GREAT TO BE ALIVE

My cousin, Simon finally managed to make it back for Chinese New Year this year.  He was down with bacterial meningitis in 2011 and was in very critical condition. For your information bacterial meningitis infections are extremely serious, and may result in death or brain damage, even if treated. At the same time, he also had an infection of the intestines which made matters worse. I was told that he had to undergo brain surgery to remove the fluids.
Honestly, I was really worried about him but at the same time my own mother was also very ill.  That was a bad year for Simon and my mum as both of them were born in the year of the Rooster and 2011 happened to be the year of the Rabbit, a sign that clashes directly with theirs.  Luckily Simon managed to recover but my mum did not.
Simon's wife told me that at one time, her husband was down to 48 kilos in weight and had lost all his hair.  He could not even walk.  As my cousin brother is tall, the drastic weight loss made him look terribly gaunt. His Filipina maid said that when she first went to work for them, she thought her employer was suffering from cancer.
Nowadays, Simon is on the road to recovery.  His appetite has improved and he is now about 60 kilogrammes in weight.  He can walk on his own and was told that he needs about two years to fully recover.  However, he is thankful to God that he is alive.
In the above picture, you can see Simon (extreme left) with Uncle Tommy, Aunty Linda and Uncle Jimmy.