The
last two weeks have been probably the most heart wrenching time I remember
having in my life. You see, my Opah Temoh (grandmother) passed away on
July 18th, 2012. What made it more heartbreaking was the fact that this is the
first close family funeral my sisters and I attended.
Certainly
one expects grandparents to pass away, even when they live a healthy long
life. But trust me, nothing prepares you for the time that you must say
good-bye. Opah had been ill for quite sometimes. In fact, she became
progressively ill right after she received news that her best friend had passed
away in Ipoh. That was about three months or so ago. She was at our place then.
She
became quite reclusive after that, refusing to eat and even converse. And one
day in late May, she fell down in front of the bathroom. It was lucky that my
sister was nearby to grab hold of her. From then on, she became bed-bound. In
early June, we sent her to my uncle’s place in Shah Alam as my mother, sisters
and I went back to visit Opah Kampar (who then wasn’t feeling too good either).
One
and half months at my uncle’s place, Opah Temoh seemed to be coping well. Her
appetite kinda returned albeit she only ate porridge twice a day and survived
on milk on a regular basis. In fact, Wan Chor said that Opah Temoh appetite
seemed to be getting better by the day.
Until
two weeks ago when her condition deteriorated. She was clearly and seriously
ill. She had problems breathing. And we converged at my uncle’s place - us and
my other uncle’s family (Ayah Lang). My Bapak and two uncles even took turn
sleeping by her bedside.
That
was about a week before Opah Temoh’s passing. She was in really bad condition
and we took turn reciting Yassin and whispering shahadah into her ears. She
slipped in and out of consciousness. What’s sad was that tears streamed down by
her cheek – she must be in great pain and she couldn’t talk anymore. Whenever
she’s conscious, we also took turn asking for forgiveness.
And
Bapak texted my Opah’s nieces and nephews informing them of her health
situation. Before long, scores of uncles and aunts (my Bapak’s cousins) came
over. My Opah Temoh’s brother and sister in laws also came by all the way from
Penang and Ipoh. Even my Opah Kampor and Mak La came over from Kampar on the
last Sunday of Opah Temoh’s life.
It’s
just that by that weekend, Opah Temoh’s condition improved a little bit. In
fact, on Saturday night, my mum said she waved her hand upon seeing mak
entering her room and she smiled.
Alas,
that was not to be for long. By Wednesday morning, she was already unconscious
and by noon, my uncles and Bapak decided that she needed to be hospitalised
(despite Opah Temoh’s frequent requests to not send her to the hospitals).
By
5.30pm, we received a call from Bapak from the Klang Hospital asking us to
come. The doctor asked all close family members to come over. We rushed through
the evening rush hour and reached the hospital around 7.10pm. And we were
greeted by the sight of Opah Temoh lying on the bed fighting for her life. It
was heart breaking.
And
around 8.20pm, Opah Temoh left us. Forever. It was numbing, us watching her
breathed her last breath.
What
happened next was blur of activities - us rushing back home, readying the house
to receive Opah Temoh to spend the night at our place for the last time, the
mandi jenazah and kapan and the solat jenazah at the Masjid An Nur, USJ 4, the
funeral at the USJ 22 cemetery and a tahlil at my place that evening.
And
today, almost a week later, I can’t help wondering if we ever remember to thank
you enough for all you have done for us.
Opah,
Wherever you are now, one
thing for sure, you’ll always be remembered. If we have forgotten to show
our gratitude enough for all the things you did, we're thanking you now. And we
are hoping you knew all along how much you meant to us.
Rest
in Peace, Opah Temoh! Al Fatihah!
