Dr.B. entered the ICU family room. Mask tiredly hanging around his neck. It was 4.00pm. Eight hours had past. A strange silence hushed over the room. Dr.B.’s voice, “Where’s the Mother?”  From the back of the group in front of him, an apprehensive voice,” I’m right here.”

My phone had stayed silent throughout the day so I was hinging the surgery outcome upon that. I looked into his eyes and face for evidence. Nothing. He looked straight at me and said for everyone to come into the ‘quiet room’. I burst out, “Is Jason all right? Is everything ok?”  He led us into this private room with a couch, a couple of armchairs, a coffee table and lamps dotted about. The pressure sensation in my ears gave me the impression that it was soundproofed. The lamps were all dimly lit projecting a yellowish-amber glow. Everyone filed in behind Dr.B. and claimed their spot. Heart pounding; I thought for sure that something had gone wrong. He wore a serious, neutral expression as he stood in front of us all. Seconds seemed like an eternity. I was bracing myself for what was going to come out of his mouth. Thinking I can’t do this, I heard him say, “Let’s put some light on in here.”  I watched him walk over to the light switch by the door. He flicked it on, “that’s better” he said as the room changed to  brightness. It took me a moment to register what was happening. OMG !  I knew that this was the sign that Jason was ok. Bright lights= good news….Dim lights=bad news.

Jason was in the ICU. It had been a manipulative surgery and had been very tough on Jason. The best news possible was that Dr.B. had held up two fingers in front of Jason and Jason acknowledged them. He could see. The emotion was overwhelming. Jason, Dr.B., and the team did it !! So incredibly happy for Jason, I hope he digested the fact that he could see and that feeling is running through him. We all gasped with relief and so incredibly grateful to this amazing neurosurgeon that once again got Jason safely off the table. After profusely thanking Dr.B., the atmosphere in the room became saturated with celebratory chatter, giddiness, adrenaline. Hugs and shaking of hands filled the room. So much love in that room for Jason.

The next week living in the Neurosurgery ICU was a harrowing time. Horse owners and friends arrived at the barn, once again, to help with the horses and pets. Forever grateful to them.        Jason whisked off for emergency CTs. Speech garbled. Facial nerve damage. Blood transfusion.  Eyes swollen shut. Head swollen. Jason unable to see. Jason too weak to be moved. Not safe to be sedated. Holding onto Jason’s hands, talking him through the procedure, while the resident neurosurgeon, Mohammed, aspirated his head removing CSF fluid. It was a team effort to get this done. Swelling went down. Mohammed was in awe and humbled by Jason’s strength and tolerance of pain and he told Jason that. He said if that was him you would hear him screaming at the other end of the hospital. Mohammed did a brilliant job. Jason eventually could open his eye and see. What a moment…a huge high! Jason’s inner strength and courage was amazing. ‘Stoic’ was a word that followed Jason.

Mohammed told me how moved he was by watching the interaction between mother and son and felt privileged by knowing Jason and being part of it. Mohammed was very soft in his mannerism… deep kind eyes. Standing in Jason’s room, Mohammed shared a little of ‘his story’ with me. Mohammed was sent to Ottawa by the Saudi Arabian government to be trained as a neurosurgeon. When he was a boy in Yemen he would walk miles in the desert with no shoes, carrying his baby brother who had hydrocephalus. He was taking his baby brother to see a neurosurgeon, Dr.LeBlanc, who volunteered in Yemen. He operated out of a tent, just him and one nurse, keeping it as sterile as possible. Yemen being a very poor country didn’t have any doctors that could help Mohammed’s baby brother so this was his only chance. Spending time in this tent, Mohammed knew then, that Neurosurgery was what he wanted to do. His brother had a shunt implanted into his brain and still to this day 25 years later he was still doing well. ‘An amazing surgeon’ said Mohammed. Dr.LeBlanc saw something in Mohammed. Dr.LeBlanc invited Mohammed to come to Saudi Arabia to start his education. Mohammed eventually received a letter of recommendation which was his ticket to come to Canada. Mohammed, not speaking English,  conversed with the staff of the neighboring British Consulate to learn basic English and his ‘ABC’s’, as he put it. If I remember right, Mohammed came to Ottawa in 1995. He showed up at the University of Ottawa with his letter of recommendation in hand and they accepted him. Mohammed came to the Civic in 2005 and now here he is with my son after performing a successful surgery with Dr.B. He told me that this was how he could give back.

I was honoured that he shared this with me and I felt a real connection at that moment to this man. He expressed his immense admiration for Jason and how wonderful it had been meeting Jason’s family. I thanked him for all that he had done for Jason. He was very courteous, expressing how sorry he was about the 7th(facial) nerve but that they weren’t God. I told him that they were close enough to being God in my eyes.

Jason walked back into his home 7 days later.