Shih Yu Hao Jay, 16

School: St. Patrick’s School

Topic: Email about your father’s gift

Award: Third Place, Senior Category, 2022

Dear Uncle Tom,

Hello Uncle Tom, it’s been a long time since we last talked. I heard that you have just started on dialysis, how are you feeling? I hope that everything goes well! The reason I am writing to you today might be something you will not want to talk about, but please do read through this!

Although this is a topic we would all love to avoid, I am writing to you today to try to convince you to accept Daddy’s offer to donate his kidney to you. Do you still remember grandma’s fight against kidney failure when she was still alive? The suffering, the agony and the inconvenience. We do not want you to go through the same miserable experience. We do not want to lose you as early as we did with grandma. If you were to accept Daddy’s kidney donation, you would be able to live 7-25 years longer than if you were on dialysis. Imagine what you can do with 7 more years on earth, that is 84 more months on this beautiful world, 365 more weeks to accomplish your dreams, and 2555 more days with Jade and Auntie Heather.

Do you still remember how distraught your family was when your doctor first broke the news about your kidney failure? Imagine how much worse they will feel if you were to leave us so early. Imagine how much Auntie Heather will have to suffer, raising a family with the sole breadwinner of the family absent. That is why I am pleading with you, not only for your sake but for the sake of your family to accept this transplant and bless all of us with the security that you will not disappear from all our lives in just 5 years, so that we will not have to suffer from the tension of the long agonising wait for the deceased donor waiting list.

I am sure that you still have more concerns such as Daddy’s and your well-being after the surgery. I can assure you through multiple reputed studies that Daddy will not suffer from a reduced life-span just from donating a kidney. Moreover, recovery is speedy with just 2 to 5 days in the hospital and a slight discomfort for the next week or two, a small drawback for 7 more years of life. Getting a kidney donation from a living donor such as Daddy will also grant an added average of around 4 years to your life expectancy compared to if you were to get a transplant from a deceased donor.

Think about how much better life can be after the kidney transplant, no more dialysis and the symptoms of nausea, headaches and cramps which come with it. Is that not great? Not only that, your world will no longer be grey with worry for your kidney. Rather, let your world be filled with colour, painted with the jubilation and bliss of life! Life is a journey full of beauty and wonder, so why not extend that journey and relish in this sanctuary a little longer?

I hope that this email managed to sway your decision on the matter. Just know that you will never walk alone on your journey, no matter your choice, we will always be with you, both in person and in spirit. I hope that your decision will be made with not only Daddy but also Jade, Auntie Heather and all of us in mind. Walk on with hope in your heart!

Love,
Jay

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed in the essays for the Live On Festival 2022 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