We’ve been getting a lot of rain today, about two inches since midnight according to the Korean Meteorological Administration. I wish I could send some of that to Laos, which is still in a drought, although Nai tells me that they’ve finally been getting a bit of rain lately. Unfortunately, teardrops are more prevalent in his household today.
His mother, aged 72 or so, has been quite ill for the last 3 months, sometimes in a hospital in Vientiane, but more often bedridden at home. I phoned Nai last night and, in between sobs, he told me that he took her back to see the doctor yesterday and the doc told Nai that there was nothing more that could be done for her and that she had only a few months left to live. From what Nai is able to tell me, I can only surmise that she has some form of cancer or perhaps emphysema. Quite a shock to the family, of course, and Nai’s taking it pretty hard. About all they can do is keep giving her the relevant medicine at home and try to make her passing as comfortable as possible. It sorrows me, too, to hear this, and my heart goes out to Nai and all his family. She’ll be terribly missed–she’s the glue of the family, the mediator, disciplinarian and comforter. Hopefully, she’ll not suffer in her final days and weeks.