Emma Lien Ruelle, 14

School: Hai Sing Catholic School

Topic: Journey of a transplanted organ

Can a part of someone continue living after death?

I felt as if my entire being was on fire. For one second, I had been pumped full of adrenaline, rich, crimson blood coursing through me. I could hear him as he howled with laughter, one hand on the steering wheel, the other pressing his mobile phone to his ear. The next second, silence. I tried to reach out for help, but I was answered only by silence.

Next thing I knew, I was being shocked back into consciousness. I was awake, but what about him? Asher, with so much to live for. I tried to call out, to do something other than palpitate, but to no avail.

“We can save her, please, it’s what he would have wanted!” It was Asher’s mother.

“No way! It feels like a violation cutting up his dead body even more just to take out the most vital part of him!” Asher’s father shot back, blinking back hot tears.

The people who Asher had embraced after every significant moment in his life — hearts beating together in a rhythm that felt like true peace — argued and debated over what to do for what felt like forever. Take me out and transfer me to someone in need of a heart who might still stand a chance, or leave me to stop inside a body too far gone to save?

I knew the decision had been made when layers above me, I felt a deep cut opening, and the connection I had always shared vanished. As the parts that had held Asher together for eighteen whole years were pushed away, I was blinded by the harsh, fluorescent lights overhead. A gloved hand grabbed me, pulled me out, and placed me on a frigid metal tray. Looking to my right, I saw him there, lying limp. I was left wondering how I’d ever be able to get over all the memories we had made together.

Blinking in and out of consciousness, recovering from the physical toll caused by being transferred out of my familiar safe haven, the shrill noises I had been hearing began to subside. Regaining my sense of my surroundings, I realised that I was in a different operating theatre this time. Instead of Asher, there lay a young girl soothed by anaesthesia.

From the doctors’ conversation, the girl, Hailey, had been on the waiting list for a heart as a result of coronary artery disease since she was eight years old, causing her to have to wear a ventricular assist device weighing a whopping two kilograms. By some miracle, Hailey had turned out to be a perfect match for Asher’s heart. Just when her condition had been getting worse, I came as a rainbow after the storm.

The ups and downs of finding an organ donor for such a vital organ had clearly left her and her loved ones in shambles, evident through Hailey’s parents, both pacing the corridor outside the operation room, nails digging into their palms, jaws clenched. Neither of them was able to get a single word out, only managing to send silent prayers.

As Hailey lay motionless on the operating table, countless surgeons and cardiologists worked tirelessly to help her. While this was happening, I could not bring myself to think of anything other than Asher. On one hand, I felt overwhelmed at having been stripped of my sense of belonging and stability all at once. On the other hand, I knew that this transplant was for the greater good.

Bracing myself as I was lowered into Hailey’s body, I felt the connection happen instantaneously, all her memories flowing into me. I had to remind myself that Asher was gone, but I was not. With this new body for me, and a new heart for Hailey, both of us would be able to continue living on.

Soon, the nurse in charge broke the news to the two pairs of parents, taking the weight off their shoulders.

To answer my question, yes. A part of someone can continue living after death. I have discovered that death does not mean disappearance. Sometimes, a part of someone continues living within another soul. For the rest of Hailey’s life, she made the most of the opportunities that came her way, reminding me exactly of how Asher seized the day every chance he got. Not only did I continue living on in a different body, but his spirit did too.

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)