“Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” – Ephesians 5:16-17

There I was, staring into the face of the grim reaper when one of my patients coded.

Working in the Intensive Care Unit gave me the privilege to be there for the sickest patients in their last moments. It allowed me to give the patients and their relatives, “Their Best Last Moments”.

How we do one thing is how we do anything. When people are at their lowest point, and I am there to be an aid to them, I will do everything in my ability to make them feel better – if not physically, then at least mentally.

The question is, how often do we get thanked for what we do?

The answer is: not often. But when it happens, it sure is a memorable moment.

“CODE BLUE in the CT scan room”. Those words echoed around the ICU as I awaited the arrival of a post-collapse patient. ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation) is the term we use in hospitals to say that the patient has come back to life but is collapsing.

Shortly after, I heard the sound of the gurney as doctors and nurses rushed to transfer the patient to the ICU. It was a chaotic moment as they were fighting to sustain the blood pressure of a critically ill patient.

Vasopressors and Inotropes were the only way to do it. Medications, scans, invasive lines, x-rays – you name it, we did it. All these were done to keep Mr. James (not his real name) alive.

While we were doing everything we physically could behind the curtains to save James, on the other side of the curtain a different story was unfolding.

Outside the room were James’s relatives, praying to the God they believe in. In their despair, the only thing that kept them standing was Faith. Faith that their prayers would be answered, Faith that the professionals behind the curtain would return with good news.

With every second ticking away, their heartbeat raced faster and faster. When the monitor recording James’s vital signs emitted a shrill piercing sound and the nurses starting dashing around in a race against time, their emotions got the best of them and many burst into tears.

But once the curtain was drawn open, their tears turned into smiles. Rushing towards the doctors, they begged for updates. They wanted to hold James again and speak to him. He was lying on the gurney unable to move or respond when they called his name as he was sedated and had a breathing tube down his throat. But he was alive.

Unfortunately, in the ICU, there is no such thing as “OUT OF DANGER”. Being in a critical unit means that drastic changes can occur within seconds.

That was the end of my day with Mr.James: seeing that his family were by his side, encouraging him to continue fighting his battle.

It is at the lowest point of our life that we realize who are the people that are truly there for us.

We often heard prayers and music from his room; the family would do anything they could to motivate James. Before leaving work for the day, once more I took in the serene scene in that hospital room, and it remains etched in memory to this day.

The next morning I was there again to look after James. As I was sitting outside his room, watching him sleeping, I thought about how young he was to be admitted to the ICU.

I had always imagined the ICU to be filled with elderly people with a host of medical problems. Yes there he was, at age 21, only a month after finishing National Service, lying on a gurney being diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma.

I stepped into the room with a big smile on my face, hoping that I could brighten up his morning. We exchanged greetings. As he was unable to communicate verbally, he typed on his phone.

Shortly after telling me more details about himself and his family, he asked me a question that not many people would be interested to ask. “What are your plans for the future?”, he spelled out on his screen. In that moment I saw the fire in his eyes, the desire to recover and start living his life.

How often do we even ask ourselves that question? We are so comfortable living our lives day after day that we get stuck in our routine. Do we ever look ahead and ask ourselves: when are we going to make a change? Or are we going to live this way till our last breath?

As Rick Rigsby said, his father always asked him the same question: “How are you living?”.

Every day, ask yourself this question: how are you living? If you find that you are not satisfied with the way you are living you life, start making changes now. And the changes that we make daily will shape our future.

I saw the fire in the eyes of that 21-year old critically ill stage 4 adenocarcinoma patient.

I have never seen that fire in the people around me. And even worse, I haven’t seen it in the eyes of the person staring back at me in the mirror.

James and I communicated a lot during the days he was in ICU. He was a lovely guy who had the widest, most genuine smile. Looking after him felt meaningful as he always appreciated what I did for him.

How often do we turn around to express our gratitude to people, even for the smallest things?

But James wasn’t an ordinary guy; he was humble, caring, and kind. He had all the positive traits of a gentleman. His family was not well-to-do as they were under financial assistance.

However, he always offered me whatever fruit or drinks they would bring him. Once he even asked his mum to head down to the shop to get a drink for me.

It’s these simple gestures that make work feel so much more meaningful, especially during hectic shifts in the ICU. And to think that often we don’t even thank our bus drivers or the people who give way to us when driving…

Sometimes, the most simple moments can teach us the biggest lessons.

Enhance your life every day by seeking that wisdom and asking yourself every night, “How am I living?”

In loving memory of James.