Today (Jan 3^rd, 2009) marks the 3^rd anniversary of my mother’s road traffic accident. She was hit by a minivan in Hong Kong on Jan 3^rd, 2006 and has been in a coma since. It has been a long & difficult three years for my family. My mother suffered extensive brain damages & body injuries. She went under numerous surgeries but they did not help at all. Her doctors assess that she is likely to remain in the same condition for her nature life. I still hope for a miracle…. Initially, our family was hopeful that she will eventually recover (to certain degree...at the very least). As time goes by, we realize it would not happen and we must face the reality. Right now, we can only provide her with the best treatment that we can afford and my mother is still on the waiting list for admitting into a public long-term care facility/hospital. It seems it is always 3 to 5 years away……we were told it would be about 3 to 5 years away in 2006 and my brother was just told recently by the authority that it would still be 3 to 5 years away from getting her a spot in a government-run long-term care hospital. I guess the health care system is overloaded. There is nothing we can do but wait.