Dear Tun - follow your drs, not your heart!

Dear Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad,

Salam Ramadhan to you! I join many fellow Malaysians who are glad and relieved that you went through your open-heart surgery successfully and is now recovering at the IJN. I'm sure the doctors there are keeping a very close watch on you and that is very comforting to know.

It's likely that you'll be spending the early part of Ramadhan at IJN rather than at home. No Sir, you can't take time off and go for a walkabout at Kg Baru to buy your kueh koci or popiah or anything like that. If you want them, just press the button and many will gladly send those items over.

We wait, sometimes impatiently, for news update of your condition. Your aide Sdra Sufi has been keeping us duly informed via his Press Statements. Occassionally, we get sms from your family members. Be assured that every bit of information is shared with others who are always eager and anxious to see you on your feet, fully recovered after a complete rest etc.

Have you been reading the papers? We all know that reading the papers in the morning is a must for you. If you are not, I'm sure you are duly informed of what's going on in and around the country. You'd probably want to comment on some of these developments, but I think you better keep that on hold and concentrate on your immediate task.

And that task is quite simple and clear - to get well ASAP! While we may not have direct access to the doctors treating you, we are told that you are making excellent recovery. For someone who is 82, and having gone through a second open-heart bypass, you are making one helluva recovery!

If only the doctors can share some of their thoughts, I'm sure their stories would make good reading. In fact, I hope they are documenting their work on you! Come on, how often do they get the chance to do a major surgery in the way they did last week! The whole medical world would want to know what went on during that history-making operation!

On hindsight, you wanting to go ahead with that surgery is quite typical of you. You are forever challenging the odds, forever testing the parameters, always willing to show the way even at the risk of your own life! Is that why your favourite song is Old Blue Eyes' May Way? Must be lah...

I know you don't take advice too kindly, especially when it's unsolicited. But I'll go ahead and give you one - please don't rush your recovery process! I'm told that doctors are often bad patients. I hope you are not one of them though!

When I was told that you were sent back to the ICU yesterday, I was wondering what's up! You've been sent to the normal ward and then wheeled back to ICU soon after. What's going on, as my nephew Sonjay would say!

Whatever the reasons, your doctors know best. Just listen to them and you'll be fine! I'm not saying that you don't listen to them, but sometimes you can be one stubborn fellow. I've seen how your aides had often advised you to go slow on your bicycle exercise, and you just pretended you didn't hear them!

Well Tun, whatever you do this time, just make sure you adhere strictly to their instructions! Your doctors aren't the only ones who want to see you alive and kicking - the rest of us share that feeling too!

I got to go now. A couple of night hounds want me to join them for roti canai (oops sorry!) and thosai. You take care and rest. Do know that a great many of us have you in our daily doa. Salams!

aat
almost 2am
Sept 16 '07

ps - join us for tea at the Dome KLCC when you get back to work!