Image sources

I just gained admission into the university, and I was glad that I would finally have the space and freedom I have always sought after. It has always been my dream to go to university and experience living alone. Everything was set, but the next thing was my dad telling me I would have to live with his brother since their house isn’t far from my school. I was reluctant at first, but after many discussions and explanations of the cost of things, I gave up and decided to live with him.

Getting to my uncle's place, I noticed he was a frail man, and he was diagnosed with diabetes, meaning Diabetes is a chronic, metabolic disease characterized by elevated levels of blood glucose (or blood sugar), which leads over time to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves.

At that time, we never took it so seriously, but we made sure we took care of him. There are just 7 of us in the house: 3 boys, 2 girls, my uncle, and our grandma. He was a very nice man, and he took good care of us. Everything we needed to make our stay comfortable, he provided, and he never asked for anything in return but for us to be good kids.

Due to his illness, there are many foods he was forbidden from eating, but he was a man who loved sweet things. We pray daily for his recovery and hope his illness will be over. After some time, we notice he has become more quiet, and there is this unusual smell in the house. At first, it smells like malt, but then it mixes with something unpleasant. It has been going like that for days, but we never suspected anything. My uncle was eating normally and doing things he was always doing; he was weaker than before, and now he needs help to do those things he could have done on his own.

Then it happened that day that a friend of his came to visit him. They spoke, and he noticed how weak his friend was, so he requested that we take him to the hospital for a checkup. My uncle refused at first, but his friend insisted. They all went to the hospital, and after checking him, the doctor requested they rush him to the emergency section. We asked what was wrong, and he said my uncle had a terminal disease, and his body cells had disintegrated a lot. Also, some parts of his buttocks had begun to rot. We were all in shock with this news, and that was when the spending started.

His first son was already in his finals, and he required a lot of money for his project, tuition fee, and many more things, but his father's life was at stake. All the money was poured into getting drugs, buying blood, running tests, and many other things. I had to visit the hospital most of the time when I was back from school, or I would just go directly from class. I felt so bad for my cousins because they had to see their dad in that condition.

Visiting the hospital daily made me even think our own case was a bit better because I saw other people with the worst conditions. I learned to thank God for good health because seeing them every day was a reminder that good health is above all. After two months of spending, we lost him. The family was so sad; people came from far away to console the family. They said time heals, but on my cousin's graduation, he cried so much because it wasn't up to a year since the incident happened before he graduated. If he were to choose, he said he would choose his dad over his certificate.