Kena Demam Malaria (I got Malaria)

We normally sleep with mosquito net protecting us from the notorious mosquito. Sometimes, as lazy as can be, I do not use the mosquito nets. This must be the time when the malaria infested mosquito bitten me and I got malaria. You feel cold and then hot and you sweat all over. Even with thick blankets, you cannot contain the cold feeling. I got admitted to the Kuala Pilah General Hospital. I was in Standard 6.

I was admitted for 6 days. At that time, I hated medicine, especially the tablets. But being in hospital, I am forced to take them. I remembered asking the nurse to leave the tablets behind with the water to consume it with. After the nurse is gone, I remembered asking the man who was in the next bed to help me consume the tablets. I would lie down on the bed with my mouth opened. He would then placed the tablet in my mouth and then pour water into my mouth to help consume the table. One by one I ate them all. I still carry that phobia of not liking tablets until my teenage years; where we will all learn that it is easy and okay to eat tablet medicine.

Lying in hospital and missing school was a guilt that I could not stand. I have never missed a day of school, but this time I have to miss a week of school. It was scary going back to school; as I would have expected the teacher to scold me for not turning up in school; even thought I had malaria. I didn't know then that being absent from school as I was admitted to hospital; was okay. I got cured and when back to school. I was asked by the teacher (Mr Chen Chee Ting) to tell the class of my experience of being infected with malaria and being admitted to hospital for 6 days.