A Sad Day

A quick recap of day. In the morning and in the afternoon we shared our love of the Monkey Dance and the Chicken Dance to both kindergardeners, the PR staff at Mercy and our university prep students. All of which are hooked on the dances and love them almost as much as we do. We danced a lot today, went to the park, had some supper and shared a happy moment with the boys as we snuck into their sleeping corridors to welcome them back from mediation.

The rest of the afternoon ended up being quite heartbreaking. We found out that one of our friends in the AIDS ward passed away yesterday. She was one of the first people that we talked to when we arrived. She was probably one of the youngest patients and she looked the healthiest. She was not bed-redden at all and was often seen walking around, interacting with her friends in the hospice. She was close friends with the girl that made us our name bracelets. I have a few fond memories of her; the first was when she welcomed us and talked to us on our first day visiting the hospice. The second memory I have of her is when she told us that another patient, a good friend of hers was in the hospital. She communicated that to us without a word of English. Another memory I have of her was of her watching the children play in the bouncy castle. She sat on the bench just outside the doors of the hospice, watching the children playing for hours. I sat beside her for a few moments and we watched together in silence. The last and final memory I have of her was when I walked into the hospice about a week ago and she was sound asleep on her bed.

One of patients that we visit often informed Jodie of her death during our visit today. After hearing the news, I am left with so many questions. How did she die so suddenly? Why did it seem like no one knew about it and what does Mercy do when one of the patients dies? Does she have any family members? How did she contract AIDS? What kind of ceremony will take place to remember her life? The only answer that we were given was that she died because her body no longer accepted the drugs. Her body which seemed strong and youthful was really fragile and vulnerable. Even though I hardly knew her, she was one of the patients that we did connect with during our short time here. She was so young and had a lifetime ahead of her, but this disease tragically took her life.

Anyways, I’m sorry to leave this post on such a sad note but its time for bed. Happy Easter everyone! I am thinking of you and celebrating along with you on the other side of the world.

Sending love from Thailand,
Misty