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Saturday 6 October 2007

Oh dear, dear Boboy...

During my last visit to the home of the new guardians of Lily’s children, I was there to explain to them on how to fill up the form for PAF application, as the new guardians weren’t too sure how to go about.

I was informed by the aunt that everything was fine. The children were doing okay in school while Boboy who had problems with his kindergarten teacher (after the teacher found out Boboy was HIV positive) had stopped going to the old kindergarten. However the guardians were already contemplating enrolling Boboy to a new kindergarten nearer to their home.

After a few visits to the children’s new home, I was under the impression that the new guardians no longer have any worries about taking care of Boboy. (Read about the uncle’s earlier dilemma here.)

A few days ago I called the aunt to find out if she had any problems in filling up the PAF form. I was surprised by her answer.

The Aunt: “Eh, kami tak jadi hantar borang tu. Abang takde bagitau puan apa-apa ke?” (Abang here refers to her husband.)
Me: “Bagitau apa? Dia takde cakap apa-apa pun kat saya…”
The Aunt: “Kami dah hantar Boboy ke KL. Mak sedara dia yang kat KL tu suruh hantar dia pergi Rumah Pernim. Bukan apa puan, kat situ dia orang taulah macam mana nak jaga budak-budak yang sakit macam Boboy ni.”
Me: “Habis tu, kakak-kakaknya macam mana?”
The Aunt: “Budak bertiga tu masih tinggal dengan sayalah.”

Aarghh! I was heartbroken. I was worried initially when the uncle brought up the topic earlier, but eventually I was given the impression that they were abandoning the idea of sending Boboy elsewhere. As a matter of fact, they were already talking about enrolling Boboy to a nearby kindergarten… surely that meant they were already willing to take care of him!

My guess is that the turn of events took place when another aunt working in KL made all the arrangements and convinced them that the shelter home was the best place for Boboy, even if it meant he had to be separated from his sisters!

Sensing that I was taken by surprise, the aunt tried to convince me that they did it out of their love for Boboy. “Rumah Pernim tu tak jauh dari rumah mak sedara dia puan. Boboy pun nampak happy je kat sana dapat ramai kawan. Lagipun raya nanti dia balik. Kalau puan nak nombor telefon tempat tu saya boleh bagi.”

Oh I already have the phone numbers of shelter homes for HIV kids. I was just disappointed that the boy had to be separated from his sisters. First he lost his father, then his mother… and now this?

But I’m trying to be positive about this…

The family does intend to visit (I hope they meant it) from time to time and Boboy will also be coming back from time to time during holidays and special occasions. They are not sending him away for good. They’re just sort of sending him to a “boarding school” (but at a very tender age).

The other positive thing is that Boboy will have many new friends at the shelter home. I guess that’s why the aunt mentioned that Boboy looked happy at his new home.

One thing I do know for sure is that the lady running the shelter home is a very motherly, loving and caring person. Come to think of it, I think Boboy will have better spiritual upbringing at his new home. I hope Boboy will get better motherly care over at his new place. Click here to find out more about the home.

Yes, I am disappointed with the fact that Boboy is separated from his own siblings, but I’m still trying to think positive here (more to put my mind at ease actually!).

All the best to you my dear Boboy. May you find love and happiness at your new home…

11 comments:

david santos said...

Hello, pi bani!
You are not sad, because God is Great e goes to look at for Boby! Congratulations
Have a good weekend

winniethepooh said...

We can only hope for the best and trust in God that He must hv his reasons for putting boboy in that children's home.

*hug hug Pibani* at least we know for sure, there will be one who will always be there keeping a look out for boboy..U! :)

cheer up yea!

Pi Bani said...

Hi David!
Thanks for your kind words. You have a great week ahead!

Winnie,
Yeah, God's plans are the best of all. Boboy is now under the care of a very loving lady whom I'm sure will be a good "mother" to Boboy. Thanks Winnie!

Pak Zawi said...

Pi,
Give it a try and see how Boboy reacted to the new situation. I would love it if Boboy be allowed to stay with the siblings till he grow up abit more. Taking him away from the siblings so soon could be a shock to him.

Pi Bani said...

Zawi,
I don't have any rights whatsoever to decide on what's best for Boboy. All I can do is advice (and that, trust me, I have done) but at the end of the day it is up to the rightful guardians to decide. I myself was caught off-guard when told that they had already sent Boboy to the shelter home despite having explained to them earlier about how the virus spread etc.

But I will definitely keep track of Boboy's progress at his new home.

kina said...

Oh dear,

Poor Boboy...

I hope the new place will bring many happy moments for him. Being away from familiar ppl and surrounding at such an early age, might be dramatic for him.

I sincerely hope that he will be taken care of and happy there, every child deserves it.

My love for Boboy (berlinang airmata ni when typing this, sedih sungguh!)

Anonymous said...

A 'boarding' school might be good for Boboy. But...it would be even better if all the siblings are together at this 'boarding' school.
Anyways, Allah knows best what is best for Boboy and his siblings.
-niasulaiman-

Pi Bani said...

Kina,
Yes, let's hope Boboy will be happy at his new place. And I also hope the uncle/aunt will visit him often so he won't lose touch with his sisters.

Niasulaiman,
That's just it... the uncle won't let go of the girls but strongly feels that Boboy needs to be taken care of by someone who's more knowledgeable on HIV/AIDS. Sudahnya separated jugak lah budak-budak tu.

Typhoon Sue said...

i think the uncle/aunty, like many ppl out there, feel that they are not prepared to care for HIV kids. perhaps it's fear, i dunno. whatever it is, when the guardians are reluctant to care for him for whatever reasons, i think it is best that boboy goes where he is accepted as he is. too bad about the separation, but like we all know, everything that happens ada hikmahnya.

Nightwing said...

Hi Pi,

Hope things will turn out for the best. And i also hope that the uncle will bring the sisters to see him when they visit him.

Hope the sisters will not forget him. Some times, weeks can turn into months and months can turn into years.

Pi Bani said...

Typhoon Sue,
Yes, the uncle/aunt felt that they are not prepared to take care of HIV kids. They don't seem to believe that it's not that difficult. But when their surroundings complicate things (like the kindergarten teacher who kept hinting that Boboy didn't need to come to school), it's hard to convince them. Of course, there is a hikmah to everything... we just can't see it yet.

Nightwing,
We can only hope for the best for Boboy. The guardians better make sure that Boboy's sisters won't ever forget him.