Altered plans: Removing my daughter from school

My daughter came down with meningitis and epilepsy which attacked her brain and left her bedridden and disabled. It happened 2 years ago when she was 4 years old.

The thing with the Malaysian education system is that you have to enroll your children as young as 4 to 5 years old to secure a place in a public school, which is what I did a few months before the incident that altered our lives forever.

Fast forward 2 years later today, as I working alongside my bedridden daughter, I was included to a Whatsapp group, apparently by my daughter's supposed class teacher. They did not know my daughter now cannot attend school. I myself could not remember signing her up 2 years ago.  How could I? for the past 2 years, I have convinced myself there's no way she can attend normal schooling like other kids. I find comfort in accepting this early, instead of wondering about the implausible possibility.

I found out that since I already registered her for the school, and it is a public school, I will need to officially apply for her to be removed from school. It pained me. Do you have any idea how devastating it is to remove your child from school even before she actually attends school? 

It reminds me of all the future plans I had for her that remain shattered too. The thing is, I have forcefully adjusted ourselves to this new norm, new fate, new calmness, I forgot how big of a deal our test was.

I am reminded of it today. 


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