Two days ago, I received a text message from a very dear old friend from my university days. Her name is Rose. And last night, she rang me up and we talked for almost an hour...
A call from someone in the past like that will surely jog up streams of memories... It is almost like a lifetime ago that we studied together in the US (well... it was a lifetime ago... 1982-1988... 21 years had gone by...) I studied Economics and Rose, Political Science, at the State University of New York at Albany, now has been rebranded and become The University at Albany... I earned both my BA and MA (in Economics) degrees from that university.
But of course Economics was not the only thing that I learned in the 6 years and 4 months that I spent my life there... I learned much more than that... About friendship... I am still in contact with a number of my friends from those days. Rose is one of them (she is now a Penyelia Petang at SMK Sg Long, and used to be a lecturer at a teacher's college in Pantai KL), Zainon (someone big at EmKay), Zahrah (a Director at Danone), Firdaus (GM at Ambank Group and Zainon's hubby) and Khairiah (A senior lecturer at USM). In between our busy schedules, we managed to meet a few times...
Albany also is the place where I fell in love for the first time... the love that I finally had to give up and let go... hm... let's not talk about that now...
Ok, back to Rose... she told me that she is losing her eyesight gradually and may be losing it entirely in 10 years time due to glaucoma... Actually, she told me about her eye problem, I think 2 years ago, but I didnt think that it was that serious. The last time I met her was last Christmas, she came over for my son's (Aqim) birthday barbecue. She came with her family, so we didnt have the chance to really talk... Anyway, she thought that I had noticed that the affected eye had gone "dead". I didnt actually...
This has caused me to think... I have been too self-absorbed in my own problem that I forget that there are others who are facing bigger problems than me... Forgive me Kak Rose...
But Kak Rose... please just remember this... No matter what happens...
A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME IS STILL A ROSE....
Salam,
ReplyDeleteHopped over here from Mrs N and have to menyampuk - my optometrist said glaucoma can be treated. Sorry to hear about your friend's condition - I am sure she had researched the subject - but I am positive my optometrist said glaucoma can be treated.
Dear Farizahb
ReplyDeleteSalam to you too...
Thanks for "menyampuk"... nice to "meet" you... Yes, actually Rose is being treated for her condition. But she said her dr said that the damage to the nerve is irreversible and somehow gradually (in 10 years) she may be losing the sight on the affected eye entirely. Apparently there is also a chance that the disease will spread to her other eye. According to her, medication can just delay the effect, not cure it entirely. However, I have urged her to get second or even third opinion.