Unit
9
All
is not lost
1. It was the beginning of my profession as a nurse. I worked in
the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of neurology ward. As a young professional, I wished
to save the world. I was excited to see patients making quick recoveries from
devastating accidents, yet I was pained to nurse those who were struck with
acute neurological disorder.
2. One day, standing at the bedside of a young bus-accident victim,
I wondered if she could make the same recovery as others. Hira had received
severe head and spinal injuries as she was hit by a speeding bus while crossing
a busy road. I took her lifeless arms in my hands and tried to do several
exercises on her but in vain. Also, I made her younger sister come and talk to
her, thinking that the voice of a near and dear one might activate the nearly
dead neurons. She could see but not talk. Her eyes showed a certain
helplessness. I could read her mind through her eyes. Perhaps she wanted to
say, “Please help me.”
3. A fellow nurse came near me and asked, “Rahila, what are you
doing? Fighting a lost battle?” I was shocked at first to hear a colleague
making a hopeless comment. Then I replied, “I’m trying to make her brain
process her sister’s voice. Also, I am doing my best to ensure that her arms
and legs get proper exercise. This might help her walk like a normal person.”
Meanwhile, a senior doctor on duty, walked in. He gave me an ironic smile and
said, “If you spend most of your duty hours on one patient, we will have to
recruit more nurses to attend to other patients. Please go and see other
patients. We do not have much hope for her. I don’t think that she can ever
walk again”.
4. I was upset. The advice to leave the
patient unattended did not seem right. I knew that she had suffered from major
neural damage, but she needed to be given a chance. An inner voice somewhere
within me spoke, “Try once for her.”
5. I went to the senior nurse and told her
that I wanted to help this patient and work with her more closely. The senior
nurse looked at me with utter surprise and remarked that she had orders from
the doctor in-charge to shift her to the general ward. The doctors thought that
she was a hopeless case and the bed must be spared for other patients. I was shocked
to hear this. The patient’s family also requested me to help them fight the
case.
Something needed
to be done. I could not leave my patient fighting a lost battle on her own. I
made up my mind to risk my career and help the patient. I requested the senior
doctors to allow me to attend to this young helpless patient. Somehow, I was
able to make the patient stay in the ICU.
6. I continued to work on Hira. But she was
not making much recovery. I felt as helpless as she was to see her lie on bed
in a miserable state. Could I be able to justify my stance before the senior
doctors? I did not lose hope. I continued to work with patience and kept doing
exercises with her. Gradually, I could see her making a slight recovery. One
day, I was thrilled to see her lift her little finger. All was not lost!
7. I was sent on a three months’ training
course to Karachi. I made all possible attempts to leave my patient in good
hands. I returned after three months to see my patient’s bed taken up by
another. My feet froze to the ground. I did not have the courage to ask, “What
happened?”
As I
stood near the bed with several questions popping in my mind, I felt a gentle
pat on my shoulder. I turned around to see a young woman, smiling at me.
“Are
you looking for your patient?” she said and gave me a big hug.
"Thank
you for everything you did! I know you did not allow them to make me lead a
crippled life."
8. I
stood still, until her family came around with big smiles on their faces. Thanks
to Allah, she was my patient, standing and walking on her own feet. I could not
recognize her without the machinery and tubes around her body.
9. She
walked on crutches, which she would leave in a few months. I was so glad that I
had done those exercises on her to keep her limbs in motion. I was glad that my
efforts bore fruit. But most of all, I was happy that Allah Almighty had helped
me win a lost battle.
10. She
and her family had entered into a considerable bond of friendship with me. I
was humbled by their sense of gratitude towards me. I felt a sense of renewed
strength in me. 'Where there is a will there is a way.' I was proud to be a
nurse.
A. Answer the
following questions.
1. Why did the
nurse ask Hira's sister to come and talk to her?
2. Why did the
nurse disagree with the doctor's point of view?
3. Why did the
nurse ask herself the question: "Was it worthwhile to oppose and fight the
decision of senior and more qualified surgeons?"
4. Describe some
qualities of the nurse in the story.
5.
Why did the nurse say: "Where there is a will there is a way"?
B. Rearrange
these sentences in correct sequence.
1. We do not
have much hope for her.
2. As a young
professional, I wished to save the world.
3. I could not
leave my patient fighting a lost battle on her own.
4. I was proud
to be a nurse.
5. One day I was
thrilled to see her lift her little finger. All was not lost!
6. The advice to
leave the patient unattended did not seem right.
7. We do not
have much hope for her.
8. One day,
standing at the bedside of a young bus-accident victim, I wondered if she could
make the same recovery as others.
A.
Match column A with column B.
Column
A Column B
beside
prove myself right
ironic
decided
made
up at the side of
justify
my stance conveying opposite sense
D. Use the
following words in sentences first as verb and then as noun.
care, walk,
surprise, request, need, state
A.
Rewrite the following paragraph. Put in article "a" "an"
"the" to replace>where necessary.
'Where there is
> will there is > way' is > famous proverb. Many > wise men
has approved it.
It is > altogether wrong notion to ignore it. > people who
adopt this fine
> principle, find > ultimate victory. > man who does not >
upon this rule
cannot succeed in > life. What > lesson it has > for all of us!
B. Recapitulate
your previous knowledge about Direct and Indirect Narration and answer the
following questions.
1. Can you
identify the tenses of the reported speech of above examples?
2. What are the
rules to change direct statements into indirect statements?
3. What are the
rules to change interrogative sentences?
4. What are the rules
to change imperative sentences into indirect speech?
D. Change the
narration of the following sentences.
1. He said to
him, "What are you reading?
2. He said'
"You have made a mistake."
3. She said,
"Do not waste your time."
4. He said to
me, "Will you watch drama tonight?
5. She said to
her sister, "Please listen to me."
E. Complete the
sentences given below with the given compound prepositions.
along with,
according to, in front of, away from, because of .instead of
1. my teacher,
it is a great book.
2. He had to
retire ill health.
3. I am standing
the school building.
4. He is coming
his friends.
5. I am my home
right now.
6. He left for Sialkot
Lahore.
7. He couldn't
attend the seminar his brother's marriage.
F. Write the
Past Perfect Continuous form of verb in brackets.
1. Saleem was
sitting on the chair, out of breath. He (run).
2. We (walk)
along the road for 20 minutes when a car stopped and the driver offered us a lift.
3. I (do) my
homework for two hours when my friend came.
4. They (take)
exercise since morning.
5. The patient
(cry) with pain for two hours when the doctor arrived.
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