Amanda Yapp Henn Yan, 17

School: Anderson Secondary School

Topic: An email to encourage a kidney dialysis patient

Award: Distinction, Senior Category, 2025

Dear Mr Tan, 

I am Amanda Yapp, a secondary student from Anderson Secondary School who recently visited the dialysis centre where your treatment is being administered. While there, I was made aware of your discomfort in discussing with suitable family members regarding their willingness to donate a kidney to you. This startling revelation is what prompted me to write this email to you today, and I hope that it will embolden you to discuss a potential kidney donation with your family. 

To start, I would like to express my deep admiration for your strength in managing and continuing with dialysis, which I understand can be both physically and emotionally draining. It is truly commendable how you have faced this challenge with such resilience, and I hope that you continue to persevere through these treatment sessions. However, with dialysis being such a taxing and time-consuming experience, I presume that your most ideal alternative would be kidney transplantation from a donor, with the most direct means of obtaining it being from a viable family member, as it eliminates the typical eight-year waiting period. 

While I may not personally be able to relate to your situation, I too had a distant family member who suffered from kidney failure. This family member of mine underwent kidney transplantation using a kidney donated from his son, who was the one that initiated the possibility of donation and had thoroughly researched any risks associated with transplantation before bringing it up to his ailing father. After the procedure was completed, both the patient and his closest family members experienced a significant decrease in stress. As this family member no longer had to commute thrice a week to undergo dialysis for four hours and was now able to consume food like a regular person, he became considerably happier and livelier. Moreover, his family also faced a decreased burden, as they no longer had to bring and accompany him to the dialysis centre and were now able to enjoy meals together without having to carefully regulate the contents of the food, resulting in a more relaxed familial environment. I am confident that, should you undergo transplantation, the positive impact of it will extend beyond just the physical and mental relief that you experience, but will spread to your loved ones - just like what my family member experienced! I feel that they will be less stressed over your condition following transplantation, as it eases their emotional strain since it reduces their worry about your condition and allows for more time for family bonding, as you will no longer have to keep going to the dialysis centre. Although the most consequential benefits of transplantation will be felt by you, I have no doubt that it will reverberate throughout the rest of your family in a more indirect manner. 

What’s more, it is possible that your family members have never considered donation simply because they are unaware of your needs, do not fully understand the impact a transplant could have on you or are afraid of any physical repercussions. What’s important for you to do is ensure that you communicate your requirements and the reasons that you wish to undergo transplantation in a gentle and understanding manner. Honestly speaking, your family members may be more than willing to help if given the chance, but a lack of awareness about the donation procedures and benefits may have led them to feel that it is unnecessary. I also understand that you may hesitate to bring up this difficult topic out of fear of burdening your loved ones, but I am also aware that family members often want to support each other in meaningful ways. The only way that this can occur is through open and honest communication between you and your family, so I strongly encourage you to raise this issue to them, mainly for your own benefit but also theirs. 

As for the manner in which you could introduce the possibility of donation to your family, I feel that you should first obtain their perception and opinions on organ donation, before the actual conversation regarding their willingness to donate is able to begin. This can be done by candidly slotting it into an everyday conversation, allowing you to grasp how far they understand what kidney donation entails and thus clarify any misconceptions they may have. Following that, you could provide information about the process itself, and what the outcome would be for both parties involved. What’s important is to ensure that they are aware that any decision to donate or not would be entirely up to them. Personally, I feel that creating a space where they feel comfortable asking questions and expressing their feelings will make the discussion more open and understanding; it is a more natural method of introducing this idea without directly requesting for them to donate. 

Please know that you are not alone in this journey, and many people, including your family and medical team, are here to support you. I truly hope you will consider speaking to your loved ones — they may surprise you with their willingness to help. If you wish to know more, consulting your doctors may be of more help in this procedure. 

Wishing you much strength in this process, 

Yours sincerely,

Amanda Yapp

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed in the essays for the Live On Festival 2025 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