Tanny
Well-known member
28th Mch 2008
I felt that this was going to be a day filled with wonder and joy, and I had a huge grin bisecting my bearded face as I drove to my practice. As I galloped through the reception area I saw many patients waiting for me and my grin got wider, well wouldn’t anyone when one considers the revenue that comes in to pay the rent.
Whilst attending to my patients I occasionally glanced through the window and the sun was out and I longed for twelve thirty, my lunch break to come around so that I might dash to my patch to do some enjoyable birding in that sunlight. “Oh those best laid plans of mice and men”. Isn’t it funny when we plan to do something and then ones God takes over? As my nurse brought in the last patient, I glanced at my watch and saw it was eleven thirty, time enough to see this patient and be away to my patch. The patient was a young lady carrying a boy of about six and a half years old. I asked her if there was anything wrong with the child and she said, “He’s having a fever”. I laughed and looked closely at him. On my eye contact with the child I was absolutely stunned by his beautiful, huge brown eyes, eyes that were so big and wide. I asked then if the child could sit on my lap while I examined him, “and by the way, why are you carrying him” she didn’t reply, then the child's hand reached across to me and lay on my face, with his hand resting there on my bearded face, he said, “Dr Uncle, I cant see”. I was shocked and for a minute. ‘I’, the chatty Dr Manjeet Singh had no words to say. I lifted the child from the mom and hugged him, and fumbling in the drawer of my desk I got out my piece of chock-bar and put it in his hand, and held him to me, I felt he was a part of me. I asked the mother why is he blind and how long has he been like this, she said, (with no tears in her eyes, only sadness on her face), “He’s been like this since he was born”. I asked her which doctor have you seen and she gave me the name of the Eye specialist in the University Hospital. This man is my junior and we were from the same school in Klang. I quickly called him and said my friend do you remember me, within second’s he said “Manjeet”, I was so surprised, “How did you know it was me”. He said, “Your voice can never be forgotten because whenever I heard in school it made me smile, it was a laughing voice, don’t be so surprised, many of us cannot forget your voice”. The last time I met this chap was in 1989. I explained the reason why I was ringing him and asked if he was treating a boy called Raman from Klang. He said he was and what is the problem with him, he has a Retinal Visual Defect from birth. I asked if he had done a mental test for this boy to check his intelligence, and he said, “yes, and it is very high”. After putting the phone down I examined the boy and said to the mother, “Please bring this boy here any time he is ill, I don’t charge children with defects. Then a strange thing happened, the boy asked his mother if he could talk to me alone, so she left the room with a quizzical look on her face. I sat him on a chair and said, “OK young man what you want to talk about”. “Uncle I had to come and see you, and tricked my mother to bring me here. Two weeks ago my father's sister came to my house and had a fight with my mother and she blamed my mother for my sightlesness. Uncle, I want to study and work and take care of my parents”. For the second time today I was stunned, here was a six year old boy telling me this, this at a time in a Child's life when he should be out playing childish things. “My neighbor told me to come to you for help, because I want to go to a special school. A school were they teach the blind to read, and you can help me uncle”. I then asked him what his father did and he said he a clerk in a office” A chap like that would be paid about 1500 Malaysian Ringit, not really a high wage, and what with keeping a young family and bills to pay he must be having a difficult time. Then laughingly he said, I heard you don’t charge children like me so you see I am already saving money for my parents. I hugged him again and he said, “I had to be honest with you Dr Uncle”. I called his mother back in and handed the boy to her and said, “You have a very sensible young man there”. I then called up the Ministry of Education, “Oh yes I do have some friends in high places”. I spoke to the department in charge of schools of this kind, and was told that since the child was six and half year old, he must register right now. My friend there said to send the boy tomorrow with the parents, and then he asked if he has had an IQ test, I said yes, by a specialist”. He told me to send the report with the parents because if the child has a high IQ the Government will give a monthly allowance to the child free of charge. When I told the youngster, he shouted, “See mom I told you”. I then rang my specialist friend and said I was sending the mother to pick up the IQ report and explained the situation and said, "do you know the Government charges to see a child for a visit is Rm75", I heard this loud smack of a hand on a forehead and then he said “from now on I will pay the Rm75 for the boy”. I laughed and said, “You’re laughing also”. I gave the boy another hug and ushered them out of the room, saying to the mother, “any problems then just call me”. What an unbelievable morning this turned out to be. There I was feeling so sad earlier when discovering the boy was blind and now so elated at what the future holds for him. With a feeling of satisfaction I bolted for my patch. The sun was above me filling the air with its warmth and as I wandered through the wooded area it dappled through the leaves leaving mottled shadows on the ground. Soon I saw the flutter of a small bird and before me was the Asian Brown Flycatcher. As I focused onto the bird I saw the eye, big, wide and innocent and my thoughts were on the boy. Laughingly I took the picture and left the Patch. I know it’s a common brown bird, but the eye, like the child with no sight makes this a special bird for me.
Asian Brown Flycatcher. Muscicapa dauurica
I felt that this was going to be a day filled with wonder and joy, and I had a huge grin bisecting my bearded face as I drove to my practice. As I galloped through the reception area I saw many patients waiting for me and my grin got wider, well wouldn’t anyone when one considers the revenue that comes in to pay the rent.
Whilst attending to my patients I occasionally glanced through the window and the sun was out and I longed for twelve thirty, my lunch break to come around so that I might dash to my patch to do some enjoyable birding in that sunlight. “Oh those best laid plans of mice and men”. Isn’t it funny when we plan to do something and then ones God takes over? As my nurse brought in the last patient, I glanced at my watch and saw it was eleven thirty, time enough to see this patient and be away to my patch. The patient was a young lady carrying a boy of about six and a half years old. I asked her if there was anything wrong with the child and she said, “He’s having a fever”. I laughed and looked closely at him. On my eye contact with the child I was absolutely stunned by his beautiful, huge brown eyes, eyes that were so big and wide. I asked then if the child could sit on my lap while I examined him, “and by the way, why are you carrying him” she didn’t reply, then the child's hand reached across to me and lay on my face, with his hand resting there on my bearded face, he said, “Dr Uncle, I cant see”. I was shocked and for a minute. ‘I’, the chatty Dr Manjeet Singh had no words to say. I lifted the child from the mom and hugged him, and fumbling in the drawer of my desk I got out my piece of chock-bar and put it in his hand, and held him to me, I felt he was a part of me. I asked the mother why is he blind and how long has he been like this, she said, (with no tears in her eyes, only sadness on her face), “He’s been like this since he was born”. I asked her which doctor have you seen and she gave me the name of the Eye specialist in the University Hospital. This man is my junior and we were from the same school in Klang. I quickly called him and said my friend do you remember me, within second’s he said “Manjeet”, I was so surprised, “How did you know it was me”. He said, “Your voice can never be forgotten because whenever I heard in school it made me smile, it was a laughing voice, don’t be so surprised, many of us cannot forget your voice”. The last time I met this chap was in 1989. I explained the reason why I was ringing him and asked if he was treating a boy called Raman from Klang. He said he was and what is the problem with him, he has a Retinal Visual Defect from birth. I asked if he had done a mental test for this boy to check his intelligence, and he said, “yes, and it is very high”. After putting the phone down I examined the boy and said to the mother, “Please bring this boy here any time he is ill, I don’t charge children with defects. Then a strange thing happened, the boy asked his mother if he could talk to me alone, so she left the room with a quizzical look on her face. I sat him on a chair and said, “OK young man what you want to talk about”. “Uncle I had to come and see you, and tricked my mother to bring me here. Two weeks ago my father's sister came to my house and had a fight with my mother and she blamed my mother for my sightlesness. Uncle, I want to study and work and take care of my parents”. For the second time today I was stunned, here was a six year old boy telling me this, this at a time in a Child's life when he should be out playing childish things. “My neighbor told me to come to you for help, because I want to go to a special school. A school were they teach the blind to read, and you can help me uncle”. I then asked him what his father did and he said he a clerk in a office” A chap like that would be paid about 1500 Malaysian Ringit, not really a high wage, and what with keeping a young family and bills to pay he must be having a difficult time. Then laughingly he said, I heard you don’t charge children like me so you see I am already saving money for my parents. I hugged him again and he said, “I had to be honest with you Dr Uncle”. I called his mother back in and handed the boy to her and said, “You have a very sensible young man there”. I then called up the Ministry of Education, “Oh yes I do have some friends in high places”. I spoke to the department in charge of schools of this kind, and was told that since the child was six and half year old, he must register right now. My friend there said to send the boy tomorrow with the parents, and then he asked if he has had an IQ test, I said yes, by a specialist”. He told me to send the report with the parents because if the child has a high IQ the Government will give a monthly allowance to the child free of charge. When I told the youngster, he shouted, “See mom I told you”. I then rang my specialist friend and said I was sending the mother to pick up the IQ report and explained the situation and said, "do you know the Government charges to see a child for a visit is Rm75", I heard this loud smack of a hand on a forehead and then he said “from now on I will pay the Rm75 for the boy”. I laughed and said, “You’re laughing also”. I gave the boy another hug and ushered them out of the room, saying to the mother, “any problems then just call me”. What an unbelievable morning this turned out to be. There I was feeling so sad earlier when discovering the boy was blind and now so elated at what the future holds for him. With a feeling of satisfaction I bolted for my patch. The sun was above me filling the air with its warmth and as I wandered through the wooded area it dappled through the leaves leaving mottled shadows on the ground. Soon I saw the flutter of a small bird and before me was the Asian Brown Flycatcher. As I focused onto the bird I saw the eye, big, wide and innocent and my thoughts were on the boy. Laughingly I took the picture and left the Patch. I know it’s a common brown bird, but the eye, like the child with no sight makes this a special bird for me.
Asian Brown Flycatcher. Muscicapa dauurica
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