No Explosion Can Stop Me - Eileyn Chua

What will you do if you are in a situation of life & death?

Will you fight for your life to live? Or will you give up?

And what if the chances of survival is extremely low?

And are you willing to go through excruciating amount of pain & discomfort?

When I got into writing this blog about her... I asked her when we first met. So, based on Eileyn's memory (which is better than mine!)... She first met me and Cordelia in my old office at Amcorp Mall in 2012. We were having a private meditation session then. And here I am... thinking we met in a meditation retreat @ Fraser's Hill in 2012. Apparently, I was wrong (hahaha!!!).

Eileyn is a very thoughtful person. She wouldn't speak randomly and instead would carefully organize her thoughts before saying something - which is pretty much the opposite of the way I tend to be. And unlike my relationship with Cordelia was built on different topics for years... my relationship with Eileyn was more of an acquaintance-friend that I'll chat with when we are around one another.

We would spend time sharing about our Peranakan Nyonya background, the cooking techniques, the flavours and the culture. We also bonded when it came to our self-healing journey. It was only when Cordelia connected us in the 3rd quarter of 2020 that I got to learn more about her, the healing journey from the explosion, her learnings and explorations. Something I truly admire about Eileyn is her sense of justice, integrity and desire to learn - she's not someone that gives up easily and that's one of the greatest value that led towards her survival in such a redefining moment.

In 2016, a nerve-wrecking and shocking news came to us when a friend's house exploded and she was in the middle of it. She survived the incident but suffered 80% total burn area. It is said that burn injuries can be one of the most painful injuries that a human body can suffer - both physically & mentally. When she was admitted in the Penang General Hospital, the doctors did not expect her to live as survival rate for burn victims in Malaysia like herself are extremely low (It is as low as a maximum of 5% survival rate!).

I remembered my friends all being worried. We had prayers included in our meditation in hope that God would bless her with a smooth journey of recovery. It was really tough as she was induced in a coma for 2.5 months and it took her a year three months and twenty days to be finally released from the hospital.

During her time in the ICU, she was in and out fighting for her dear life. Apart from trying to get her burns to recover, she also experienced a few death threats due to sepsis ( when your body has an unusually severe response to an infection). And the worse was not over as she still had to recover from the pain of changing her dressings, her mobility/movements and getting her body to function slowly back to normal.

It was a very tough journey for Eileyn but she survived through this. It's a miracle - not just to those who heard this story but also to herself. Eileyn did share several times before about how she experienced the blessings and miracles of Father's touch. Despite being 80% total burn area, her face was untouched & unscarred.

I remembered Cordelia messaging me after visiting Eileyn. I guess at that time, she wanted me to realize how short life was and not to waste my time dwelling in my own darkness. Her question then was... "What would you do if you are in her shoes? Will you opt to fight for your life?".

Without much of a thought... the answer became clear to me. "Why didn't it just happened to me? Why would God want to take the life of someone who wants to live? And let the one who doesn't want her life to live?"

I hated my life then. I struggled with the mental breakdowns and pain that I couldn't muster. However, now I learn now that everything happens for a reason. My pain now became my strength and the reason I am able to be the person I am today. It goes the same for Eileyn as her experiences will become an inspiration for many.

So, this is the story of my 2nd partner-in-light (can't say crime.. she's a person of high integrity from the day I met her to now!). Personally, I never once thought I'll be standing beside her in writing and sharing of our stories. Yet, I'm grateful for it as she becomes a constant reminder that I want to create a life worth living, a life of purpose and hope. With Cordelia & Eileyn, I know we can step forth towards our mission to spread hope and light to others who are going through difficulties by sharing of own personal stories and experiences especially through this pandemic times.

May her interview by The Asian Woman inspire you the way it did for me. God bless.

To learn more about Eileyn... You can follow her on her Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/GasExplosionSurvivor and/or her Blog - https://rising-from-the-ashes2.webnode.com/.