CHAPTER 89

2026-09-03

Being discharged from the hospital marks the beginning of a new chapter. We have all experienced Lun’s hospitalization firsthand, and having done everything within our power, we can now leave the rest to fate.

Lun was discharged on Wednesday. On Tuesday, his attending physician called and said that, before discharge, the doctor needed to go over the discharge arrangements with his parent - namely, me. I already had an appointment before noon to go to another hospital to have a heart monitor fitted. In the end, we arranged for me to meet with the doctor on duty at 9:00 Wednesday morning. The doctor on duty and the team would give priority to patients scheduled for discharge that day.

I arrived twenty minutes early Wednesday morning. Lun had already entered his usual walking-machine mode. Because his throat was hoarse, he kept making low-pitched sounds of protest. At exactly 10:00 a.m., the medical team was still in a meeting.

In the meantime, Lun followed his usual routine. First, he lay down on the floor to brush his teeth, then changed his clothes, getting ready to go to bed after his meal.

His eating routine went as follows. First, he ate the McDonald’s Happy Meal hamburger and fries I had brought him. Since the hospital provided milk, I kept the McDonald’s milk for myself. Next came Garden’s Hong Kong milk wafers. He ate all six cream-filled wafer layers, separating and eating them one by one. When he still wanted more, he finally ate the two pieces on the top and bottom, which contained less cream.

For the remaining time, I cut or broke up the main-dish food and fresh fruit into small pieces and put them on a small plate. Whenever he paced over to me, I fed him a small piece. Recently, he has also been able to hold his own bowl or plate and eat by himself while pacing. If he showed an intention to return the bowl or plate, I would block him with a hand gesture and ask him to continue eating. Although he made a lot of noise, he remained cooperative.

I repeated this request several times, and eventually he was able to finish the various foods and drinks on his meal tray, including dairy products, vegetables, and fruit.

Because I could see that he was gradually losing weight, I always arranged my visits around his mealtimes, so that, of his three meals each day, I could at least help him finish one.

Would the staff sent by the group home proactively encourage Lun to eat more? From what I have observed in practice, it varies from person to person.

After waiting for one hundred minutes, the doctor had still not finished the meeting. Since I had to leave for another appointment, I left first.

Having lived in Canada for 38 years, I have long since become accustomed to the possibility of being stood up. Canadians tend to be easygoing; they handle things according to their own rhythm and can be rather casual in the way they do things. Perhaps because Canada is such a vast country, transportation and communication are often somewhat hit-and-miss. As long as everyone remains polite and courteous, that is often good enough. As for how doctors communicate with one another professionally, I only look at the outcome and do not investigate further.

Ferry delays are commonplace. When drivers and tourists are interviewed about their impressions, they often simply shrug and smile, expressing only mild dissatisfaction before carrying on with life as usual. When pedestrians cross the road, they do so with complete confidence, knowing that Canadian drivers are generally caring and law-abiding. Few look carefully in all four directions. At least half are looking down at their phones. Everyone is minding their own business; who would suddenly bear a grudge and run you over?!

Back to Lun. He also knew that he was being discharged today and had already become extremely impatient early in the morning. In the evening, I went to the group home to visit him as usual. He was as agitated as ever, much as he had been when he was first admitted, but his appetite was very good.

My conclusion is that, because Lun cannot speak, traditional psychological and emotional counselling is of little use to him. At the same time, the medical team lacks specialists experienced in treating people with special needs, leaving medication adjustments - its type, dosage, and combinations—as the main means of treatment.

Fortunately, the hospital has referred Lun to the Developmental Disability Mental Health Service (DDMHS) under the same health authority. Community Living BC (CLBC) has also referred his case to a behavioural therapist.

The group home has increased its overnight staffing by one additional person to provide one-to-one care for Lun’s safety.

Everyone has now done everything within their power. All that remains is to leave the rest to fate.