CHAPTER 79

2026-07-31

Caring for and accompanying Lun inevitably brings emotional ups and downs. This time, however, my spirits were lifted a little when I realized that a pair of slippers my late wife had left behind happened to fit Lun perfectly.

Unfortunately, Lun's condition has not improved. Instead, new problems have emerged.

At 8:55 p.m., I arrived at the psychiatric ward on the third floor of the hospital. When I entered Lun's room, I found him restrained to his bed. It was the third time in two months that he had been placed in restraints.

The moment he saw me approaching, he struggled to lift himself up and waved his only available left hand, trying to use my hand to help free him. When he realized he could not move, he protested angrily.

I was not surprised. Earlier that afternoon, the doctor had asked for my consent to restrain Lun temporarily to stop his constant pacing. The aim was to prevent the newly formed blisters on the soles of his feet from worsening and becoming infected. Preliminary blood test results showed that antibiotics were not yet necessary, which gave me some reassurance.

When I arrived the previous evening, both the group home staff member accompanying Lun and the nurse on duty told me that his emotional state had become even more unstable. During the twelve hours after I had left that morning, although he had eaten his meals, he had spent almost the entire time pacing anxiously until I returned for my shift. Medication had to be given to ease his anxiety.

We removed both of his socks to examine his feet. Three toes on his right foot had developed blisters. The blister on his big toe was noticeably swollen and filled with fluid. The large blister on the sole of his right foot had already burst from friction and had begun to dry. His left foot was in somewhat better condition.

The sight was heartbreaking. It reminded me of what had happened at the group home in June. Despite the psychiatric team's dedicated care, the same situation had happened again. I was deeply shocked and, inevitably, discouraged.

The nurse immediately cleaned, disinfected, and dressed his wounds. Afterward, I helped him change into clean clothes and brush his teeth. He was completely exhausted. Once he climbed into bed, he slept until eight o'clock the next morning - a total of more than ten hours.

The moment he woke up, he almost immediately resumed his pacing routine.

Seeing Lun's condition firsthand enabled his attending psychiatrist to better understand the concerns of both the group home staff and his family. After discussion, the medical team concluded that preventing infection in his feet had become a priority, as they did not want his condition to become even more complicated.

That morning, a female healthcare worker who brought breakfast showed genuine concern for Lun. She suggested replacing his closed-toe shoes with open-toe slippers so that his toes would no longer keep striking hard surfaces, hopefully reducing further injury.

After thanking her, I left the hospital and went straight to the group home to discuss the matter with the staff on duty. They told me that a specialist had already prescribed custom-made slippers designed specifically for Lun's feet, although there was no update yet on when they would be available.

As a temporary solution, I decided to buy emergency slippers immediately - open-toe slippers with adjustable straps that could securely hold his feet in place, preventing his toes from extending too far beyond the front and hitting the ground or other hard surfaces.

I bought two pairs at a supermarket: a wider pair for wearing socks and a narrower pair for wearing barefoot. When I returned to the group home for Lun to try them on, both pairs proved to be too narrow.

Then I suddenly remembered a pair of pinkish-purple open-toe rubber slippers that my wife had worn for years. They were still in our bedroom, tucked beneath the small cabinet where I keep her belongings. I was sure she would not mind lending them to Lun. I went home, cleaned and disinfected them, and brought them to the hospital.

The evening-shift nurse had been instructed that Lun's restraints could be removed whenever I was with him, and everything went smoothly. Once the restraints were released, Lun calmed down. Upon checking his feet, we found that his left foot had improved, while the dressing on his right foot would need to be changed by the day-shift nursing staff.

Before bedtime, I helped him try on Mom's slippers. They fit perfectly.

A cherished keepsake instantly became an everyday necessity. I hope they will help reduce the wear and tear on his feet. After spending the entire day rushing from one place to another, things had finally begun to move in the right direction, bringing me a measure of comfort and relief.