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Scars of SARS remain vivid for patients
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Many people may have already forgotten the awfulness of the SARS epidemic. However, for those who had to live through the suffering, their recollections of the events remain unforgettable. A nurse, Lin Mei-hsueh survived the crisis with her baby. She said, that time may have healed the wounds, but the scar will always remain.
I almost didn’t make it. But the arrival of my baby gave me courage. She saved both our lives.
In April 2003, Lin Mei-hsueh, a nurse at the Ren Chia Hospital, was pregnant with her first child and happily awaited the arrival of her baby. But she never expected that the SARS virus would strike her.
When I learned that I had SARS, I couldn’t take the news at all. How could it be possible? I never even took care of any SARS patients. What would happen to my husband and my family?
“Shock!” and “Hopelessness!” These were the feelings preoccupying her mind during her days under quarantine. But the kicking in her belly was the only hope she had and the only thing reminding her that she was still alive.
"I could sense that the baby understood when I talked to her. She would begin to move and kick me hard. The harder she kicked, the happier I felt. She really could understand my fragile condition. She could also sense that both our lives were at stake.
On May 29, 2003, Lin Mei-hsueh fully recovered from the life-threatening atypical pneumonia. But the aftereffects remained.
SB: “I get extremely upset and frustrated when I recall the days I had SARS. I then began to shut myself off. I isolated myself and refrained from contact with people.”
The unbearable agonies arose not just from the physical maladies, but also from the loss of a dear friend -- another nurse at the Ren Chi Hospital, Hu Gui-fang, who had also been pregnant when SARS took her life.
“I was really stricken when I learned that my coworker, who was also expecting, had passed away. I didn’t want to talk about it since it would make me sad and cry.”
Now, Lin’s daughter, “Mei Mei”, is nine-month old. She’s a healthy baby and always wears a big smile on her face. For Lin, she’s the source of her happiness and pride.
It has been a year after Taiwan passed through fear, shock, and even the coldness between people. For many of us, SARS has receded far from our memories, but for Lin, the scar remains forever vivid.
“When I fully physically recover, the wound will sooner or later be cured. But the scar will never go away.” |
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