ILLNESS or sickness is as old as humanity, but like death, it has not been fully understood or accepted as something inevitable.
To comprehend illness better, we should read the Book of Job or visit any hospital in our neighbourhood.
We must also visit relatives and friends who are ill, whether at home or in the hospital, to witness first-hand how agonising illness can be.
One only needs to spend a few minutes before the 1pm visiting hour to see the crowds waiting to visit sick relatives. Upon entering the hospital, one is often shocked at the number of patients present, and even more surprised to learn that some have been there for several months or even years.
I had never understood why people in the hospital are referred to as patients, but during the three months I spent in St. Luke’s Hospital near Lupane undergoing TB treatment, I learned the reason. In a hospital, one is not as free to act as one does at home while in good health.
Life in the hospital is organised around one’s condition and the ward where one is admitted.
A patient must abide by the hospital rules; only doctors and nurses can dictate what one can and cannot do, as they are responsible for admitting or discharging patients.
Patients must exercise patience while in the hospital if they wish to have a pleasant experience. There is nothing more irritating to hospital staff than an impatient patient, and unfortunately, there are many.
Patients who demand excessive attention can become a significant burden to healthcare personnel.
Illness has long been our most direct route to death. Death has been a part of our lives since the days of Adam and Eve and will remain so until eternity.
Today, many causes of death have emerged, but I believe that disease and illness are still the primary causes.
I must clarify that I do not write from the perspective of a medical expert. Instead, my articles stem from my personal experiences of having spent a prolonged period in a hospital undergoing treatment for terminal illnesses such as TB and HIV.
It was during my time in the hospital that I learned how to endure illness gracefully and with dignity.
The fact that people die from diseases, injuries sustain eg in accidents, and many other causes means that death, in most cases, is a very painful experience. This also implies that individuals who grow from the age of five and above are likely to suffer from some form of illness at some point.
However, this does not mean that anyone who becomes ill will inevitably die. While it is impossible to be fully prepared to endure pain, I believe it is wise for most adults to reflect on the possibility of illness, whether it concerns themselves or their loved ones.
People should always be ready for the worst because ill health usually arrives when individuals are least prepared. Diseases present themselves in various forms. Some ailments are so brutal that one can watch oneself slowly wasting away.
Those of us who have witnessed illness in others understand how frightening some diseases can be. I think one way to stay prepared for illness or disease is to pray regularly before starting the day, during the day, and before going to sleep.
Diseases, injuries, and other causes of death manifest in different forms, and people must come to terms with the fact that one day they will die from one of these.
During my time in the hospital, I witnessed many individuals suffering from various frightening ailments, some natural and others caused by human actions.
I will highlight a few extreme cases of suffering that I observed.
Breast cancer is an illness that I have found to be particularly cruel and frightening, as it slowly consumes its victim from the inside. By the time it becomes visible through wounds and blisters, it would have already inflicted irreparable damage internally.
Breast cancer behaves like a pack of lions, hyenas, or wild dogs, gradually surrounding their prey and pouncing when it is least expected, ferociously consuming it alive. I witnessed a tragic case of a woman who was ravaged by breast cancer, suffering slowly and painfully for over four years before ultimately succumbing after all efforts to revive her failed.
Throughout her suffering, this lady remained composed, never losing hope until she died. She held on to the belief that she would recover and continue working for her children, but that was never to be.
Many excruciatingly painful diseases and distressing ways to die exist, and countless people have suffered, are suffering, and will continue to suffer in ways that are difficult to imagine. On top of it all, we need to understand that we are neither the first nor the last; therefore, let us learn to face whatever comes our way with grace and dignity.
After all, from my perspective, death is a form of healing.
We should also learn from the suffering of others and observe how they bear their burdens when ill. Perhaps we can reflect on how we would handle similar situations ourselves. We can take inspiration from how the Biblical Job managed his affliction, how Jesus endured his torture and crucifixion, and how Joan of Arc calmly faced her burning at the stake.
What we need to do is accept our circumstances and resolve not to cause discomfort to others. We should aim to suffer gracefully and with dignity throughout our ordeal so be it.
When we visit hospitals, let us avoid acting more knowledgeable than the medical professionals and telling them what to do and how to do it. I remember when I was in the hospital suffering from tuberculosis; I ended up being appreciated by all the medical staff because I behaved as a patient and did everything I could to make their job easier.
Other patients would shout at the nurses, scolding them for not attending to them promptly, and then there were those who would create a mess and demand that the nurses clean them up, insisting it was their job since they were being paid for it. Let us learn to accept our situations, no matter how painful they may be, with grace and dignity.
By Piason Maringwa
+263 774 322 043
