Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Am i positive?

    There was another problem. Brian didn’t learn that he was positive yet. It would be hard to tell him that truth when his grandmother Samantha was there. Hussain had an idea. He talked to service doc and convinced him to take Brian from the room as he was going to X ray from his head. Normally control X ray should have been done, but they usually do it near bed. But this time, they did out of the room. Samantha asked and they replied.

“We didn’t want you to exposure X rays.” they said. So, Samantha didn’t have any suspect about the situation.

Brian had his X ray and after that, Dr.Hussain met him. He told him they needed to talk.

“Brian, i have to tell you something. We need you to start these meds. You should take them daily. Ok?”

“Oh, why doc?” worried and suspected Brian.

“Well, i am sorry but they had a blood test just before you were taken into the surgery when you were staying in ICU.”

“About what? Oh, is it HIV?” asked excitingly Brian.

“Unfortunately, yes, Brian. You are positive. But the good thing is we got that earlier. It is the beginning of the infection. So, we should start therapy. And also, we had confirmation test results today indicating that you are certainly positive. So, we will start therapy. I didn’t want to tell you this near your grandma. You should hide this fact from her for a while. She was very sad and felt very bad during your stay at ICU. She was very depressed and you know what? She turned back to life from death. Her heart was about to stop, Miss Gabriela gave her electroshock. So, please don’t tell her, ok?”

“Oh, no sir. I was worried and expecting, but not that fast.” started to crying Brian.

“I don’t know why this event happened, who fought you and i don’t know why but look from good side. If they didn’t do this test, we were going to do test a few weeks later. So, you have a chance to start therapy earlier and i arranged your and Alex’ group health insurance and meds arrived today alhamdulillah. Just think like you have a diabetes. They have to take their meds on time and they have to be careful what they eat etc. So, you have such a disease if you take care of yourself well and follow our controls and visits. So, don’t worry, medicine is working on HIV. Inshaallah they can have a clear solution for this virus. Ok? Now take these meds.”

“Ok Sir, thank you. How is Alex by the way?”

“He is ok, he was taken to the infectious disease service. He has another infection now. So, we understand that he had this virus kinda long time ago. Because, his immune system is not good right now. You are luckier than him, because you are diagnosed at early stage. keep praying for him, insha Allah we can save him, ok?”

“Ok Sir. I appreciate all you do for us. If i had a brother, he would not do that much for me. I really appreciate doc. I really love you and i feel very happy to know you.”

Hussain smiled and did let workers take him back to his room. Hussain was feeling happier to start therapy for both Alex and Brian. But he still have the pain being late to know them. Because, he feels he had to protect them from drugs.

Brian and Samantha was doing very well, doctors decided to discharge them the next day. But Alex was not doing well. He was falling asleep, fever was high even though antibiotics and antifungals. Hussain came to him with Brian. Hussain tried to talk to Alex, but was not responding.  These infections was all over his body. They had tomography and they found out his brain has also being under effect of HIV. Hussain turned to Brian,
"Brian, we did all we can for Alex. Unfortunately, it seems like it is very late. He takes antibiotics, antifungals, anti HIV therapy. He has a lot of infections all over his body, even his brain. He seems like he is very close to the end of life."

"Oh doc, am i going to die like this? "

"Alhamdulillah, you are not that late. If you follow our advices carefully, if you take your meds regularly, you can have a long healthy life. I know such patients living long and healthy. But poor Alex, he was very late to be diagnosed."

"My poor friend.. Bad friends and drugs and finally HIV became the reason of death in a very young age. "

" Hey, don't talk like that. Maybe Allah will let him get rid of this situation. He is still alive. You never know.. "

" Yes but, look at him. I wish i could have stayed away from drugs. "

Alex is dieing

They left room. After a few hours later, nurses called Hussain urgently. Alex’ heart was about to stop. Hussain and Brian ran into the room, he tried his best but... Alex didn’t respond again, he gave his last breath. Hussain and Brian was so sad. Hussain said something in arabic. Brian asked what it means,

"It means that "Indeed we belong to Allah , and indeed to Him we will return."{2/156}. When we hear that someone died, or a bad new, we Muslims say that. "

“Wow, you Muslims have a very close connection with God. You guys always remember him.”

“We should, but we are all human. We have nefs ( lower self ). Unfortunately, we forget sometimes too. A person does bad things when he or she forgets Allah.”

“I look forward to join our first meeting this Thursday night.”

“Well, now we have to do our last duty to poor Alex. May Allah forgive him.”

“Amen…”

They joined Alex’ funeral ceremony. Brian told them he was not a religious boy. He never heard anything from him about God or Jesus. But, they did funeral ceremony as a christian. But, there was not much people. The priest, Brian, Samantha and a few workers. Hussain stood up nearby them. He prayed according to his beliefs. After funeral, Brian asked why he didn’t stand up with them. Hussain said,

“You know i am Muslim, my praying style is different. So, i wished to pray by myself, because i feel guilty, i should have met him before all of these happened. I should have saved him.”

“Oh ok, but why did you stand up?”

“My prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) was sitting and talking with his friends. At that time, a Muslim funeral was going to the graveyard, he stood up, after a while a Jewish funeral passed nearby them, he also stood up too. So, we take care all humanity. We don’t hate people just because they are not Muslims. In our holy book Qur’an says,

“There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.”{2/256}

So, that’s everybody’s own choice. Everybody is free to choose their religion. Islam is certain. It is a religion of peace.”

“But, we hear crazy things about Muslims. They are killing people, even Muslims and saying that victims were not Muslims. Who decides who is Muslim or not?”

“That’s a very big provocation, fitna. In Islam, killing a person unfairly is like killing all humanity.

“Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors.” {5/32}

Nobody can know who really believes or not. We have to act according to what they say. In my prophet’s (PBUH) time, there were hypocrites. They were saying that they were Muslims, but actually they were working for fitna. But Rasulullah (Allah’s prophet) P.B.U.H. acted like they were Muslims. He PBUH didn’t kill them. In one war, one of his friend was about to kill a non Muslim. He begged him not to kill him and he said “I accept Islam now, please don’t kill me. I swear, i witness there is no God but Allah, and i witness Muhammad PBUH is his servant and prophet.” But he killed him. Rasulullah P.B.U.H. heard about that, asked him why he killed him even though he said so. He said,

“He said so because of death fear. He actually didn’t believe.”

“Did you open his heart and check that out?” asked Prophet PBUH.

He didn’t like that situation. He never became willing to fight, kill. Jihad is not only killing for Allah, jihad is vitalizing people with invocation of Allah, bringing them the beauty of Islam. But, unfortunately, nowadays, some malignant people take an advantage of ignorance of people, even non Muslims. They make them believe the religion they fabricate, and they kill other Muslims with them. It is so sad. We have to work against these things. We have to learn real Islam and help people know it, even non Muslims. Because, all people around the world, even little kids, girls, boys are under risk of this fitna. May Allah protects all of us.”

“You talk very nice doc. I am happy to hear all of these from you. I didn’t know much about Islam before you. And all i know was just the news, etc i heard. All were bad things. All were about blood and tears. Thank you for informing me.”

“It is a pleasure for me to talk to you about real Islam. Now, if you wish, let’s talk about your HIV. You remember, you gave blood tests just after you were discharged from hospital?”

“Yes ,sir. How are the results?”

“Well, HIV RNA is kinda high around 200.000. That’s normal, we were expecting like that. Good new is your CD4+ T lymphocytes are bigger than 500. It shows your immune system is good right now. But, you have to take care of yourself very well. Sleep well, feed well, stay away from stress. Alright?”

“Sure Sir. But you know life is very hard. My grandmother has been like a kid after heart attack. She is very emotional. She cries when i don’t do her wishes. And, she will probably lose her job. I need to find a job soon. I left school. I have no girl friend, no job, no money, no health...How can i stay away from stress?”

“Give me list what you need at your home. If you accept it, i can buy your need at home monthly.”

“Oh sir, thank you so much, i can’t accept it.”

“Please man, we are brothers in creation. Our father is same, first prophet “ Adam”. Let me help you. Allah gave me, so i need to help people as a thank to Allah.”

“Oh wow, i have to ask my grandmother.”

“No, don’t ask her. Accept that until you find a job at least then.”

“Ok Sir. I accept it as an owe. I will pay it back,ok?”

“No problem. If you get rid of all problems, you can pay me so much later.” smiled Hussain.