Survivors soldier on because of hope
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At the Kesdam Hospital, hope keeps patients and their families going, with survival stories continuing to boost morale.
Juwita, 37, from Tenom in Aceh Jaya, had been living in anguish over the loss of her family as well as a bad scalp injury.
“The last thing I remember was crossing the bridge near the rice field when water flooded in. In the distance I could see my niece disappearing under the waves. I thought there was no hope for her,” she said.
Then on Saturday, she got word that a young woman named Rosmawati had been brought into one of the wards. It was her 20-year-old niece, who had survived, though with an equally serious head injury.
The fate of their other family members is still unknown.
“I will never let her out of my sight again. At least I am not alone anymore. The two of us can carry on,” said Juwita.
Another survivor, Kasdiana, 20, from Lhoong in Aceh Besar, who had his right leg amputated below the knee over the weekend, could not remember feeling any pain when the tsunami demolished his village.
“I tried desperately to keep my head above the water. I climbed up and clung onto many fruit trees. At one point, I fell asleep because I was so tired and only woke up when a piece of jagged glass lodged itself in my right arm.
“I didn’t realise I had a broken leg until I tried standing up. The pain almost made me faint.”
Kasdiana was found 12 days later with two bones sticking out from his leg and the wound turning gangrenous.
Australian army translator Major Simon Harkin said he had spent hours urging Kasdiana to have the leg amputated because there was no other option left.
“My parents and 13-year-old sister have survived the calamities. I cannot ask for anything more than that,” Kasdiana said. “I am still young. I have so much hope that I can heal quickly and work again.”
This remarkable spirit is found elsewhere.
A farmer’s wife living in Glee Genheng, Dewi Murni, 30, was diagnosed with stomach cancer a month ago, but she and her family, including two young children, carried on with life.
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HAVING EACH OTHER: Juwita (left) clutching Rosmawati's hands after being reunited at the hospital. |
Dewi’s family managed to climb on the roof of a nearby row of shops. When the waters receded, they made their way up the mountains.
Miraculously, her grandmother Siti Aman was sound asleep when the tsunami struck and floated to safety on her huge mattress. The 80-year-old is still somewhat dazed over what had happened.
Recalled Dewi: “We slept inside a cow shed that night. It was cold, but we were all alive and together!”
The very next day, the family salvaged pieces of wood left by the flood and started building a simple wooden house on stilts at the foothills and were busy hanging out laundry to dry.
“Yang penting adalah kita (What’s important is us).We have only lost our home and livelihood, but other families have lost even more,” Dewi said.
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