Freedom lies in your spirit.

Sai Gon 2010. Early raindrops on a summer day.
Oncology Hospital.

I have passed this place so many times, but today I decided to drop by, again. I just knew that today was the day. No particular reason, it just had to be today.

The hospital was located at the front of a crowded street, where time left its trace on the rusty, crooked walls. Too many people here, hectic walks, glazing eyes, all racing back & forth, making the city seem too small.

That was the first time I had the courage to walk into her room again.


The place was almost the same as I had first set foot here 3 months ago on a school volunteer visit. I met her here – a beautiful 7-year-old in the Pediatric Unit. Everything was pale white, the patchy walls, the wrinkled bed sheet, the chemo bottles, including her complexion. I was almost suffocated by the acrid smell of chemicals and sterilizations. There she was, a little girl whose fragile hands were being taped with infusion tubes.

I came to her and we talked for hours. She told me about her family, her wishes, the doll she took care of, the soup she ate yesterday… Her smiley eyes always shined with excitement, making me almost forget about her sickness, until the reluctant frowns on her fatigue face appeared once in a while when the pain made its way in.

- What is your dream, sweetie? – I asked.
- I want to be free, sis! Freedom is a precious thing. And actually I have travelled a lot around the world! – Her voice shook with joy.
- Really? – I was quite confused.
- Yes! Freedom lies in your spirit, sis! Just close your eyes, and you can be wherever you want.

Then she shut her eyes, slightly tilted her head, and her faded lips curved a bit of joy. Yet I could see a tiny teardrop coming out from the corner of her right eye.

I glanced at the clock. Was it just me or it kept ticking faster and faster?



The path to the hospital was a simple straight line, but the lives here are all somehow broken & twisted. It’s been years, but I still have flashbacks of her smiles every now and then. I remember her smile vividly, but that one teardrop of her, is what I can never forget.


‘Freedom lies in your spirit’, I murmured with my eyes closed.