Surya Arunpirakash, 14

School: Bowen School (Secondary)

Topic: Journey of a transplanted organ

I was a perfectly healthy heart, beating strong and steady, every pulse fresh with youthfulness. I belonged to a kind, carefree teenage boy named Ryan, whose only ambition was to become the best basketball player in the world. Every morning, I would race faster when he played basketball with his friends, and every night, I slowed down as he rested with his family. I thought our journey would last forever. Unfortunately, I could not have been more wrong.

One rainy evening, everything changed.

Ryan was crossing the road with his mother when, suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he saw something. I knew what it was immediately. A little girl standing in the middle of the road, crying alone. Behind her, a massive truck hurtled towards her at terrifying speed. I felt Ryan freeze; the very blood I was pumping ran cold. Then, without hesitation, he sprinted towards the girl.

I wished I had a mouth to scream. Scream to warn him. Scream to make him turn back. 

The last thing I felt was the screams of despair from Ryan’s mother, before an impact and darkness.

I was beating wildly, faster than ever before. Yet I did not feel a single breath from Ryan. I was awake, so why was he not? He was not moving. He was not breathing. Quiet sobbing echoed around me. And then, it dawned on me.

Ryan was brain-dead.

I had never felt more alone. I tried to cling to him. I really tried. If I had tears, I would have cried.

“What about your dream, Ryan? You wanted to become the best basketball player in the world. What happened?”

The grief was so overwhelming that I did not realise Ryan’s family was discussing something that would soon change my fate forever. An organ donation!

As they laid me down in an icy-cold box after surgery, I refused to accept it. I was for Ryan, and only Ryan. Nobody could replace the connection. I could still remember the sound of his basketball bouncing during practice every evening.

The cold slowly crept through me.

“Would I, too, stop beating like Ryan’s brain had? If so, I want to be with Ryan, wherever he is.”

“I’m coming, Ryan,” I thought, as I felt myself beat for the final time.

I rose to the sound of a basketball bouncing.

“Ryan?” I thought.

For a moment, everything seemed normal. But then I remembered everything. A new body. A new environment. This was not my Ryan.

This was a stranger.

It had been weeks since the accident, and I was slowly getting used to this new body. His name was Ray. From what I managed to infer, he had suffered from a severe heart condition. His doctors had tried everything, but nothing worked. A heart transplant had been his final chance of survival.

Even though I was starting to accept what had happened, I still despised Ray. I could not understand why. Was it because he was kind? Carefree? Loved basketball?

Deep down, I knew the truth.

Ray reminded me of Ryan.

Months passed. My hatred slowly faded, though Ryan’s memory never left me. One day, Ray’s teacher asked the class about their future ambitions. I did not think much of it at first. Suddenly, I felt myself pounding harder than ever before.

“I want to be the greatest basketball player in the world!” Ray exclaimed proudly.

The classroom fell silent before laughter erupted across the room. If I had been in their shoes, I would have laughed too. Ray was thin and weak, hardly someone others would imagine becoming an athlete.

But his words struck me like a sledgehammer. That had been Ryan’s dream too. Two different people, with the same heart and the same dream. If I had eyes, they would have been glimmering with hope.

Over the next few years, I watched Ray grow stronger. He never skipped a single practice session. Slowly, he improved. Then came his first victory. And the next one. And the one after that. Every time he scored, excitement surged through me like I had never known.

Before I knew it, Ray had grown into a man. Now, he plays in the National Basketball Association, one of the most renowned basketball leagues in the world. He has become one of the greatest basketball players alive.

From my journey, I learnt that as some doors close, others open. A heart does not choose its owner. It only keeps beating for life.

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed in the essays for the Live On Festival 2026 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)