My eyes turned moist as soon as I got the appointment. The minutes, seconds before the receptionist told me the answer to my question, I stopped breathing.
"Yes, he has a spot available in the morning."
I was so relieved, and became immediately emotional. He is supposed to be an avant-garde neurosurgeon specialised in spinal injuries. When mum went into the hospital today to start her latest chemo treatment, she had asked a nurse about which doctor she should see. A nurse with whom mum had developed friendly relations with told mum the name, and said that this same doctor recently operated on a patient with similar conditions as mum, and the patient has now left the intensive care unit and is now in a normal ward and recovering well. The news, and also the prospect of having a second opinion about how to deal with the spreading of tumour on her spine gave mum hope.
I quickly ran to the receptionist to try to change her appointment. Originally, mum had made an appointment with a doctor to see the results of her recent MRI scan, but she wasn't too confident of the doctors abilities. It was simply a doctor her main physician referred her to. Now, with the more reknowned neurosurgeon, who also happens to be a professor in the field, mum is more reassured.
Sometimes in the midst of hopelessness, there is an inkling of hope. I guess that's what made my eyes moist, for I was simply overwhelmed with emotions of gratitude. What are the chances that someone knows someone who may be able to help and provide better diagnosis and treatment? What are the chances that the nurse who was assisting my mum today in the chemo ward is so willing to share valuable information with my mum?
It's not certain yet what the new neurosurgeon will say, and what treatment mum will undergo, but at least mum is feeling more confident than I've seen her in a long time...
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