Ella got to the hospital and asked the receptionist where her mother was. She was directed to the female Ward.
She got there and saw her mother with an oxygen tube fixed on her. She was on life support.
She looked pale weakly.
Without being told, Ella knew her mother was in a coma. She went closer and knelt by her bedside.
Overwhelmed with emotions,Ella started sobbing. She sobbed until she didn't have strength left in her anymore.
The only person by her side was her neighbour. The old woman had claimed she came over to see her next door neighbour.
When she pushed the door open, on the floor was where she found Sarah lying unconsciously. She held her phone and possibly would have wanted to call her daughter before she passed out.
Miss Kampala explained to Ella and she was sobbing. She needed to see the doctor and know what exactly was wrong with her mother.
Ella stood up and went to see the doctor. Her mother's well-being is what mattered to her most.
Miss Kampala went along with her. Miss Kampala is a woman in her early forties. She was said to have never been married.
Some thought she had a heartbreak that made her unable to love again. But whatever, Ella just knows she's called Miss Kampala.
At the doctor's office, Ella was told her mother has a short time left to live. Her kidneys were damaged and she needed a transplant.
Damaged? When? Can someone just wake up one day and the kidney just got damaged? Just like that?
"But doctor, she doesn't have any symptoms all these while…" Ella tried finding out how sudden everything just popped out.
"She's been aware of it for some time now. I expected her to come for medication but she didn't. Until I saw her brought to the hospital when she totally collapsed…" the doctor explained.
Ella was dazed.
What is the doctor saying?. There's no way her mom could be sick and have such symptoms without her knowing about it.
"But that's not possible, doctor. There's no way my mom will not tell me…" Ella was defending her mother.
"The doctor is right. Sarah has been aware of her condition. Once I wanted to tell you but she pleaded with me not to.
She doesn't want to bother you or make you restless. She doesn't want to add more burdens on your shoulders…" Miss Kampala affirmed.
She had told her friend Sarah to let Ella know about it. She has the right to know but her love for Ella made her see it as adding more burdens to her.
Now, her fears had finally come to be. The thing she was hiding from Ella has been explained to her by someone else, a doctor.
But then,her life was in danger. If she had known about her health condition,she probably would have thought of ways to see her mother fine again.
Ella was speechless.
She stared from the doctor to Miss Kampala and back to the doctor again.
Why didn't anyone tell her anything? She was just getting to know her mother had not been alright at the time when her life was at stake.
Why?
She totally lost interest in saying anything else. What she needed to know now is how her mother was going to survive.
What's her chance of survival? Her mother's life is more important to her than anything else in this world.
"You need to do something fast if you want to save your mother's life" the doctor declared.
He was staring at Ella. It appeared she's the only relative the patient has got. Looking at her, he wondered if she would be able to raise such money to save her mother.
Ella cleaned her tears and asked " what can we do now and how much are we talking about?"
At least she's still got her salary intact. She had thought getting double of what she used to earn, they would be able to have some savings after clearing the bills.
But if it has to be spent on her mother for her to be alright, then, so be it.
"I'm sorry to announce that the only possible way to save your mother is through a kidney transplant.
Running a dialysis for her costs a lot of money and is not the solution to the damaged kidney except having a transplant…" the doctor went on explaining.
Ella wasn't hearing anything else. A lone tear dropped from her eyes. A transplant?
Where is she going to get such money from? Her dad hasn't known a thing about them for the past two years.
They live and survive all by themselves. She's willing to donate her own kidney if it matches. That would reduce the cost.
"...in total you will be needing approximately $445 for the hospital bills and surgery.
If you have a donor, or wants to donate your kidney if the comparability test comes out positive, it will reduce your expenses.
But if not, you may have to pay more than the $445 I said earlier…" the doctor concluded.
When Ella heard $445, she lost her ability to stand properly. She gently moved close to the seat she once refused earlier and sat on it.
Where on Earth is she going to get such money?