Ulang Tahun Kedua

Hari ini tanggal 20 Oktober 2012. Dua tahun yang lalu adalah 20 Oktober 2010 (20-10-2010). Ya, tentu saja, bukan ? Memangnya ada apa ? J Tahukah kalian, bahwa hari ini adalah hari ulang tahun kedua kemoterapi pertamaku ? (lebay banget.com J)

Dua tahun lalu, mestinya sesuai dengan waktu yang telah dijadwalkan dokter, aku mendapatkan kemoterapi pertama pada tanggal 19 Oktober 2012. Tapi karena sesuatu hal, diundur sehari menjadi tanggal 20-10-2010. Sesuatu hal itu sebenarnya adalah karena waktunya yang tidak memungkinkan. Hari itu, tanggal 19 Oktober, aku dan suamiku baru menemui dokter sekitar jam 10 an. Baru menemui dokter, dan baru mendapatkan resep obat-obat untuk kemo.

Maklumlah, karena belum punya pengalaman kemo sama sekali, jadi kami tidak tahu bahwa kalau misalnya hari ini jadwalnya kemo, seharusnya dari jam 8 pagi aku harus sudah siap berada di ruang kemoterapi dan sudah membawa obat – obatan yang diperlukan. Mestinya, kalau hari ini aku mau kemo, kemarin aku sudah menemui dokter untuk mendapatkan resepnya, dan sudah mengambil obat-obatnya di apotik ASKES, lalu menitipkannya ke apotik yang ada di Poli Tulip (untuk diambil esok harinya).

Hari itu, tanggal 19 Oktober 2010, aku baru menemui dokter sekitar jam 10 an, baru dapat resep obatnya, belum mengambil obat kemonya, yang antrinya lama banget…. padahal kemoterapiku yang obatnya doxorubicin dan brexel itu bisa memakan waktu lima jam. Pantesan aja perawatnya menolak aku untuk kemo hari itu. Waktunya nggak akan cukup… Jadilah kemoku diundur sehari, kebetulan di tanggal cantik yang mudah diingat, karena bagaimanapun, pengalaman kemo pertama bagi setiap pasien kanker pastilah sangat berkesan dan akan terkenang selalu… Walau bagaimanapun aku tidak ingin mengenangnya, tapi bagaimanapun akan selalu terkenang… tidak disengaja kok (J).

Tapi hari ini, ketika menuliskan ini, berarti aku dengan sengaja mengenangnya, dengan alasan dalam rangka ulang tahun kedua J. Beberapa waktu lalu aku berpikir-pikir, apa yang akan kutuliskan di blog ini pada hari ini ? Akhirnya aku memilih salah satu koleksi tulisan copy paste (mirip postinganku yang dulu), yang ingin aku share kepada para pembaca semua, dan mudah – mudahan bermanfaat :

Do We Know What’s Good For Us? 

A true story was told by DR. Bilal Philliphs 

In one of his articles, Dr. Bilal Philips (a well known Islamic scholar) narrates a story that involves tragedy, drama, and joy. The story is about an Egyptian teacher whose photograph appeared in a local newspaper. The picture showed his smiling and happy face with his hands stretched out and both thumbs sticking up; his father was kissing him on one cheek and his sister on the other cheek.

The newspaper narrated his story about working as a teacher in Bahrain. After a brief visit back home in Egypt, he was returning to join work and thus taking a flight from Cairo to Bahrain. 

However, at the airport he wasn’t allowed to get on the flight because he had one “stamp” missing on his Passport. This made the teacher distraught, thinking that his career was over because this flight was the last one back to Bahrain which would have enabled him to report back on time, missing which also meant that he would lose his job. He thus became quite frantic, but his endless crying, screaming, and explanations to the airport staff could not get him on the plane. His family comforted him to accept Allah’s decree.

Disappointed, he returned home only to learn a few hours later that the flight he was meant to take (Gulf Air flight GF072) crashed killing everyone on board.

While feeling sad for the passengers onboard, he along with his family thanked Allah for His decree. The day he thought was the most tragic day of his career and life, ended up to be the happiest one averting a tragedy for him and his family.

We are reminded of such signs in Surah al-Kahf, a surah that Muslims are instructed by the prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) to read every Friday. 

In it is the story of Prophet Musa (alayhi wa sallam) and Khidr. 

Khidr bore a hole in the boat of the people who took him and Musa across the river. This made Musa question (and object) to such an action as the owners of the boat were quiet poor and obviously weren’t happy to what was done to their boat. However, as it became apparent later, an oppressor King came down to the river and forcefully took away all the boats except the one with a hole in it. So the owners of the boat praised Allah due to the fact that there was a hole in their boat.

We learn from this story that in times of distress or when we desire something badly, we shouldn’t always assume what’s good for us and what’s not because Allah may have decreed a different outcome. As Allah says in the Quran (part of the verse):

“….and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know.” (Quran Al-Baqarah:216)

When struck by an affliction therefore, we have to be patient and in control of oneself. That is possible when we elevate ourselves to a high enough spiritual level where our Iman (faith) in Allah can help us ride the wave.

We can also stay in control by not losing our sense of reasoning that can help us provide better perspective of the situation. ibn al-qayyim (rahimuallah) said, “patience can be defined as a manner of spiritual superiority by virtue of which we refrain ourselves from doing evil. it is also a faculty of the intellect that enables us to live properly in this world.” Qatada said, “Allah has created angels having reason but with no desires, animals have desires and no reason, and man has both reason and desires. Therefore, if one’s reason is stronger than his desires, he is like an angel. On the other hand, if his desires are stronger, he is like an animal.” (ibn Al-Qayyim – “The Way to Patience and Gratitude.”)

The take away lesson for us is that we can improve the quality of our lives by making an effort to train ourselves to be patient, i.e. to elevate our levels of faith and to understand the dynamics that reasoning plays in staying patient.

As the prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa sallam) mentioned in a hadith,
“……..whoever strives to be patient, Allah will make him patient” (Al-Bukhari).”
May Allah make us amongsth those who are patience ameen...