My dad has coronavirus. I don't know if I should say goodbye

  • 📰 BusinessTimes
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 56 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 26%
  • Publisher: 51%

Singapore Headlines News

Singapore Latest News,Singapore Headlines

'It's dawning on me that this is going to be more difficult than I thought.'

"It's dawning on me that this is going to be more difficult than I thought," he told me."We have to prepare for that."

At the end of a 12-hour shift a few weeks ago, just as he was leaving, a patient went into cardiac arrest. As he has been trained to do, as he has done thousands of times before, my father bent close the patient to try to save his life. He was wearing an eye-shield and a mask, but in the rush, they were not tightly secured. This, he thinks, is when he became infected. He tested positive on March 18.

I've never, ever seen my father admit that he is sick. He has no underlying health problems. But now, at home, he sleeps under two thick comforters, barely stirring when I come to collect laundry and dirty dishes. His normally too-loud-for-the-restaurant voice is muted. When he has the energy, I see him writing and rewriting a letter on a yellow legal pad. I hope I never have to read it.

Sometimes, I wonder if I should make some sort of declaration, to try to tell him all the things that don't need telling. But anything I imagine saying seems forced and, somehow, unnecessary. He knows what he needs to know. We do not need to mourn together. That is not his job.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 15. in SG

Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Coronavirus: A lucky country says goodbye to the world's longest boomSYDNEY (NYTIMES) - The line for unemployment benefits curled around the block in an upscale neighbourhood of Australia's largest city, with officially prescribed wide distances between everyone in need.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »

Basketball: Gobert, all NBA Jazz players and staff clear of coronavirusRudy Gobert, the first NBA player to test positive for coronavirus, and all Utah Jazz players and staff have been cleared of coronavirus by the ...
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Coronavirus will not be opportunity for drug cheats says WADA chiefWorld Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) chief Witold Banka had a message on Friday for any athlete thinking they could take advantage of the gap in ...
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Doping: Coronavirus will not be opportunity for drug cheats says Wada chiefLAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND (REUTERS) - World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) chief Witold Banka had a message on Friday for any athlete thinking they could take advantage of the gap in drug-testing created by the coronavirus outbreak - 'we will catch you' and 'eliminate you'.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »

Coronavirus: China dialing back conspiracy claims, says USWASHINGTON (AFP) - China has retreated from spreading conspiracy theories online in the developing world alleging US involvement in the coronavirus pandemic after finding limited traction, a US official said on Friday (March 27).. Read more at straitstimes.com. American.. Shut up.. Deal with ur own crisis.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »

Nigeria presidency says leader at work after aide gets coronavirusLAGOS (AFP) - Nigeria's presidency has insisted that leader Muhammadu Buhari remains hard at work in a bid to quash rumours about his health after his chief of staff tested positive for the new coronavirus.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »