you have hope that nothing will go wrong and that you have faith in yourself, you will surpass every circumstance. We will die in the end, but that doesn't mean that we should end it now, that doesn’t mean that all your hard work will, in the end, go into waste. No, for there is no such thing as wasted hard work. We will die in the end but we will rise again for we all know that God is just waiting for us in our second life. 

Hope, hold on to it.

*Story is fabricated*