When I received a message with this poster from Siloam Hospital I was pretty psyched. Not only because the seminar was related to the brain and memory problems. But the speaker was my doctor, The Rocksy! So hell yeah! I immediately signed up eventhough my condition is not dementia nor Alzheimer 😄 What I had in mind was "Kapan lagi!?!"
I planned out everything. From asking SiBapa for permission to what time to arrive at the hospital to get the best seat. I'm the kind of person who like to ask questions so yeah... Sitting arrangement is important 😋 I left home early because I wanted to grab something to eat somewhere near the hospital. I knew they provided free lunch. But enjoying a meal around PIK sounded more appetizing than eating from a box.
I arrived at the hospital early. The hall was still closed and the event organizer seemed very busy doing this and that. It was already 12pm but the door wasn't open yet. I didn't mind to wait because I brought the new novel I just bought. But minutes later I did start to worry because I didn't see lots of people coming. I mean... I thought the hall was gonna be full you know!?! But what I saw was less than expected. I was like "Huh??? Bener kan seminarnya hari ini??? Tanggal, hari, jam, ngga salah kan??" 😅 I was relieved when the door finally opened. I went immediately inside and sat right in the middle on the second row. I had a perfect angle to see the screen and where The Rocksy would stand. Yet still... There was no guests other than me and maybe 2-3 people 😳 Finally more guests came and had lunch on their chairs. While waiting for the seminar to start I had a chance to observe the attendees. Most of them were... Young. I mean... Possibly younger than me 😆 And they came together in couples or more. I couldn't help not to think who and why they were in the seminar. Are they The Rocksy's patients? Are they here because they wanted to help others? Maybe a friend or their loved ones? Or maybe they attended the seminar just because they're interested in dementia and Alzheimer?
Anyway... I went back to Malibu Rising and then suddenly the woman in front of me said hi and asked questions. It started pretty basic like "Udah lama datangnya? - Kok belum mulai ya udah jam segini? - Sendirian? - Ngga makan?" etc. And theeeeeen she asked "Pasiennya Dr. Rocky? - Sakit apa? - Udah berapa lama berobat di sini? - Dapet obat apa? - Kalo kambuh kaya apa?" and she going on and on and on 😂 I did answer some of her questions AND gave hints that I wanted to go back to my novel. But she wouldn't stop talking!!! Aaaaaaaaaand she said "Bentar aku pindah ke situ deh!" Wakwaaaaaaaw! 😂 She sat right in front of me! Thank god I put my bag on the chair beside me. Maybe if my bag wasn't there she would sit right next to me. I did answer some of her questions but luckily she was the one who did most of the talking 😂 I think in 15 minutes I know more about this woman's life tragedy than my family members' 😅 Thankfully a couple of women came and on the same row. Lucky me the first cici started to talk more to the women who happened to be sisters 😆 She said something like "Ayo cerita ngapain nih ke sini? Ayo sharing!" 🤣 And they did! The sisters told us that they attended the seminar because they were worried of their father's condition 😢 So yeah... I was off the hook until the seminar started 🤣
I was even more relieved when The Rocksy finally came and I watched her getting ready for the presentation. Yet still.. The hall was half empty. There were 2 sides of chairs but only 1 side was full. But I guess it was time to start. The moderator said thank you and so on. He asked us to stand up. "Kita dance dulu supaya semangat! Yang paling ok nanti dapat hadiah!" Oh mein Gott! 😂 It was that kepala-pundak-lutut-kaki dance and as predicted I fucked up when the dance got faster. BUT I WON!!!! 🤣 Why???? Moderator: "Ibu yang pakai blazer kuning terlihat paling semangat! Ayo kita tepuk tangan dulu buat ibu!" 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Thank you Siloam Hospital 🙂
Alhamdulillah the seminar finally started. My doctor saw me and we 👋🏼 at each other excitedly. Kaya ketemu gebetan 😂 During her Welcome - Thank You speech there was something she said that made me sad. The Rocksy said something like: "Jujur saya sedih loh... Yang daftar padahal banyak sekali tapi yang datang cuma setengah aula." I don't know about her but I was pissed. I was like "So typical. Daftar aja dulu. Dateng atau ngga liat nanti." 😒😒 So disrespectful. Well. Fuck 'em. Their loss. Right doc?!? 😉
The Rocksy started the seminar and it was very interesting. I've been her patient since god knows when. But last Sunday was the first time I attended her seminar. The way The Rocksy explained things, the material on the screen, pretty much everything! Padat, singkat, menarik dan penuh makna 😃 So... Dr. dr. Rocksy Fransisca V Situmeang, Sp. N 😉 During those 2,5 hours (?) I listened attentively to pretty much every word she said. Although I knew I would forget about most of it after 2 hours later 😅 While the other attendees took pictures of The Rocksy's presentation, I wrote down the questions I wanted to ask. I mean come on! I bet you can ask for the material probably via e-mail! But you can't have the master presenting it in your living room. Right? Anyways... It was Q&A time. I immediately raised my hand 😂 Surprisingly most of the attendees did have questions. It was... Somewhat...relieving? I mean... When I listened to the questions I was like: Oh I'm not alone... Oh he/she has it worse... Alhamdulillah aku ngga separah itu... And so on... Sad but true. I also shed tears when a woman shared her story and asked about what to do for the rest of her life with that kind of condition 😢 I couldn't help not to think "Ya Allah hidup kok gini amat ya..."
The gloomy aura of the hall became lively when it was time for The Rocksy to answer questions. We as attendees were enthusiastic to listen to her professional answers and some couldn't wait to pour their feelings out. An embarassing moment happened when my doc mentioned (and pointed at me?) my name while she explained about how important it is to keep you brain busy. It can be as simple as writing a diary. From storing your what-to-do list in your memory instead of saving it on your cellphone to "Main piano tuh kaya Ibu Farika!" Everybody turned their heads on me! Hadeeeeuh 😅 The Rocksy did mention that she watched videos of me playing piano on my instagram. She also explained to me the positive impact of it for the brain during my last check up. But I didn't expect her to say it in front of other people! Kesannya kaya jago padahal amatir pisan 🤣
And then it was time to end. I was only an attendee but I was pleased to witness the moment when the moderator ACTUALLY had to apologize that the seminar was completed. It means that the attendees including me really enjoyed and captivated by The Rocksy's seminar 😊 Aaaaand it also means that hopefully more people want to learn about dementia and Alzheimer. From what it means to how to deal with them. That it's best to pay more attention to the symptoms rather than ignore them and say "Ya maklumin aja lah kan udah tua!" ..... How dangerous lack of sleep and stress are to your brain. How childhood trauma can come back to haunt you... And that the people who are closest to you can be the one who fuck up your brain. How important it is to get professional help as soon as possible. And many other things.
Because when the damage is done, there's no turning back. There are medications and therapies. But there's no cure. When your brain is hurt, the scar will always be there. Some become even wider and deeper until your brain finally shuts down. Forever.
To dr. Rocksy. Thank you so much for such an interesting seminar. I hope you'll do it more often. And yes! I will definitely be there! 😉😄
*Taken Friday, October 4th at Siloam Hospitals Lippo Village Ballroom*
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