Lim Yi Ru, Vernice

School: Punggol Secondary School

Topic: Letter of appreciation to donor family

Award: Special Mention, Junior Category, 2021

A Precious Donation

Dear Ms Cherry

I am Kate Sim, Mrs Tan’s granddaughter. My grandmother received a cornea transplant a year ago from Ms Mary and I would like to express my sympathy for the passing of your loved one. I also wanted to thank you for the special gift Ms Mary has given to my family and I. I am writing you this letter to express our sincerest gratitude towards your family for the immeasurable gift that you have given us.

I pray for your peace, comfort, as you and your loved ones grieve during this difficult time. We would like to offer our condolences to you all. Her gentle soul will always be in our hearts. May you find peace and comfort in your memories of her. We extend our deepest sympathy as you remember her fondly and with love.

Ever since Ms Mary donated her cornea to my grandmother, my grandmother has been regaining her eyesight. She took around twelve weeks to cover. When she was recovering, it took her some time to get used to the recovering process. She had to wear an eye patch for a day after her surgery. She needed to wear a clear eye shield or glasses to protect her eyes until it was fully healed. The organ donation has immeasurably improved the quality of life for my grandmother. It has alleviated the depression and pain for my grandmother. She picked up stitching as a hobby as she lost the ability to do it but finally regained it with her eyesight that she had gotten through the cornea donation. She is now able to do all the things she had previously abandoned due to her worsening eyesight. Now, she even spends more time in the living room with my family. She often comes to tell me how much I should thank Ms Mary and her family for donating her cornea. She feels very grateful and thankful for the cornea donation.

This cornea donation changed my grandmother’s life dramatically. Now, she can go to places without our help and my family does not have to worry about her anymore. This was only possible because of Ms Mary’s cornea donation. My grandmother’s life changing organ transplant was only possible thanks to the generosity of Ms Mary and her family. She has given my grandmother her life back. Thank you so much for your donation, it means the world to my grandmother. Before the cornea donation, my grandmother waited for months to find a suitable match. At the beginning, we were confident but as the years passed, we were feeling hopeless and started losing confidence. However, when we had almost given up all hope, we received news that she had found a suitable donor. We were overwhelmed with joy when we found out that she would finally regain her eyesight. The emotions hit us like a bullet through our chest, we were very grateful for the organ transplant.

Since then, she has been trying to improve her health and lifestyle. This was a blessing for my grandmother. She had always dreamed about looking at her surroundings without having it blurred and she longed to gaze at the landscape again. My grandmother finally got to fulfil her wish once again. She requested to go to the beach to take in the sweeping views of Singapore. She would not have had the opportunity to use her body’s full potential without the gift of your loved one. Thank you for honouring your loved one’s wishes at a very difficult time. We, the Sim family, are humbled by your generosity and kindness.

Ms Mary Lee’s kindness would be remembered forever. Her donation made a huge impact and will last forever as a legacy. It is regrettable that such an immense impact could only have come with loss, but please rest easy knowing that her legacy will always be held dear to us. Ms Mary will be remembered for her overwhelming generosity and sacrifice. We would like to send our prayers to your family as you remember her on the anniversary of her passing to remember her kind deed.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you know how much Ms Mary’s donation meant to our family. I wish you a wonderful life filled with joy and happiness.

Yours sincerely,
Kate Sim

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed in the essays for the Live On Festival 2021 are those of the participants and are not endorsed by the National Organ Transplant Unit (Ministry of Health).

To learn more about organ donation and organ transplantation in Singapore, please visit www.liveon.gov.sg