WITH the new year fast approaching, Rupert Whitfield has one wish — to leave the Kingston Public Hospital and go home.

The 53-year-old is a social case at the health institution because he has been abandoned by his family.

For the last eight months, he has lived at the health facility with the orange and peach curtains concealing him from the view of other patients and visitors on three sides — his new home.

He laid on his side, his fragile body still in his hospital bed with his legs resting on one another and his head resting on his shoulder. A red blanket covered him.

Whitfield shared that his limited mobility is the result of a stroke he survived in April.

“I was going to the bathroom to [urinate], and I fell,” he told this Jamaica Observer reporter last Friday, struggling to form words as he recounted the incident.

“The only thing I remember… is that I hit my head on the bathroom door… they tell me say me have a stroke,” he added, pausing frequently as he seemingly searched for the right words to express himself.

Whitfield shared that, at the time of the incident, he was living with his cousin and siblings. He recalled that he was taken to the hospital by his sister. However, he shared that he has not seen much of her or his other family members since.

“No one no come recently,” he said, sharing that he spent Christmas Day sleeping.

“Mi nuh get no visit…I feel away because is your family,” he said, his eyes filled with sadness.

He said that the holiday season has been rough because, for the first time, he spent it without family. He shared that he often looked forward to the warm home-cooked dishes they would prepare, especially baked chicken, which is his favourite dish.

However, instead of basking in holiday cheer, he slept the day away, receiving his meal through a feeding tube.

“Anybody woulda feel a way if you have family and them nuh come. If it was your family, and you have Christmas dinner all the while, and you nuh have it now, you must feel uncomfortable,” he said, his voice trembling as he expressed how their absence has impacted him.

“There is no life living in a hospital. I can’t get fi move about,” said the 53-year-old, who noted that he was very active before the incident.

A skilled tradesman, Whitfield said that he used to fix televisions, radios, microwaves, and fans for a living.

In a conversation with this reporter, who shared that her television was broken and in need of repair, his eyes lit up for the first time, curious to know more.

“What kind of television? Big back? Wah do the flat screen? You get sound?” he asked, each response prompting more questions as he sought to find the problem.

A bit more upbeat and energised, he shared that he loved his job and misses it greatly.

“Mi woulda deh home working right now,” said Whitfield.

“I like to work…It keeps me relaxed and keeps me out of trouble because where I live is bare shooting and killing, and I can’t take them something there,” he said.

“Me wah go do some work. Mi miss it,” he shared.

However, his work is not the only thing that he misses. An avid gamer, Whitfield shared that he would spend hours playing Call of Duty.

“The hardest thing is that I can’t move enough to play games. I woulda have to have my two hand them,” he said, barely lifting his hands to show that he has limited mobility.

While thankful to be alive, his ultimate wish for the new year is to go home.

“Mi nuh wah stay here forever,” he said, adding, “I want to go home.”

“I feel bad. I feel lonely; I feel bored,” Whitfield told the Sunday Observer.

“I wouldn’t mind if them [my family] come visit me. I just wah know say them deh bout,” he said.