Thadine Tan Wen Lin, 13

School: Zhonghua Secondary School

Topic: An email to your teacher about your observations on your classmate.

Award: Distinction, Junior Category, 2023

Suggested activities to cheer Jackson up

Dear Mdm Ng,

I am Thadine from 1 Care. I am concerned about the well-being of my classmate Jackson. I would like to suggest some activities to cheer him up.

I understand that he has been on dialysis for the past two years while being on the deceased donor kidney transplant waiting list. He has been low-spirited and tired for some time. Whenever I ask him how he is, he would give the same monotonous answer of “alright”. During physical education classes, he will be out of breath after running just one round.

I think that there are several reasons why Jackson is behaving this way. Firstly, the loss of his normal kidney function causes him to tire easily. Secondly, having to go for dialysis several times a week for two years is very tiring. He is feeling stressed and anxious about the possibility of being on long-term dialysis as it is uncertain when he would be able to get a transplant. The fear of his kidneys deteriorating further before a transplant adds to his stress levels.

I have thought of a few class activities that we can do to cheer him up! We can have an event called “Activity Day” where our class plays Jackson’s favourite board games like Monopoly and The Game of Life. We can blow bubbles as he likes to do this whenever he is feeling under the weather. We can have hands-on activities like making slime and friendship bracelets! We can also share jokes. After all, laughter is the best medicine.

Another activity is “Experience Day” where our class can explore different experiences like having a camp in the classroom, a picnic in the school field or to watch the latest superhero action movie under the stars. I think these activities would be perfect for Jackson because he loves nature and is a movie buff. Another event is “Virtual Travellers for a Day” where the students will design their own passports. We will travel around the world by going on a virtual tour of famous places such as galleries, museums etc. We can collect a chop in our own passport after each tour. Jackson mentioned that he wishes to visit the Pyramids of Giza so we can start by doing a virtual tour there!

We can make a “Cheer Mailbox” by recycling a cardboard box. Classmates can write encouraging messages on postcards and deposit them in the Mailbox. Whenever Jackson is in school, he can read the postcard messages and feel cheered and valued.

I hope that Jackson will look forward to participating in these class activities. He can get to know his teachers and classmates better in a relaxed setting. They can help cheer him up and hopefully it will take his mind off his dialysis and transplant. My wish is for Jackson to grow in confidence and develop a positive mindset. Please let me know if you have any comments. Thank you and have an amazing day ahead!

Yours sincerely,
Thadine Tang

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