Life’s Full of Surprise. It’s Not Always Nice.

Life is full of surprise. And it is not always nice. I’m telling you, in case you didn’t realize that. In the last two weeks, I was busy preparing the translation for Guide Book of Bali Arts Festival Parade 2015 as well as became the Opening Master of Ceremony.

Then, the next Week, I flew to Singapore doing the interpreting job for an Indonesian patient in the Singapore General Hospital. Everything was taken care: flight ticket, accommodation, meals, local transportation. The interpreting job gave me a chance of stepping my feet on Singapore land, not just wandering around Changi airport waiting for my next flight. And one day after I came back to Bali, we got the PSA result.

The PSA result is 321. That’s very high. An indication of Prostate tumour. “Where have you been?” Asked the urologist to us. Clearly, he was not asking our last holiday destination. He wanted to know, why we had to wait this long before seeing him. We hardly opened our mouth to answer his simple question. We didn’t know what to say. Where have we been? Seeing other doctors that none of them suggested my husband to check his PSA. He then scribbled a recommendation letter, “ You should go to Jakarta, I will send you to the best urology oncologist at RSCM (Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital)”. “Can we see other doctor here in Bali?” My husband finally spoke. I knew exactly what it meant by the question. If we went to Jakarta, no other adult can take care our two daughters. “You should go to Jakarta. We are looking for the best doctor to handle your prostate.” And the old urologist kept mumbling to himself, why none of the other doctors asked my husband to check his PSA.

When we asked for the bill. He refused. “You don’t have to pay.” And he gave us no receipt for medicine.

I almost burst into tears. A kind and also suspicious act.

On our walk to the parking lot, I couldn’t say anything. Neither did my husband. I tried to speak, but all words stuck in my throat. “When will we go to Jakarta?” I sounded the first thought in my head. “I don’t know”, he said, “After we handle Andra’s administration for her junior high school.” That’s just so parenting. Put your children priority first among yours. ‘Let’s think about it.” I nodded, held his hand tight and looked at the night sky above with the crescent moon. Again the silent fell into the air.

“It can be cured with boiled cassava,” my husband said after he received a message sent by his elder brother, a general doctor. The message was attached with an article from the internet. It is said that cassava is contained with vitamin B17 and can cure the cancer/ tumour cell, Dr. Cinthia Jayasooriya, a Srilankan doctor, reported it first after her own experience, after eating boiled cassava everyday for a month, she found out her bladder that was diagnosed with urethral cancer became much more healthy. You can go and read its full article. However, no exact amount or doses a patient should eat the boiled cassava. One site said 10 grams three times a day and the other gave different information, 100 or 150 grams three times a day. Nobody seems to take this natural medicine research seriously. Boiled cassava is delicious, tasted like potato. It can be eaten with butter or grated coconut or cooked into traditional cake. I and my husband then decided, he will eat 200 grams of boiled cassava three times a day, in the morning, noon and evening.

This tuber can be found easily in a tropical island like Bali. It is very cheap, too. Raw cassava is only IDR 4000 per kilogram.

Well. It is just boiled cassava. But in a moment like this. Hope gives a very powerful feeling. We will try every little possibility to make my husband getting well.

My husband began to eat boiled cassava last Saturday, 20^th June 2015, we will re-check his PSA amount next week. He also drinks herbal medicine made from boiled water and soursop leaves. Two glasses of water (500 ml) and 7 soursop leaves, boils until it remains 1 glass (50 ml). Taken twice a day.

Notice:

1. I cried heavily once for this. At the office, surrounded by my staff. Not in front of my husband.
2. My husband performance looked healthy (see, looked healthy and is healthy is different), he eats well, do his activity as usual, the only indication we got for his cancer/ tumour prostate is the amount PSA and the urologist rectum observation. We will go to RSCM, Jakarta next week, and find out what treatment they can do, whether we have to do the CT-Scan, lab-test, et cetera, et cetera.
3. As I said, Life is full of surprise. Not always nice, but we will always have hope to make my husband getting well.