I’ve always felt that I’m young in spirit. But I must be young in body as well; I recently came down with appendicitis, a condition that generally strikes younger people.
I started to develop symptoms on Thursday, a day after fasting. That afternoon, my stomach felt full even though I had not eaten much that day. Thinking I had been careless in post-fasting measures, I skipped dinner and went to bed. At around midnight, my stomach began to hurt. My wife gave me pain relievers but they didn’t help. She also massaged my abdomen but instead of relieving the pain, it made it worse.
So in the morning we called Dr. Sim, one of the deacons at our church. He suspected that it was more than just an upset stomach and sent me to a clinic downtown for a CT scan. The diagnosis was acute appendicitis. Fortunately, it did not rupture. Dr. Sim hurriedly found a doctor who could operate and made a reservation at an emergency room in a nearby hospital. As soon as I arrived at the hospital, I was immediately transferred to the operation prep room. The nursing assistant who moved my bed joked that I broke a record by being moved from the emergency gate to the operation prep room in less than an hour. Our church member Jackie Lee who works at the emergency room was a great help.
I am now recuperating in the hospital. I thought that I would be cut open like the Japanese samurai who commit hara-kiri, but they made just two small incisions above and below the navel. I learned that this surgery method is called laparoscopy. The doctor who performed the surgery said that my appendix was on the verge of bursting when they operated.
I apologize to everyone who is working hard to prepare for the Mission Festival this weekend, especially Brother Jung Min Young, the guest speaker. Last year I missed the mission festival because of a prior engagement. This year I’m missing it because of an unexpected illness.
I asked Brother Kwang U Park to not tell anybody, including our deacons, where I am recuperating. There are two reasons for this request. First, I don’t want my illness to draw attention away from the coming Mission Festival. Second, I don’t feel comfortable receiving visits when some of our church members are suffering from illness far more serious than mine. If you want to visit me I urge you to visit them instead. I would consider that the same as a visit to me.
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