Life Lessons: What I’ve Learned After Spending 10 Days in the Hospital

In case you’ve been wondering why I’ve been MIA on the blog lately it’s because last Monday my Grandma had a hemmorrhage stroke which is basically bleeding that occurs in the brain. My entire world flipped upside down that day. My Grandma and I are very close and she raised me and has never suffered from any illness in her life. We were shocked to find her so weak, confused, and the worst: not being able to speak, move, or recognize anyone. Words can’t describe how painful it was to see her this way and to simply wait to see if her brain would heal itself since there is no cure for strokes. This resulted in my Mom and I spending everyday in the hospital and only going home for an hour or two to shower and get food. Luckily, my Grandma’s brain began to heal and grow a little bit stronger by the day and most importantly: she got her memory back. Today marks the day that she is well enough to move from the hospital to a rehab center where she will continue to work towards recovery. Yet today also marks the day where I am renewed. Despite this experience being painful and almost unbearable at times, I am so grateful for it as well. I don’t think I would’ve changed as a person if I hadn’t gone through something like this. It was exactly what I needed to make me wake up and realize what’s really important in life and what isn’t. Here’s what I learned in 10 days: 

If You Have Your Health, You’re Richer Than Most People 

During the 10 days that I was in the hospital, not only have I seen my Grandma lose her health, but I’ve been surrounded by sick people and their family members who would do anything to get their health back. The “simple” acts of breathing, walking, eating, talking, and even going to the bathroom by yourself are all things that many people dream of having. Yet I always took it for granted. In the past, I was never satisfied with anything. I always dreamed of being “rich”: fancy cars, designer clothes, etc. Now those things are the last thing on my mind. I was so foolish to think that being healthy wasn’t enough of a gift in this world. It’s actually the greatest gift.

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Despite It Being 2017, There Are Still Kind People Out There

I think as a country, 2017 has been a rough year and the media has shown how unkind human beings can be. Don’t let this ruin your perspective on society. There are STILL genuinely, good, kind, human beings out there that care about others and want to help them. I am so grateful for the countless doctors, nurses, and family members of patients that were so comforting and shared so much powerful wisdom during this awful time. Most importantly, their kindness was contagious and made me want to be a better person and to care and help people more. 

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Your “Fears” Aren’t Real

Before this experience, I had many ridiculous fears such as taking risks, worrying about making mistakes, and what other people would think of me. When you come across an awful experience like seeing a loved one lose their health or even losing your health yourself, you find all of your “fears” eliminated. Completely erased. You realize what’s really scary in life and what isn’t and quite honestly it’s so refreshing. Life just doesn’t seem so terrifiying anymore and I’ve realized that without those fears, I can accomplish so much more than I thought. 

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Cherish Your Loved Ones – You Never Know What’s Going To Happen

Life can change so quickly and it’s too short to be mad at your loved ones or to not be there for them. Yes, day to day life can be very busy but always remember to show appreciation and to take some time to be with them. As sad as this sounds, before this experience I would never even say “I love you” to my Mom. I always just assumed that she knew. Now, I say it to her everyday and remind her of how glad I am that she’s my Mom. Trust me, this isn’t one of those things that you want to ignore and end up regretting later on. 

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Hard Times = Transformation

I’ve had many hard times in my life yet nothing compares to this experience. I remember the first night that I was staying over at the hospital and was going to sleep on a couch in the ICU waiting room, I thought “I deserve this”. Never once, during this experience did I feel sorry for myself and say “Why me?” and it’s not because I think I deserve tragedy in my life. It’s because I knew that in order to change as a person, it had to take an awful situation like this. Yes it sucks (and I wish it hadn’t come down to this), but damn I’m so grateful. With this realization, I was able to find a strength and resilience in myself that I didn’t even know existed. I was also shocked to find that I can be a positive person and that it’s so much better to look at the bright side and have hope than it is to be negative and worry about everything. 

I hope you enjoyed the post and thanks for reading! Also a special thank you to everyone that has sent prayers and kind words the past couple of days. I feel so lucky to have you guys!