One Moment

“Nanay, can you see me?”
You gave me a gentle nod.
“I love you, Nanay.”
You smiled. You understood.

Twenty fours later,
No response.
“Nay? Nay? Nay?”
No response.
The nurses tried to wake you
The doctors came too
No response.

Everybody in the room
Was crying now
My sister angrily shouted
To the nurse in charge
“Do something!”
On the floor now,
She was weeping like a child.

For the first time,
My uncle’s face was wet with tears
Grandpa was panicking
Repeating the words
“Wake her up. Wake her up.”

The nurses didn’t move.
So I did, like I was the only one
who can still make it.
I woke you, shook you.
“Nay? Nay? Please, wake up, Nay!”
No response.

My knees wanted to give in
My heartbeats seem to stop.
But I can’t and so I got some cotton
Dipped it into the water
And I wet your lips.

Grandpa said dip the cotton in soda
And wet your lips with it
I did, with trembling hands
My younger sister followed through
And let some soda into your mouth...

Your mouth moved! And our worlds moved too...

Once again.

The battle continues
Thank you Nanay.
Thank you for fighting for us.
It wasn’t the soda.
It was you and your strong will to live.

Twenty four hours later
You are still breathing
I know in the next
twenty four hours
when I ask
“Nanay, can you see me?”
You will give me a gentle nod.
And when I say “I love you, Nanay.”
You will smile.

________________________
This is an account of actual events.
My grandma suffered a stroke for the 2nd time and we
believed she was recovering fast, but the
next day, she had another attack and she became
unconscious for more than an hour. Grandpa suggested
we wet her lips with soda because he thought
she may have had low blood sugar level.
She underwent a brain surgery 12 hours later
and is now recovering in the ICU.

"Nanay" is the Filipino term for mother.
I and my siblings grew up with our grandparents.