Around Us

Snapped outside my rented house in Seremban.

A friend of my sister's called me recently to ask regarding nutrition for his terminally ill father. The conversation goes...

Him: Doc said my dad is in late stage of liver cancer. His tummy is bloated. Testicles swollen. He is yellow! But we are still hopeful that he can get better!
Me: I'm so sorry to hear that... well...
Him: Actually I called to ask if he can eat prawns, beef, chicken, fish (etc. etc.). I'm concerned that these food might nourish the cancerous cells, making his condition worse!
Me: If he has the appetite, shouldn't be any problem. No food restriction unless specified by the doctor.
Him: Yeah, that's what I thought too! The normal cells also need to eat right?!
Me: (know still ask!) Yep, that's right!
Him: What bout soup or beverages? Anything that is poisonous to his body, considering he has liver cancer now?
Me: Err... anything should be okay... (provided you don't feed him alcohol).
Him: Anything we can do?
Me: Make him feel comfortable, ease his pain and let him eat whatever he wishes. You can actually check out the hospice in Cheras that deal with palliative care.
Him: Palliative?
Me: Oh, it's a place that make patients like your dad cope better with his illness.
Him: Oh...

And I later found out from my sis that his dad passed away a few weeks after our conversation. I hope I'd given him the correct advice.

Actually, all I wanted to say was that I didn't know the tree outside my porch could look that nice. Till I turned the porch light on last nite. It's always been there, for the past 2 years, and none of us had noticed it!