(The following piece of writing was posted by my mother, Hena Anam, on her Facebook account on October 25, 2023)
A few days ago, I posted a writing on social media, before my son’s birthday. I wrote a tribute for my son, Tawsif Anam. This was not my first writing about him, as I had done so few years ago also. I thought that there are many who love him and would be eager to know about his journey.
In that post, I mentioned something crucial. The struggle with his illnesses and how he fought back and later became tough and strong by the Grace of God.
Today, I sat again to write and there is a compelling reason for that. Why?
Tawsif was feeling slightly unwell for a day or two. After my recovery from COVID-19 in 2022, he started to take on more responsibilities. He thought more about my health as I was having lingering side effects of COVID-19. Taking care of me was an additional task. But that did not make him deviate from his regular job.
We mother and son understand each other very well, and we try not to make any mistakes or ignore important things in life. When Tawsif was feeling unwell, he checked his blood pressure with a machine that I used during my illness last year. His blood pressure was slightly low. He thought that maybe he was sleeping less.
I still feel that he is my baby boy, and so I cannot take any chance when it comes to his health. I asked my son to make an appointment with the doctor and accordingly I accompanied him to the clinic. Lots of lab tests were done.
As evening was approaching, I started to feel restless. I asked him whether or not he was checking MyChart for his reports. Finally, the test results started coming one after another. Everything seemed good. At one point, I noticed that he looked disturbed. I became anxious.
Upon questioning, my son said that there was slight issue with cholesterol level. I became more anxious and asked him to read the numbers.
I did not have my spectacles nearby, and I could not wait to look and find it. Yes, his cholesterol level is slightly high. I could understand that it is not something to be very scared of, but it is worrisome for sure.
He never had any greed about food. Tawsif avoids heavy and greasy food. He tries to maintain a healthy diet and eats mostly homemade food.
I was shocked. He is not the kind of person to have this problem. He has an absolutely balanced lifestyle. God is always Great. The doctor advised that physical activity would help. In addition, he has been asked to avoid carbohydrates and red meat.
I meditated for a while, without any kind of disturbance. Eventually, the mother that I was, when he was a baby, emerged again. I have to work on my most important job, that is, to take care of him. This is just the beginning. Ensuring that he gets enough sleep and maintains a healthy diet based on the doctor’s advice has become my job again. Tawsif is still my baby boy. I seek prayers from all. Thank you.
