Beginnings

When I was studying a while back I traveled to a hot country for some work experience. And when I say hot I mean that as you stepped out of the plane the heat hit you like physical force. I’d never felt anything like it.

I love the cold. I love open fires and hot chocolate.

So stepping out of that plane was a shock, and not a pleasant one. The daily prompt has asked for a legacy; if you were dying what would you leave behind? Well, on that trip, death looked me in the eye and I looked back.

It started as an adventure, something new. I’ve always done it, gone off and tried something different, from hunting for dinosaur footprints to building paths. I just love learning. So when this work experience came up I jumped at the chance.

I was meant to be out there for a little over a month. But seven days after the heat hit me I was back on a plane heading home.

Hospitals in other countries are scary places. People don’t speak the same language and I find that they forget about you. Instead, they talk amongst themselves. It happens in UK hospitals but here I can understand them and follow the conversation. There I was at a loss.

I was dying. Although the hospital didn’t get the diagnosis right I was still dying. Slow but severe allergic reaction. By the time I hit the UK I was down to my last three days. By the time I got the medication I needed I was within 48 hours of leaving my mortal coil.

A week later I was a little better.

A month after that I was almost back to normal.

Now it seems like a nightmare.

But did I worry about my legacy? Did I wonder at what I would leave behind? No.

My first thought was – home. Get home to the people you love and trust. My second was – fight. If I had waited as the hospital in that foreign land had suggested I would not be writing this. I knew that there was something incredibly bad going on.

I organised my flight. I talked to the insurance people. I got me home. And not once did I think – blimey, I wonder what my legacy will be?

Because I refused to give up. So when I finally take my last sleep I doubt I will wonder about what I am going to leave. I hope it will a good lasting impression, but I am not worried. I won’t be there to worry about it. 🙂