Terminally ill.

Terminally ill! Dad had aggressive incurable liver cancer. His days were numbered! Doctors told us it could be as short as 6 more days and 5 months at the most! The news hit our family like a bomb! We had no idea what to do. The following is a rough chronological record of the 7 weeks we spent with Dad before he went home to glory.

It is my desire that through this record, readers will be better prepared to help loved ones through a terminal journey. There were many unexpected beautiful family reconciliation moments during this painful journey. These last 7 weeks was Dad’s last lap and definitely his best lap! 

1st July 2020:   Our family heard the doctors' diagnosis. Dad was discharged the next day.  The treatment and medication recommended by 4 doctors differ. We were confused as to what medication and treatment to best use for Dad. However, several of the doctors told us we should let Dad know his terminal disease as soon as possible although they did not tell us why.

I texted several doctor friends to ask for advice. Two doctor friends very kindly called me back to advise me on Dad's condition. A church friend Cheng Yee (CY)who was a retired head matron from the UK texted me to advise that the Selayang palliative care unit could be very helpful in this final journey with Dad based on her experience with other cases. That night, I researched on palliative care in Malaysia and found out that indeed the key trainer for palliative care Dr. Richard Lim is based in Selayang Hospital. Dr. Richard Lim was responsible for training palliative teams in 20+ other hospitals in Malaysia in this field. He is also one of 3 key trainers in palliative care in South East Asia. 

3rd July: Dad had very intense pain at about midnight. He told the family he would rather die if he had to deal with such intense pain. It was traumatic for us to see Dad suffering because the painkiller worked only after 40 minutes. Meanwhile, my daughter Sue Ann contacted her doctor friends for more advice. I asked the Yeong family to pray that Dad and mum would consider going to the palliative care unit at the government Selayang hospital as our family always strongly preferred the private hospitals. My youngest sister Irene helped to get a referral letter to Selayang Hospital early that morning.       

Since we did not know how to manage if dad had another pain attack that weekend, I intended to persuade my dad to try SPCU. Mum immediately stopped me, saying dad would never consider a government hospital. Dad however told mum he wanted to hear me out. To my surprise, after I had shared calls and texts from my doctor friends and my research on Dr. Richard Lim, dad agreed to go.

At the hospital, Dr. Loke spoke to dad in Mandarin and examined him while another doctor keyed in notes and information from the medical letters. Later Dr. Richard Lim also examined dad and put him at ease by speaking in Hokkien.  We received the medication and instructions on how to care for dad. We reached home in time for lunch that day. On the same day, I received a call from Hospice Malaysia in Cheras (HMC). They made an appointment to visit dad. At this point, we had not disclosed the actual terminal situation to him.

That first visit to register ahead with Selayang PCU is important. This allows the doctors to key in all the data about Dad’s medical condition based on physical assessment, medical reports, and scans from his earlier doctors. Registering meant I could call their careline during working hours and speak to a doctor and ask for medical advice. In these 7 weeks, I have called the palliative team more than 25 times. Each time I spoke directly to doctors and received immediate competent advice.  Registering also allowed dad immediate access to palliative daycare during office hours without the long queues associated with most government hospitals.

5th July Sunday: CY visited our family at home in Setapak. She taught our whole family how to handle Dad's medication. We made carefully handwritten notes on the printed notes printed for every single sibling. She advised us to draw up a duty roster (married siblings) to assist the main caregivers - my brother Chai and his wife Kuan who lived with parents. Her professional help made us feel more confident.

Family learning up Dad's medication and treatment from Cheng Yee.

Dad's initial 10 medication clearly labeled

                                                  Handwritten notes on Dad's medication help us

Dad’s major pain episodes reduced visibly after that first visit. We were taught to always ask him what his pain level was and to administer painkiller at level 5 as it would take some time for the painkiller to take effect. Dad’s energy level improved and his earlier breathlessness had disappeared.

A few days later we noticed the swelling on his feet and legs gradually increased.  I called SPCU care line and spoke to Dr. Cindy Teoh. She taught me how to give the necessary medication to reduce the swelling but told me it would take some days before the swelling would go down. 

The swelling rose up from the feet upwards

9th July 2020.     Dad’s feet and scrotum swelled and the urination issues made him miserable. We decided to take dad to Selayang hospital to resolve it. At the hospital, Dr. Cindy talked to me at length about the importance of letting Dad know that his condition is terminal while he was still lucid enough to decide what he wanted to do to put his affairs in order. She said he (big boss mentality) in particular would be absolutely frustrated to find out his condition is terminal when it is too late for his body and mind to do anything. 

Earlier that week, we had tried several times to tell Dad about his terminal situation but we chickened out at the crucial point. So I told my brother Meng we have to try to tell Dad again and he had to be there to help me. So that Friday night, after dinner, we sat Dad down at his office table and finally managed to tell him the bad news that his disease was incurable. What was Dad's response?

He announced he wanted us to take family photos and he instructed me to put it up on his favorite media -Facebook. He announced he wanted to have a family dim sum breakfast on early Saturday morning. Normally I would shy away from early dim sum breakfast in view of the distance from Cyberjaya but in view of the fact that we had limited time and opportunities to take dim sum breakfasts with Dad - I quickly agreed and rallied the extended Tan family to join the breakfast. We also re-started our old family ritual of Sunday dinners that weekend.

Dad requested for a family photo moments after
he knew he had limited days to live. 

Family morning dim sum

4 generational family Sunday dinner ritual re-started. 

Why do we have to tell the patient he is terminal? Can we ignore the elephant in the room? Why not? The doctors’ medication can ease physical pain but there is no medication to ease emotional pain. Often patients who have not yet resolved emotional issues hold painfully on to life. They lived on in misery (both them and their family members) even though their bodies cannot function anymore.

When I told Dad this, he understood immediately. Dad began reaching out to reconcile with many family members. I have never seen Dad (the big boss) apologized to anyone but during this period, Dad’s heart was tender and he apologized and forgave. The emotional reconciliation and forgiveness was the most beautiful part of our painful journey. And Dad told us painful stories of his childhood – stories he had never told us for 87 years. Emotional healing came to him and us as he shared these stories.

Over the next few weeks, the swelling in dad’s feet and scrotum reduced completely, but his phlegm got thick and sticky. Hospice nurse, Bazilah, recommended using a nebulizer, kindly loaned to us by hospice. We learned how to use it effectively. Dad told us very clearly he did not want to die in the hospital alone and we were to nurse him at home as long as possible. 

My siblings rallied around dad, taking turns to feed Dad medication, monitor his temperature, blood pressure, bowel movement, sleep patterns, and reporting it in our siblings’ chat group with Chai and Kuan bearing the bigger burden as they lived with Dad.  I keyed in the data in my excel sheet. If there was a new issue that we did not know how to address, I would call both SPCU and also HMC. The tremendous competent medical support available through phone calls was a great relief to me and my family.

When the swelling on his feet was gone, dad regained balance and mobility and started exercising on the balcony. We were quite cheered by the improvement. Dad sang praises of the doctors at SPCU who used the right medication and reduced the swelling in 2.5 weeks. He was amazed as that same swelling had troubled him for more than 7 months since December 2019. 

Dad starts to exercise again after 7 months. 

23rd July 2020 Thursday:     Dad fell on the floor in the night while trying to go to the toilet by himself. He was in great pain and was simply so miserable. I asked him if I could pray for him. He said yes desperately - "Please pray for me." I laid hands on him and prayed aloud for the pain to reduce and for wisdom on what to do. I asked Dad what we should do and which hospital he wanted to go to. He asked me to decide. So I called SPCU and consulted with the doctor. I expressed my concern about his pain especially if he had to wait a long time for treatment and pain relief. I was assured I could wheel dad straight in for treatment. The doctor also taught us to administer the first dosage of a stronger painkiller at home and to bring more medication along. I also texted my church to pray. 

At SPCU, Dr. Loke was there, ready to assist dad and treat him immediately. She helped Dad relax and made him comfortable. How thankful we were that dad had no fractures or broken bones. Dad was full of praises for the doctors who had treated him so promptly. A few days later, I sent flowers, fruits, and a TQ letter to SPCU for their outstanding prompt care of dad.

Letter of appreciation to SPCU

Bouquets for SPCU doctors and staff. 

That Friday, Dad's barber came to the house and cut his hair. Rosie, my church friend visited with flowers for Mum. Dad was simply delighted to see his dear friend! Rosie did the yum seng cheer with him as in days of old but using Chinese tea. Dad's bp and heartbeat improved significantly after Rosie's visit. Chew Kor and Judith also visited Dad with home-brewed chicken essence for both Mum and Dad. Dad and Mum were greatly cheered by the visit with plenty of singing and laughter. Our weekly yummy delicious family dinners were very happy times. We learned some new songs as Dad sang his favorite song solo. Mum also sang her favorite song. Laughter is a very good medication even during this terminal journey!

Rosie's visit and yum seng cheered Dad and Mum greatly.

Dad sings his favorite song solo happily
from a song sheet with an enlarged script.

Chew plays the harmonica to accompany Dad's singing.
  

Dad gifts Chew with his beloved antique abacus. 

8th August 2020: We celebrated Dad's pre early birthday with Cheng Yee inviting our church friends -the Pang Yeows buddies to sing. The happy songs and dancing really cheered Dad up. This was the first birthday where he was not allowed downstairs but probably it was his happiest birthday. He was like a little boy captivated by the balloons, festivities, and cake with family and friends singing his favorite songs. We celebrated his birthday several more rounds - on Sunday and also on his IC date on the 11th of August 2020. 

Rosie's beautiful birthday decorations for Dad.
She burnt the midnight oil to get the deco ready.

Dad laughing like a little boy
totally captivated by his birthday celebrations. 

Dad insisted on holding the rainbow balloon deco himself
and the birthday deco should be part of the family photo.

Singing and dancing with joy to dad's favorite songs.

16th Aug Sunday night     Dad was in great pain as he could not swallow his painkiller. I called the hospice emergency careline. I was taught to administer the medication by propping dad up on his side and pumping it gently in via a syringe into his mouth. Hospice nurse Bazilah visited regularly. There were many clear signs that the disease was progressing. Towards the end, we were concerned that dad would have another pain episode when he could no longer swallow the liquid painkiller. She fitted dad with a patch to administer the painkiller and dad was also fitted out with a port so we could inject medication in the event he could no longer intake medication orally.

I am truly grateful for the support of the SPCU and HMC. On the days I didn’t call them, the doctors would try to contact me to check if dad was okay and that we were medically prepared for weekends. Dad had different issues from time to time, for example, not being able to read, hard stools, hallucinations, etc. I found out there was medication available for many issues and we can make the patient as comfortable as possible even though he is dying. The tagline “Die with Dignity” became real for me for the first time.

Whatapps text from doctors at SPCU when I didn't pick up their calls.

Two days before Dad died, on 20 August 2020 which was a public holiday Awal Muharram, Dad insisted everybody come home to our Hot Spring's house. He said he had a special announcement to make which he wanted everybody to hear. The minute we entered the house, Tee Yam, our youngest sister asked us to empty our wallets and give her every bit of cash. She said Dad wanted to make angpows with hard cash. The banks were closed since it was a public holiday.He did not want IOU or cheques. He only wanted hard cash. When we asked what the announcement was, Dad said it was not yet time. After his dinner at about 7.30 pm. Dad said he wanted us all in his bedroom. He was in a very jovial mood.He asked Chai to emcee like a Hong Kong TV talk show and ask us to sing songs and perform items. Finally after many fun filled moments and all sorts of announcements, Dad said he was ready to announce the real deal. He said he had 3 grand prizes and he actually wanted to make more prizes but since all our total solid cash only amounted to RM15,000/- so he could only made 3 prizes. First prize went to Mum, 2nd prize to Tee Yam and last prize to Meng, all with RM5000/- which he say was their prize. Since Tee Yam is the accountant, she returned all our 'borrowed " cash the next day on Dad's instructions. To me, this was Dad's way of saying sorry to family members. The day that Dad died 22^nd August 2020,was a Saturday. His breathing was extremely belabored and noisy. We called hospice emergency at 9.45 am. Nurse Steffernie taught us how to improve hisbreathing. To our amazement, Dad’s breathing improved so much that we could sing 9 of his favorite songs. At one point, Dad actually conducted our singing with his arms open wide with gusto and ordered my sister to dance. Three hours later at1.30 pm, dad slipped away peacefully with 4 of us physically holding his hands and touching his heart while other family members were at his bedside at home.  

P/S    I returned loaned equipment and sent gifts and a letter on behalf of our family to express our thanks to Hospice Malaysia, Cheras.

Flowers and gifts for Hospice nurses. 

Letter of thanks to Hospice Malaysia.

On my way back from hospice,  a car bearing the number plate DAD 26 loomed in front of my car. Somehow saying the unusual car plate brought me joy. Was that Dad speaking his approval to me from heaven?

A stroke of genius and a stroke of love

The stroke struck me on  6^th October 2018. It was challenging to craft this post. In the early days, I typed a rough diary on the computer since I could not write physically and I didn’t want to later forget those early daily details. That draft was rough - with plenty of mistakes. So for the first part, this post is in chronological order. I hope it will help people with family or friends going through stroke or some crisis recovery. I also want to give hope there is recovery and meaningful life after stroke.

Our 2-year-old granddaughter Emma pacing me
through physiotherapy exercises.

6 Oct 2018 Saturday, 8.55 pm:

We had just finished dinner in Cyberjaya. A few minutes later, I had deftly keyed in my PIN at the ATM there and got the money out successfully without any issues During the 5 minutes ride home, I felt numbness in my right hand and couldn't move it. On reaching home, I could not lift my right leg to walk. My husband Jason helped me place a call to my friend, Dr. Tan Guat Ming as my right hand could not scroll the phone screen. She was very sharp and immediately detected the slurring in my voice. She instructed Jason to admit me to the emergency ward of a hospital.

We decided to go to the nearby Putrajaya hospital. Meanwhile, Jason sent an urgent prayer request to Pastor Kim and she posted in our church’s prayer group at 9.05 pm. The emergency people immediately wheeled me in. Preliminary tests revealed that I had lost the reflex to swallow saliva, so they inserted a tube through my nose to prevent me from choking on my saliva. Prayers for my healing poured forth continuously from church and friends. Our family rushed from Setapak to the hospital. Friends from Rawang- Chris & Serena rushed to Putrajaya and prayed for me.

The hospital wheeled me in to do the CT scan. The scan results showed left basal ganglia acute hemorrhage with right-sided hemiparesis. The bleeding area measured 3.2 cm (AP) x 1.6 cm (CC) x 3.6 cm (CC). They told Jason to prepare for the worst-case scenario. I could further deteriorate and may not regain mental and physical functions, and I could have a second or third stroke soon. 

The night, my blood pressure shot up dangerously high. Jason slept in the hospital room with me. He had the reassurance from God I was going to be ok despite the negative reports. However back home while gathering his clothes for the night, he had a major meltdown.

7 Oct Sunday:  About 8.00  am, I noticed I had some control over my right hand. This increased by noontime  and by evening, I could lift my right arm over my head as recorded in a video to Ibu Evie from Jakarta. That day the hospital removed the drip. It was a great relief to use the toilet without the drip. Ps. Irene visited with flowers and Dad & Mum and the Tan family visited just before dinner. Christy – my loving sister in law visited.  Sue Ann also got back with leave granted from her boss.  I was transferred to a 4 bedded ward that night as my single bed ward was needed for a psychiatric patient.

8 Oct Monday: Lying in the hospital bed, I was weak and slept a lot. My lopsided mouth caused me to drool unconsciously and eating was rather messy. My right hand did not grip well. I dragged my right foot along rather than lift it up to walk. I did not walk steadily. The physiotherapy team found I did not have the kinesthetic reflex to touch my nose. I was given exercises to train my brain to rewire itself. At 11 am, Kee Boon and Lay Suan visited me. Ps Irene brought me yummy porridge for lunch.  Lay Kein and Chris visited at the evening slot. The speech therapist came and cleared me to be discharged. But it was too late as no senior doc could sign my discharge. So I spent 1 more night in the hospital.

Kee Boon and Lay Suan visit me in hospital.

9 Oct Tuesday:  I want to thank the doctors and nurses at Putrajaya Hospital for their dedication despite the patient overload. Each morning, junior doctors would come and get the case history of the patients by reading the medical postings and talking to the patients. They then later presented this to the middle-level doctors who would ask many questions or correct their findings. Finally, before noon, the 2nd level doctors would present their cases to the senior doctor. I saw a lot of mentorship and serious learning taking place amongst the doctors. The doctors and nurses were thorough and patient.

The Pang Yaus visit me in hospital and we had a happy singalong session.

That last day in the hospital more friends visited. Kim & Christine visited with lovely orchids. They had to park at the police station! The security guard helped find parking for them.  The parking must have been horrendous! The pang yaus brought much food. Lydia cooked chicken porridge, Wai Wha bought mee sua with greens and lean meat and Trixie bought multi-grained porridge. Peter Oon played on the guitar and I responded by singing “I will follow Him” We all came to the happy realization that my brain and mouth were functioning well enough for me to sing. Andrew Seoh prayed for me and helped send my stuff home to Cyberjaya.  

I reached home at about 3.30 pm. Once home, Jason felt it was safer for me to use the downstairs room until several weeks later when I graduated upstairs. Sue Ann flew off that night. Emma helped me eat the pang yaus delicious and nutritious food.

10 Oct Wednesday:   Rosie brought my mum and dad to visit. Rosie brought lovely fragrant small orchids. Sue Jan and Andrew helped send their grandparents home.

11 Oct Thursday: Jason took me to Assunta Hospital to see Dr. Raihannah. Judith sent her homemade fish porridge there.

12 Oct Friday: Jason took me to Pantai to see Dr. Sng Kim Hock, recommended by a dear friend whose husband is a specialist doctor. My bp was erratically high that day. He gave me 2 weeks supply of 5 mg Amlodipine. He scheduled me to do MRI and MRA on the next week. Sue Jan, Andrew, and Emma came with more food from Judith. 

13^th October Saturday: Jason had to leave the house for a meeting. Two pairs of long ago ex-students with their wives came to the rescue and babysat me at home. Wai Wha &Tang  Chee came with yummy fish head noodles. Tang Chee played my guitar. Hearing and watching him play made my heart and hands itch to play too. So after he stopped, I went and fiddled with it. I managed to play “The Moon represents my heart .” on it. That helped me know my fingers’ functions had improved considerably. I was very happy and grateful to be able to play the guitar again. Bryan and Joanne came shortly after and we had dinner together. 

Wai Wha & Tang Chee, Bryan & Joanne babysit me with much food for me and family.

14 Oct Sunday: After her sermon on pottery, Ps Kim invited me to give my testimony of God’s amazing healing in me. That night, my bp was a bit high as I went to sleep anxious over the scheduled MRI and MRA the next day.

15 Oct Monday:  I woke up with the song “Part the Waters Lord.” I knew God was speaking to me and my anxieties were calmed. Even though the scans was unusually long, God had sent His peace ahead through the song. Later, Dr. Sng explained that I had miraculous healing! He showed us the areas that had profuse bleeding. It narrowly missed the part of my brain that controlled limb movement. Much to Dr. Sng’s relief, it was not an aneurysm.

The bleeding area in my left brain.

I was on home confinement for 3 months apart from church and hospital and safe places. There were so many visitors to our home at first that the guards thought someone had passed away. I am thankful for Madam Siva, my long-time physiotherapist at Damai Specialist Hospital, Jalan Ipoh, KL. She has helped me tremendously, both by her expertise, care, and specifically designed exercises, which empowered me to sign documents approved by my bank.

On the first month anniversary from the stroke, I reached a new milestone, clocking the first 13,289 steps that day but all under Jason’s eagle eye.’ We did 3 consecutive days of over 10k steps after that.

Prior to the stroke, I had agreed to speak at a girls’ camp. During the period of recovery, I didn’t know if I could speak. I texted Ms. Moey to find an alternative speaker. She said she preferred to pray me through if I still wanted to do it.  As I waited on God to direct me, He spoke clearly in a song Oceans.

Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever you would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Saviour.

The bridge spoke most clearly. It wasn’t about me and what I could do. More, it was about my Saviour Jesus Christ and where He would lead me. So I agreed to Ms. Moey’s request. I was overjoyed when 7 girls received Christ after the talk.

The 7 girls who were added to the kingdom.

Domestication & Quality Living

As part of the physiotherapy for my hand, I had to hand knead bread dough regularly. Much to my joy, I was able to make fluffy soft bread by January 2019. Kneading and baking soft bread was the start of domestication for me. Meals were home-cooked, using organic herbs from our garden and salmon caught by Jason. Later on, I also learned to make mushroom soup and other traditional food using Google. When my friends visited me, they often took home our herbs to plant and grow. I learned to propagate plants – for example, some water lilies. I even sent sunflower seeds to people who requested for them, some even as far as Kuching.

The joy of hand made fluffy bread.

I felt very much fulfilled during the 3+ months of home confinement where the big baby was me, with plenty of support from everywhere. Old friends and ex-students from KL and beyond whom I haven’t met for some time made it a point to visit me in Cyberjaya and we just caught up happily with one another. I didn’t use any alarm clock but woke up when my body felt I had enough rest and lay down to sleep when I felt fatigued. I walked regularly. Walking 33 continuous days of over 10,000 steps is something I have never done in my life. I enjoyed spending much quality time with family and friends. 

Even after I was able to drive alone, I still enjoy staying at home. It felt lovely to have no obligations to do anything or follow any schedule. All my adult life, there had been schedules and things I felt I should do. Suddenly nobody expected me to do anything except to get well. This was the most pampered period of my life! Not having a schedule gave me the freedom to cook nourishing food which I brought when visiting sick friends. I was glad to be of help and comfort walking them through the crisis they faced just as I had been helped by others.  I found my unstructured days very therapeutic– I could bless as I had been blessed.

The hospital and Dr. Sng did not see the need for me to continue any medication. I was also advised to stop taking Chinese medicine or herbs as they could spike my pulse rate.  I even stopped using my usual vitamins. Instead, I decided to start coconut oil pulling to improve my immunity. I monitor my BP and pulse rate regularly and I have learned to keep track of what spikes my BP and pulse rate and to depend on God and prayers to calm me. I have a calming ritual before I sleep. I have not fallen sick at all after the stroke and I am grateful to God for keeping me well.

One calming ritual was to spray the 5 plants in my bedroom.

Fulfilling dreams

Prior to the stroke, we had applied to go to Israel in February - March 2019. My last pilgrimage to Israel had been in 1999 and this trip 20 years later was a much-awaited one! However, I wasn’t sure if I could travel safely. As part of the preparation and also part of the  "rewiring brain through hands-on physiotherapy exercises", I intentionally learned Hebrew script and copied Hebrew calligraphy. One reason was I found the large calligraphy pens easier to wield compared to the regular ballpoint pen.

It turned out to be a beautiful 3 weeks in Israel and Jordan. I was so happy to be able to walk the high ramparts from Jaffa Gate southwards together with friends and Jason. We even managed to walk the underground tunnel alongside the Western Wall the same day and emerged at the Arab quarter! It was definitely the fulfillment of many desires in my heart.

Jason and me in Jerusalem.

Can you see our heads above the wall surrounding Jerusalem?
Yes, it was a 20-year wait and dream to walk on the ramparts of this city.

We also had a lovely family holiday in Japan. And I am looking forward to more traveling! Recently I cycled from Cyberjaya into Putrajaya and back around Lake Perdana via several bridges!

https://musingsdebbie.blogspot.com/2019/07/cycling-from-cyberjaya-to-putrajaya-and.html

Why this title?

A stroke of genius and a stroke of love. This stroke has forced me to stop a hectic lifestyle which was not good for me physically and emotionally. Only God by His genius could do that.  I stand amazed and thankful to Christ Jesus my Saviour and Lord that I am 95% healed in such a short time. I thank God that Jason was with me at the onset of the stroke – I cannot imagine the consequences if I had been driving alone. I am thankful to Jason for walking me faithfully through the stroke recovery. I am also grateful for Dr. Tan Guat Ming for taking my call as a friend and her swift diagnosis of my symptoms. These I believe were orchestrated by Father God in His tender mercies.

More love has been poured into my heart from God and family and friends and it is so easy to love as I have been loved. There is no guarantee the stroke or some other disease will not strike again. I rest in the knowledge that my days are not mine but His to extend and I am grateful. There is a desire to lay down my life and ask Him, “What do you want me to do with the extra days you have gifted me?” I want to be obedient to do that which He highlights.

Cycling from Cyberjaya to Putrajaya and back around Lake Perdana

When I first shifted to Summerglades, Cyberjaya in 2015, I would cycle each weekend along the cycling track around Lake Perdana, which was then in its initial stages. Somewhere about June 2015, the track was completed past the big house on the lake. Each weekend, I cycled excitedly to see the progress on the cycling path. Occasionally our friends came to Cyberjaya and had great fun cycling but the sad thing was, we always had to reverse and backtrack because there seemed to be no complete loop. Also, we could see Putrajaya but we couldn't physically cross into Putrajaya.  Something within us wanted a cycling track to complete the loop and to cross into Putrajaya and back.

Well, it has taken some years and maybe this is a sign the new government under Pakatan Harapan has done positive changes in Cyberjaya and Putrajaya. Today, 2nd July 2019 after 3 attempts and under Helen Stefano's super fit leadership and with her companionship and care, we completed 1 loop around the lake from Cyberjaya into Putrajaya and back! Yes!

Google map of our cycling loop

Bird eye view from above PICC

Bird eye view from above PICC with some notes and cycling loop in orange.

The mysterious house in what seemed to be the middle of the lake 

We met our beloved Tun M with his bodyguards while cycling sometimes.
This picture was taken before the elections 2018 in front of the house on the lake.

See the video of Tun M cycling on this trek by copying the following link . https://youtu.be/Hyd1QL6MfWI

Today we started from Summerglades, Cyber 7 and went around the big house on the lake, searching for a connecting road. The reason? Yesterday, we couldn't find the road and Helen had to carry my bike and her bike down the many steps of Seri Saujana Bridge.

Helen Stefano - a true friend who carried my bike down the stairs

Good news! We found the connecting road below the bridge. It leads uphill to the north side of Seri Saujana Bridge. That was why we couldn't find the road the day before! We were looking for the road on the south side! We enjoyed the sleuthing process to locate the missing link. We cycled until the end of Seri Saujana Bridge and then crossed over back to the south side to go to the lakeside track. Seri Saujana Bridge would be my favourite bridge in Putrajaya because of the beautiful curved modern lines. Earlier the lights that change colour on all bridges didn't function well the past few years but I am glad to report the lights on the bridges are now so beautifully bright several months after Pakatan took over.

From here, we cycled up the majestic Seri Gemilang Bridge which faces PICC. Yesterday I wheeled the bike up but today I managed to cycle till past its midpoint and then it was plain sailing downhill ( cycling I mean) all the way down until we reached the PICC front junction.

Me on Seri Gemilang Bridge on 1st July 2019

Helen on Seri Gemilang Bridge. I am a bad photographer.

Seri Gemilang Bridge

Cycling downhill from the bridge to reach the bottom of PICC

There was a safe route we had already explored and knew, below the Seri Gemilang Bridge. But today, we felt adventurous and pushed off again in the unknown to find yet another route to the lakeside.

Below Seri Gemilang Bridge on 30th June 2019

We rode until we saw the junction that went uphill to PICC and downhill to the lake. We entered the lakeside track via the east side of Heriot-Watt University. Heriot-Watt University has the arched green grass thatched eco-friendly roof of the building. From afar, I had seen this beautiful green roof and always wondered what this iconic building was. The completed cycling track helped solve this mystery! For some reason, I feel very happy knowing this. I know I have a strong bias and love  Scotland and her brilliant people like Heriot and James Watt.

Heriot-Watt with her spectacular eco-friendly green thatched roof

Me pointing to the green thatched roof.

Then it was the beautiful scenic sunset view track all the way until Summerglades, Cyberjaya.

Sunset scenic view of the marina

Close up of the marina

Why am I so happy and eager to write about this completed cycling loop? First, for me to be able to complete it is a very good sign I am really getting much stronger and fitter since the stroke struck me on 6th October 2018. I am really grateful to the Lord Jesus who has healed me by His grace. Secondly, I am so happy to have Helen's care, watchful eye and fun girls talk as we ride. I am also happy the sleuthing worked and we figured and found out the roads and paths that connect the cycling track. Now Helen doesn't have to carry my bike and hers physically up or down any steep stairs. Thirdly, Pakatan Harapan has done a lot of good things and spruced up many amenities in Putrajaya and in Cyberjaya! Yes life is good especially when we can connect the dots. LG.

28th July 2019  This evening Jason joined us cycling. We added another loop, going below Sei Saujana Bridge to the Anjung Floria region and cycling behind the iconic Iron Mosque until the Mcdonald. We found a ramp up the bridge and then cycled across Seri Wawasan Bridge and along the road until we joined back the lakefront road near Precint 8. We total 18 km today. Yes! Lovely weather and lovely ride amidst good company. LG.  We have cycled before in Valencia and also in Central Park, New York. But my humble opinion is this cycling loop so near home is one the world's most scenic and easiest cycling route.