My first meeting with Chelsea

Since we moved here in Karawaci Tangerang - West Java I was looking forward to meet Chelsea. I never met her in person before and I just knew her by name only from Alimin's sms. I heard her place is very close to where we live, but we just moved here and I knew nothing about Karawaci area. We finally learned a little about Karawaci's map and able to go to church on Sunday. We decided to find GRII Karawaci where Alimin was attended. During the service I looked around trying to catch a glimpse of her profile, but unfortunately I could only see the back of people's heads most of the time. And if I waited until the service was over, I might lose Chelsea in the crowd. I didn't even know whether Chelsea went to church that morning or not. I had no options but tried my luck.

Unexpectedly I spotted somebody at the podium that looked really close to Chelsea's image in the photo that Alimin gave me. She was singing in the choir. I was almost 100% sure that it was Chelsea, actually. I was happy that at least it would be much more easier to find her in the choir's group. It was a blessing that I finally able to find and meet Chelsea after the service was over.

Standing face to face with Chelsea, I found my self speechless. I did realize, what could I say to comfort her other than all those cliche words. It was about a month since Alimin passed away and the grief was still hanging heavily in the air. Even for me, it was still so hard to accept that God "changed" our plan to gather money for Alimin. A part of me still hoping that at least we could give Alimin more reason to live by let him know that so many friends love and care for him. I knew if it was so hard for me, how even harder it was for Chelsea. So I introduced my self and just hug Chelsea without really able to say anything. Then I followed her to the Sunday School's class room to picked up Keisha and it was at my first sight when I know that Keisha bears the image of Alimin. It was a wonderful moment to me, looking at the image of my friend in the life of little Keisha.

Chelsea and Keisha, I believe you were very special and dearly in Alimin's heart. As a friend of Alimin I want to say thank you to you for bringing heavenly happiness to Alimin' life. I believe the years when you were together, it was the golden years of Alimin's precious life.

God be with us...

informasi rumah duka

Saudara kita Alimin saat ini disemayamkan di rumah duka Siloam Gleanegles Hospital Karawaci, Ruang A.

Kebaktian Tutup Peti :
malam ini. Senin, 8 December 2008, pk.19.30
di Rumah Duka Siloam Gleanegles Hospital, Karawaci
Dipimpin oleh team dari GRII Karawaci

Kebaktian Penghiburan :
Selasa, 9 Desember 2008, pk.19.30
di Rumah Duka Siloam Gleanegles Hospital, Karawaci
Dipimpin oleh Pendeta Andi Halim (dari GRII Ngagel Surabaya)

Kebaktian Pemberangkatan Jenazah :
Rabu, 10 Desember 2008, pk. 08.00
di Rumah Duka Siloam Gleanegles Hospital, Karawaci
Dipimpin oleh team dari GRII Karawaci

Kebaktian Menjelang Kremasi :
Rabu, 10 Desember 2008, Pk.10.00 di Krematorium Oasis Lestari, Bitung
Dipimpin oleh Pendeta Andi Halim (dari GRII Ngagel Surabaya)

For more information
please SMS Andrianto's cell number : 0812 812 1620

Thank you friends for all prayers and comforting words from all of you.
We continue gathering the fund through Pakta's account and Alimin's account. We will send all fund that has been collected to Chelsea.

Rest in Peace, Alimin 1974-2008

Surrounded by family and friends,
gently whispered the sweet song I Surrender All
Alimin passed away in peace tonight at 21.30 pm.
He is now safe and sound in his Father's hands.

Tenderly, may time heal our sorrow
Gently, may family and friends ease our pain
Softly, may peace replace our heartache
And may warmest memories remains ...

You did well my friend
We will miss you very dearly
But we don't need to say good bye,
just until we meet again ... brother.

update by 7.54 pm

blood pressure 65/35. Heart pulse 50 ...

What God has not let go, we should not let go ...

Preparation to let him go

Hospital did some final tests this morning. Alimin's condition remains the same, no response anymore. Hospital will soon stop all medications. Chelsea decided to keep the breathing support machine and the nutrition through IV.
She wants to wait until God's perfect time to let Alimin go.

Soli Deo Gloria

Chelsea's sms

Andrianto passed Chelsea's sms (by 12.17 pm) today. Doctor said Alimin's condition is declining. He didn't give any responses to stimulations. If his condition remains the same for 1 x 24 hours it means Alimin's condition is irreversible. Hospital will then perform some tests before making any decision to stop all medications. After that, everything will be in Alimin's family's decision to take off or to sustain the breathing support.

Andrianto's visit's report

Because my location is in Surabaya, I totally depend on Andrianto (Sien An)'s report about everything that is going on with Alimin. Since Alimin was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure last March, Andrianto always in contact with Alimin and I can say that he is practically the only friend that Alimin can pour his heart's content out. They often talk on the phone on the way home from work, while fighting Jakarta's highly crowded streets, trap in traffic congestion.

These few days Andrianto squeezed in opportunities between his busy working office hour to visit Alimin in the hospital. I have no idea at all about the distance between Andrianto's office and Global Medika Hospital, but I'm sure it's not relaxing trips to go back and forth like that. I really appreciate what he has done to Alimin's family and also for this blog. Andrianto is always diligently sms or call me every time he gets any news regarding Alimin. He is also diligently spread this blog to his colleagues who are completely strangers to Alimin, talk to them to participate for Alimin. What a friend he is. I'm glad he is one of my team members.

Anyway, yesterday Andrianto was there with Alimin. Alimin has'nt made any improvement yet. He was still unconscious but everybody noticed that Alimin did move his arm and react when he was pinched or stimulated on his feet. Even though it seemed like Alimin started to respond, the nurse who was there said that it was just his muscles reaction. It couldn't be used to judge any improvement in Alimin's brain. The doctor was not there at that time. A day before when Andrianto had a chance to meet the doctor he said that Alimin's pupils have dilated and didn't respond, it means that there are significant nerves damage in Alimin's brain.

The other thing that Andrianto also concerned was Alimin's HD (dialysis) schedule. Yesterday was Thursday, it had to be Alimin's regular HD's day. The nurse said that she couldn't provide any accurate explanation, she just knew that Alimin will not get any HD treatment so far. Alimin gets medication and nutrition through IV (intravenous, "infus" in bahasa). The liquid from the IV was adjusted according to his kidney condition.

Alimin's mother has arrived from Sumatra and according to Andrianto, she looked calm and sober. She stood beside Alimin's bed and with a motherly love she talked to him when sometimes Alimin made some movements. Chelsea brought Keisha to hospital yesterday, but she said she couldn't bring Keisha to Alimin's room. Keisha always wants to cling on her father every time she sees Alimin. It was so sad to hear that. Every child has a natural call to feel the love and to express the love to he/her parents. As a mother and a wife I am deeply touched by Chelsea's situation, I can't even imagine the weight of burden she is having now. We will continue praying for Alimin and his family.

Alimin's first response

This morning I received an update. Alimin moves his hands and reacts when he was pinched. His blood pressure was measured 158/95 and heart beat count was 62. There is a new spark of hope when we heard that. Doctor still puts him in heavy medication through IV to stabilize his blood pressure.

Because everything is very hectic right now, we will not be able to give you updates for the total amount we've gathered. It will take some times before Chelsea can check Alimin's bank account. You are also welcomed to send your love gift through PAKTA's account.

in Christ,
Like

Alimin is in critical condition

This morning Andrianto called me and brought a shocking news about Alimin. He got a stroke and is in critical condition. Early today, around 5 am in the morning Alimin woke Chelsea up. He said he felt nausea, but then he fell back asleep and snored. Later Chelsea couldn't wake him up. She called ambulance to rush Alimin to Global Medika Hospital. Alimin was examined in the ER and doctor found bleeding in his brain. His condition remains critical until now (by 12.55 pm).

Chelsea sent an sms to Andrianto and he quickly rushed to Global Medika to be with her and Alimin. Alimin is still unconscious, he is in coma. The bleeding presses his brain stem. Doctors says they can't do anything except waiting and hoping that Alimin's condition will improve by itself. The kidney complication also makes brain surgery a challenging option to treat the stroke. So not much doctors can do for now except hoping for a miracle.

Some relatives and friends from GRII Karawaci are there to be with Chelsea and Alimin right now. Alimin and Chelsea planned to baptize their daughter this Sunday. Please pray together with Alimin's family during this stressful moments.

Recent Photos of Alimin

Temporary 3 times a week dialysis

Following Alimin's critical condition last month, Alimin is still on three times a week dialysis (Hemodialysis or HD) until today. Doctor plans to continue three times a week HD treatment for a month to prevent fluid retention(swelling) in Alimin's body. We will continue posting any updates regarding Alimin in here.

Meanwhile we are starting to launch this blog widely. This fund raising is supported by PAKTA Persekutuan Alumni Kristen Universitas Kristen Petra. Do not forget to write " For Alimin" on your transfer's slip for administrative purposes. You can also transfer directly to Alimin's personal account, please find the information on the right column. We plan to add PayPal for worldwide donation.

If you need any information or assistance please feel free to contact me through email : likeyang75@yahoo.com

For you who want to learn more about kidney disease please scroll down to the links on the side bar of this blog.

new update : A Horrifying Night

At midnight on 27 October 2008 Alimin suddenly experienced short breath. He was immediately brought to Emergency Room and being cared for in ICU of Global Medica Hospital. His condition was very critical, his lung was half filled with water because of his kidney trouble. Alimin sent sms two days later to some friends asked for prayer supports. He described his experience that night as horrifying. He thanked God that he has been given a chance to live longer.
Since that night Alimin has to have temporarily three times a week dialysis. He was on two times a week dialysis before (every Wednesday and Saturday). He lost 8 kg.

For friends who know Alimin's phone number, please do not rush to call him. He needs a lot of rest. Last time there were too many phone calls that made Alimin very tired physically and emotionally. An sms will do and a prayer will be greatly appreciated.

Please continue to support Alimin financially in this difficult time.
BCA 1090643858
a.n. Alimin

chronology

One day in March 2008 Alimin was not feeling well. He felt weak, nauseated and dizzy. He didn’t immediately take it seriously for he was generally healthy and rarely had any significant problems with his health. His only remarkable illness was high blood pressure that once made him fainted but it was long time ago when he was still in his twenties. Alimin decided to take his health situation more seriously when the symptoms persistent for more than one week. Alimin thought the worst case would be typhus which was very common in Indonesia. He went to hospital on March 17^th and out of his expectation doctor immediately ordered him to check in for hospital stayed right away. The day after, Alimin went through several laboratory checks in Siloam Hospital and the result was a huge shock that never crossed his mind before. On March 19^th Alimin was diagnosed for positive chronic kidney failure. His creatinine level was 12 (normal 1,7), ureum level was 264 (normal 67). The X-ray result showed that both of his kidneys had shrunk into 7cm x 4cm (from normal 12cm x 5cm). His kidney was only 15% working.

The news was beyond shocking for Alimin and his family. He was then immediately put in twice a week dialysis which was becoming another real nightmare. The only good news was his other vital organs like heart, lungs and liver were all healthy and well functioned; which was a big point for his overall health. Doctor explained that the only hope for a chronic kidney failure was kidney transplantation. Without new kidney Alimin will always need to do dialysis for the rest of his life.

Since that day Alimin spends every Wednesday and Saturday for dialysis. Alimin has been struggled so much to adjust with his “new life”. Now he still can work but he is weaker and slower.The damage in his kidney affects overall function of his body.

introduction to Al's story

Teman kita Alimin mendapat diagnosa gagal ginjal kronis pada bulan Maret 2008 yang lalu. Tanpa ada gejala-gejala yang mencurigakan sebelumnya, tiba-tiba diketahui ginjalnya tinggal berfungsi 15% saja. Sejak saat itu Alimin harus menjalani cuci darah dua kali seminggu sampai hari ini dan masih akan terus berlanjut sampai waktu yang tidak menentu. Satu-satunya harapan kesembuhan bagi Alimin adalah cangkok ginjal yang tentu saja disertai dengan segala resiko kesehatan dan biaya yang sangat tinggi.

Sekarang Alimin dan keluarga sedang berusaha menabung supaya satu hari nanti harapan untuk cangkok ginjal bisa tercapai. Sangat berat bagi keluarga Alimin untuk bisa menabung karena biaya untuk cuci darah, tes rutin laboratorium, dsb juga merupakan pengeluaran besar. Setiap bulan biaya kesehatan Alimin menguras biaya sekitar 7 juta. Sementara dana yang dibutuhkan untuk cangkok ginjal adalah minim Rp.500.000.000,- Secara jujur Alimin tidak akan bisa mengumpulkan dana sebesar itu kalau tidak ada bantuan dari orang-orang yang mengasihi dia dan mau bersama-sama berusaha bahu membahu mengumpulkan dana untuk Alimin.

Kondisi kesehatan Alimin sangat penuh tantangan. Sementara dia belum ada dana untuk cangkok, bersamaan dengan itu keadaan kesehatan dia juga berpacu dengan waktu. Alimin merasakan kalau nyawa dia itu seperti selalu berada di ujung tanduk setiap harinya. Sangat tertekan dan sangat menguras emosi bagi Alimin dan juga bagi keluarganya.

Saat ini Alimin berdomisili di Jakarta bersama istrinya Chelsea (Tin Chai Shia) dan anak perempuan mereka Keisha Steffi Winata.

Rekan-rekan yang terbeban berpartisipasi mengisi tabungan Alimin dapat men-transfer langsung ke rekening bank Alimin : BCA 1090643858. Atas nama Alimin.