Family Tree
Author’s Note: It was winter in Singapore, 2003, February 18th when SARS spread around the world. People were frightened and petriDied of SARS because it was a highly contagious viral disease and also because it had already infected more than 8000 people in 29countries, killing more than 770. It was an unknown disease until late 2002. If you were infected, it could progress from fever and cough to a serious sickness that could kill you. Up to twenty-‐percent of the patients needed mechanical ventilation to survive. SARS subsided in July. A month later, everybody was still afraid even though there were no new cases.
Fear Of SARS
My kids were playing with each other while my wife and I were
looking after them. I turned on the TV and started watching the news. The Dirst thing that came up on the news was SARS. “ The victims with SARS has increased thousands more and deaths have increased from tens to hundreds,” the reporter said in the hospital,” the government advises people to stay indoors and keep away from others.”
Then, the phone suddenly rang. I went to pick it up. I
recognized the number and I answered the call worriedly because the call was from my boss, Mr. Wong. “ Hello Mr. Wong, “ I said nervously. “ Hello Gee Kwang,” Mr. Wong said with fright. “ What is the problem?” I asked, wondering what was going on. “ Everybody is temporally on leave from work as SARS is going on, so I will just inform you that you don’t need to come to work until we call you to tell you when to come back,” he answered. “ I understand,” I answered quickly. He ended the call, and I sighed. “When will SARS ever stop,” I wondered.
After the phone call, I heard my son was cough harshly, and we decided to take him to the Mount Alvernia hospital. My parents were terriDied. No one wanted to go outside and risk being infected. I mustered up every single ounce of courage and said that I would take my son to the hospital. I helped my son wear his mouth mask and wore my own. We got into the car and I drove him to the hospital. While we were in the car, I saw the streets deserted. When we got to the hospital, I parked the car carefully and got out of the car with my son. I held his hand tightly and we went into the hospital. Inside patients coughed loudly and voices echoed across the hospital. They were all wearing masks. Some of them also wore
gloves. Everybody was wary of each other if they had SARS. It was quite loud because of the crying babies. There were people at the front that were taking temperatures of others. There were two lines and it seemed that if the person had a fever, they had to go into another line. My son only had cough so we didn’t have to go into the other line. I heard a lot of coughing sounds and crying sounds. I could scent disinfected smell, a knowledgeable smell of medicine and the smell of uneasiness. I could also feel people were terror-‐ stricken, worried and fearful. While waiting in the line, I heard others complaining to be in front of the line and some others were trying to cut into the line. I got to the counter after a while and told the person that my son was coughing intensely. The person gave me a number and told me to wait until my number was announced.
While my son and I waited, my son suddenly looked worried. “ Daddy, I’m scared,” My son asked while looking like he was about to cry.
“Its ok, you’re safe,” I told him while doubting myself. My number was Dinally called and I went into the room. I brought my son in and greeted the doctor. The doctor was wearing a lot of protective gear. He was wearing a white color coat, gloves, a face mask, glasses and a white hat. I told the doctor that my son was coughing a lot recently. He did a check up on my son and found out it was just a lot of phlegm inside the throat. The doctor gave me a sheet of paper that had what medicine my son could take. I thanked the doctor and went to buy the medicine. After I Dinished buying the medicine, I quickly held my sons hand tightly and left the hospital, afraid that we could be infected by SARS. When we got home, I gave my son his medicine and brought him to his room. While bringing him to his room, I wondered when would SARS end and bring peace again.
Q&A 1. What was happening? I found out on the news that there was a disease called SARS spreading. 2. How did people feel? Everyone was full of fear because no one knew how it was transmitted. 3. What did you do after you found out about SARS? We tried not to go out especially to crowded areas like restaurants, supermarkets, shops, and different places. 4. The worst thing about SARS? We have to be careful in the hospital because we don’t know who has SARS. 5. The best thing about SARS? The best thing about SARS is that families get to be closer. 6. What was on your mind? I kept thinking about when the doctors will Dind a cure. 7. What was going on around you? Many people talked about others having SARS. 8.What were people wearing? Everybody started wearing masks. 9. What happens in the hospital? When we go to the hospital, we had to take temperature in case of sickness, and if they had a fever, they needed to go to another line. I was really worried and scared. We drove to the hospital once because my son was sick.
Research information •A highly contagious viral disease. •Unknown until 2002 •Subsided in July 2003 •Infected more than 8000 people in 29 countries, killing more than 770 •Can progress rapidly from fever and cough to serious sickness that could kill you •Up to 20 percent of patients need mechanical ventilation to survive
Reflection 1.
2.
What have you learned about your family’s history? How has working on this project helped you understand your family better and given you a better sense of your identity? I learned that my family had a hard time in the past. I don’t think that I have a better sense of my identity. Why do you think doing a project like this is important?
This project is supposed to help you understand your family’s history. 3. What part of this project did you enjoy the most? Why? I enjoyed researching about SARS. 4.What specific challenges did you face during this project and how did you over come them? The most specific challenges I had were writing the narrative and getting information from my father. I didn’t get enough information from my father.
Bibliography: Serradell, Joaquima. SARS. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2005. Print. Wagner, Viqi. Do Infectious Diseases Pose a Serious Threat? Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven, 2005. Print.