I DIED TODAY, OR MAYBE YESTERDAY; I CAN'T BE SURE. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU KNEW THE EXACT MOMENT YOU WOULD DIE? FACED WITH SO MANY TURNS AND HEARTBREAKING CHALLENGES, CELINE SET FOR A JOURNEY AWAY FROM FAMILY, SHE GOT INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHICH LED HER INTO COMA, BACK TO SQUARE ONE AND IN A MORE DANGEROUS SITUATION, CELINE LIFE WAS ON HOLD, SHE WAS FIGHTING FOR HER SURVIVAL IN AN UNKNOWN WORLD. READ TO KNOW MORE.
Chapter 1 C
What would you do if you knew the exact moment you would die?
My name is Celine, I just turned eighteen, I am here to tell you a secret.
I never knew the impact of being healthy until it exploded on my face.
It was a bright cold day in December and the clocks were striking twelve, we were somewhere around Chicago on the edge of lake Michigan when difficulty breathing began to take hold.
It was the day I was diagnosed with (C.O.P.D) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A long-term progressive lung disease that makes breathing difficult.
I was born into a family of four, my parents divorced when I was ten, I followed my mother while my brother followed my father and for eight years I had only my mum.
My mother has been with the doctor for a long time now and I am beginning to get anxious about what news she will be bringing back.
I stayed stuck in my mini hospital room, there was a bed, medical equipment, monitors and iv tanks, oxygen delivery system, a nebulizer, an air filtration system and a chair for visitors.
I write this to you sitting on an oxygen tank, I wish I would be out of here soon.
My mother came rushing into the room, I could see a drop of tears she was trying so hard to hide, even the blind would tell she has been crying for a long time.
I was still curious about the news she received from the doctor's office. I still needed to know what was wrong with me, so I asked regardless. "Mama what did the doctor say?" but she didn't reply. "Mum, you have to tell me, I am me so I should know what is wrong with me, the complication to my health, is there anything I would need to do or take to be able to leave this place, or something to avoid? Mama, you don't have to worry, you know I'm good at taking my medications when I'm sick? But I still didn't get a reply and that was the beginning of my frustration.
"Mum! Say something, anything" I yelled, and my mother's silent tears were exchanged into a loud scream "there is no cure for (C.O.P.D) its progression can only be slowed with medication, and you have to avoid closeness to other lung irritants. she finally said.
That was the last thing I heard.
I was breathless, wheezing, coughing and my chest became tighter and tighter.
The airflow limitation in my lungs became more severe making it harder for me to breathe. I could see my mother trying so hard to pull me up with tears in eyes while screaming for help at the same time.
Uncontrollable hot fresh tears ran down my cheeks and I drifted away.
I woke up finding myself in an emergency room with an oxygen mask. The nurse noticed I was awake and came smiling at me, she helped fix a nasal cannula and directed me to my hospital room.
I sat on the bed scanning around for my mother, but she was not in sight. Looking around, I remembered our conversation from last night, and the point is I will be here, captured by a disease without a cure. The celebration of my eighteenth birthday started with a disease, an incurable one to be precise.
I held back the tears that were threatening to fall, trying to fight my tears back, I did not want to end up in an emergency room again, it is now forbidden to cry.
But my stubborn tears just would not listen to me, they fell down my cheeks and I let myself swim in the ocean my tears created.
The nurse came in for my treatment. After treatment I asked if I could take a walk around the hospital, she said it was okay and told me my dos and don'ts including not getting close to any other lung irritants, And I hurriedly nodded yes.
I went looking around the hospital and I must admit the sight of the hospital was beautiful but what was more beautiful was a young lady I could not stop watching. She had blond hair and blue eyes with a model-looking body, she was stunning.
Her name is Chloe, she was playing with little children and the sight was beautiful to watch. She noticed I was looking and smiled warmly at me, a smile that warmed the heart. I went closer to her straight away and she stepped back asking me to stay five feet away, I looked at her innocent face, she also had a nasal cannula on, which says she was also a (C.O.P.D) patient, but I still asked anyway and when she said yes, I hurriedly stayed away.
I started seeing chole every day and we became so close, and I enjoyed every bit of the time I spent with her. She was a loveable person, a mother, a sister, and most of all, my best friend in the world.
The one person I always look up to seeing every morning when I wake up, after our treatment we hang out together, and every night before going to bed we make video calls chatting and laughing until either of us drift away to sleep.
She was sent to rebuild me. I love her, I love her a lot, she represents my all, most importantly my family. My mum was hardly around, she had to cover up all the bills on her own. Chole covers up for all the pain, all the losses and makes the hospital a friendly zone to me.
I woke up to a bright sunny day, I had a smile on my face while the planned adventure played repeatedly in my head, Chloe had said we should go out on a bestie date and I was supper excited about it, I quickly called on the nurse to help with my treatment and in less time, I was done preparing for a date with my bestie.
I went out and found Chole dressed beautifully and waiting patiently outside my door. It was a perfect moment for a perfect couple, the only thing left out was her being a lady. She came with a five-foot Cain and told me to hold the ends of it, we could not hold hands, we could not get too close, so she came up with that idea. I blushed at her manly behavior, and we left the hospital taking different cars to the location.
We went shopping, went to the lake, visited an amusement park, went to a sporting event, watched movies, visited a museum and went to a coffee shop. We went on and on with a five foot Cain, running around like children. It was embarrassing and sweet. Chloe is my sweetheart, I yelled and laughed.
Chole and I went back to the hospital before nightfall, sat on the roof top to enjoy nature together. We stared at the stars and from the stars we stared at ourselves Longer than we stared at the stars. To me, Chloe was a precious star. My precious star, and I couldn't help but say "DON'T EVER LEAVE ME CHOLE, NEVER EVER IN THIS WORLD SHOULD YOU DIE, WE SHOULD LIVE, FIGHT AND SURVIVE THIS ILLNESS TOGETHER" she replied to me with a dashing smile, a smile that says a thousand words, that smile was the only thing I needed for an answer.