Personal

Attacked and immoblised by acute low-back pain

By Kit

February 08, 2008

I succumbed to acute low-back pain this morning. After about an hour of reading, I felt an acute ache at the small of my back. Feeling that something was amiss, I gave a few minutes for the ache to go away. When it didn’t. I tried to stand up but I could not.

I knew I was in trouble. Imagine – to be immobilized just before the “mother” of all general elections! In my mind, I was wondering whether two DAP leaders will have to go to the hustings in wheel-chairs!

I was bedridden and had to miss the annual family lunch on New Year’s Day at the Penang Swimming Club where Dr. Lim Guan Choon and Dr. Khoo Siew Swan are members.

The whole Lim family was there except me – my wife Neo Yok Tee, children Guan Eng and wife Betty Chew, Hui Ming, Hui Ying and Guan Choon with wife Siew Swan.

The third Lim generation are Guan Eng’s four children, Rachel Lim Shay Wan 17, Clint Lim Whay Chau 16 , Marcus Lim Whay Khai 13 and Ethan Lim Whay Zen 14 months; and Guan Choon’s three kids, Charlotte Lim Shay Ryu 11, Matthew Lim Wei Shen 9 and Serena Lim Shay Ann 8.

Guan Choon was worried whether there is something more serious with my acute low-back pain and arranged for a MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to be done. Appears to be just acute back sprain although very painful and reduces me into an invalid.

I had wanted to go to Sitiawan tomorrow for the Chinese New Year Open House of DAP Perak State Chairman and Perak State Assembly Opposition Leader, Ngeh Koo Ham (Sitiawan Assemblyman) but my acute back pain has put paid to my plan to be in Manjong.

Sunday is the Penang DAP Chinese New Year Open House and Monday the launching of the Canning elections operations centre in Ipoh Timur.

I hope I could make it to both functions, particularly the Sunday date as there is a special programme for the Penang DAP CNY Open House, which will not only be attended by Anwar Ibrahim, but will feature a most memorable occasion – especially for Makkal Sakti not only among the Indians but all Malaysian marginalized groups in the country, whether the Kadazan-Dusun-Murut (KDM) community in Sabah, the indigenous people in Sarawak, the Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia and all poor Malays and Chinese in the country.

Keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t have to turn up at the Penang DAP CNY Open House in a wheel-chair.