Caleb Kuah Yile, 14

School: Anglican High School

Topic: Describe how you feel hearing someone close, receiving a heart transplant

Award: Distinction, Junior Category, 2023

Prisons. Places where people are confined and punished for crimes they committed. The whitewashed walls of Shirley’s hospital room seemed akin to the ones found in such prisons. She had practically memorised every part of the room, from the vase of wilted flowers to the "Get Well Soon" poster. How ironic! Half of Shirley's life was spent here. Other children had weekly visits to Grandma's house or the mall. Shirley had weekly visits to the hospital, often for hours of painful chemotherapy. Mind you, Shirley committed no crime; she was an angel who loved everyone. It was just that Shirley, my sister, was cursed. Cursed to suffer from congenital heart disease. She was permanently tied to big, bulky machines that were her lifelines. It killed me inside to have to watch her suffer with painful and taxing treatments that barely kept her alive combined with sleepless nights in the hospital. I prayed day and night for her ordeal to end. Finally, my prayers were answered. There was a way to finally set her free from her prison.

“The hospital found a heart for Shirley! They can organise a transplant soon”, my mum screamed after receiving an urgent phone call on a Friday evening in the middle of dinner. The look on her face showed just how elated she was, a stark contrast to her usual gloomy face caused by a decade of juggling household matters and Shirley’s care. Stunned, I dropped my chopsticks. I had been educated prior on the subject of heart transplants, and how it could give Shirley a new lease of life she so desperately needed. A heart transplant was the process of replacing Shirley’s failing heart with another provided by a donor, someone who had recently died but still had a functioning heart. We had been waiting for years, sitting on the long waiting list of patients who needed a heart. We were not even sure if a heart would arrive in time. Luckily, it did. The thought of being able to finally teach Shirley everything that she had missed out over the last thirteen years brought tears to my eyes. Never would I have imagined that I would ever be able to teach her how to play soccer, swim or even to just race with her. Shirley could finally be normal.

However, my extreme joy soon turned to slight guilt as I researched about the heart donor who was giving his heart to Shirley. I found out that he was a medical student, a promising young man with a bright future that was cut short by a catastrophic fall, resulting in fatal brain damage. It was heart wrenching to read about the poor man and the sadness his family must have felt when he passed. Finding out that their own son or brother had passed away must have been such a painful experience and it made me feel a bit guilty. The donor and his family had given up so much, and the donor giving his heart to save Shirley’s gave me a sense similar to survivor’s syndrome. “Was this fair?” I asked myself, “Was it fair for this man to have to die in order for Shirley to live?” Despite this, I understood that he had chosen to use his heart to save others. A selfless choice.

The news of Shirley’s heart transplant left me with mixed emotions. The family of the heart donor must have been dealing with much grief, but despite this, they had the strength to donate his heart in order to save someone else. I admire the strength that this family had, and hope that they will understand how this heart transplant would help Shirley greatly, giving her the life that she never had. I often pray that this heart transplant could give the donor’s family a sense of closure, a reminder that while he may be gone, his legacy as a lifesaver, a saviour will live on. They gave Shirley a healthy, living heart that would finally free her of the burdens that limited her from reaching her true potential. No words could express the immense joy and gratitude I hold in my heart. I also felt excited for the whole new world that the heart transplant could give Shirley. As we begin a new phase of our lives, we will never forget the people who made this happen for us. They will always be in our thoughts and prayers. Always.

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed in the essays for the Live On Festival 2023 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 ↗ (opens in new tab)