last night, while everyone was busy preparing for new year's eve, i was in my room enduring intense stomach pain. my fear of taking unprescribed medicine kicked in, so i chose to stay in bed, thinking i just needed rest.

around 9 pm, three hours before the celebration, the pain became unbearable. i couldn’t move, and although i couldn’t eat, i forced myself to take two spoonfuls of soup so i could take an anti-motility medicine my mother insisted on. i went back to bed, crying because the cramping had become so severe.

i felt the urge to use the bathroom,...