Paul Horgan, who came to Zhuhai from Ireland more than 15 years ago, went to express his heartfelt thanks on Oct 18 to Dr Chu Jing, Dr He Tao, the nurses, and staff of Zhuhai People's Hospital for their meticulous care and concern when he was an in-patient there late last month.

Paul delivers gifts

"My experience in the hospital was second to none. Doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and medical procedures (tests and surgery) were superb. They could not have been better," Paul said.

Paul and the staff

He would also use this personal experience to advise expats and local Chinese alike: If you have a medical issue, don't put off addressing it; go to see your doctor. Your health is your wealth!

Recalling the torturing days since May, Paul admitted he would have had kidney-stone surgery much earlier if he had known the comforting outcomes in advance. His concerns over relatively older age and family history of kidney issues, as well as his fear of possibly opening the proverbial "can of worms" -- other unknown medical issues such as cancer -- had tremendously shadowed him over the past few months.

Tolerating the daily debilitating severe pain compounded by depression, Paul sometimes got out of bed at 7:30 am and went back to bed half an hour later, pulling the duvet over his head and trying to sleep to escape the torment.

In the meantime, he posted several times about suicide on WeChat Moments but gained no traction for being off the course of the seemingly "self-promotion" WeChat Moments.

Then Paul mustered up courage to bring the bitter chapter to an end. He went to more than three different hospitals in the city for alternative medical opinions and got the same diagnosis and solution.

He finally decided on People's Hospital under the supervision of urologist Dr Chu Jing, who spoke good English and demonstrated empathy and expertise during every pre-surgery consultation with absolutely no hard sell at the Outpatients Department. Dr Chu asked Paul to think about the surgery and come back at his convenience.

Paul with Dr Chu Jing during his inpatient treatment

Having made his legal will, advised a close friend on how to access his apartment and bank accounts, and organized his funeral arrangements, Paul entered Zhuhai People's No. 1 Hospital on Sept 18, two days after Super Typhoon Mangkhut smashed into Guangdong coastal areas.

The following 10 days, however, became the most heart-warming experience and most precious memories for Paul in Zhuhai.

On the evening of check-in day, Paul returned home, and when he came back to the hospital ward at 7:30 the next morning, he found all the necessary documentation for five tests, well prepared by the attending doctor, Dr He, the night before, right on the bedside locker. The tests were carried out smoothly during the following three hours.

Paul with the nurses a day prior to surgery

The third-day inpatient experience featured various pre-surgery treatments. Paul found no barrier in communication, as the junior physician, Dr He, spoke English and ensured that his patient understood what he meant, while the nurses either communicated in English or used cellphones for translation. The treatments were well-conducted, with the nurses professionally performing and attending with great care.

When the surgery came at 2:30 pm on the fourth day, the theater receiving staff, who were smiling and reassuring, kindly explained to Paul the procedures he would undergo.

Group photos were taken to commemorate the critical moment, and Paul drifted asleep after injection with anesthetic.

Waking up two hours later in the recovery room, Paul was amazed that all severe debilitating pains he had suffered since early May had disappeared.

"I was given a new lease of life by the hospital staff," he exclaimed.

Paul spent the next two days in recovery with the help of female ward support staff, who acted in a low-key manner, cautious not to embarrass him for using a drainage bag. Until his last day in the hospital, post-surgery treatments were conducted methodically without fuss and without making him feel he was imposing. The two doctors and nurses also contacted him by texting WeChat messages in English to assure him about treatments in the hospital and to check on how he was keeping fit after discharge from the hospital.

One day before Paul's discharge from the hospital

Paul noted;

"I will be forever grateful to the doctors, in particular Dr Chu and Dr He, plus the nurses and staff at Zhuhai People's No. 1 Hospital in Xiangzhou. And a very special thank you goes to my long-term platonic friend Joanne who was in my room after I woke up after my surgery, armed with food, and she again did so in the days following my surgery, plus Nick @ The Little Eve Café who provided my dinner."

He used the Irish language to express gratitude: Go raibh maith agaibh as ucht bhur gcineáltais. (Thank you!)