Istanbul, I am almost there
But then a sudden stroke
Puts me into Intensive Care
Unable to leave my bed ever again, I heard
Only 50 years old
Isn’t this life absurd?
Relatives, doctors and machines, all have their say
However I sometimes wonder
‘Could there be another way?’
I cannot find sleep at night
Dear guardian angels
I thought you would be forever by my side
No doctors who speak Turkish, nobody I can understand
Except that one nurse
Who daily holds my hand
Nodding my head, pointing my fingers
I wish I were able
To speak fluent English
Cheerful in front of my family
Yet feelings of desperation
Are now a vast part of my inner reality
Seeking distraction in writing
But only for a while
Why did life become so very frightening?
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The study (reference 2013/371) was approved by the ethics committee of the university Vrije Universiteit Brussel in December 2013.
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Van Keer, RL. Intensive Suffering. Intensive Care Med 42, 277 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-015-3977-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-015-3977-9