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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Death / Heartbreak / Loss
- Published: 04/06/2021
Signature at Sunrise
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The long, arrow like rays of the sun swept across the morning sky. They were yellow in hue and the light spilt over the horizon, lighting every tree and fence. Gone was the dark of the night.
Finally, the rays spread through a window, onto a contract. It awaited a signature of the parents of a young patient at the local hospital. The paper rustled as the tearful mother walked from the breakfast table to the contract, lent over and picked it up. She read the contract for the third time, ensuring that she understood all the Terms and Conditions of the organ transplant.
A glint out of the window, off the silver handles of her child’s bicycle, caught her attention. She briefly looked up at the bicycle and considered the choice she had to make. Time was of the essence.
Her mind filled with memories of her child, Anthony. She remembered the pain and joy of giving birth to him, the toddler years, the early teenage years and now he had reached 15 years old. This meant that he was not considered a consenting adult and she would have to make the choice for him. The choice was between getting a new heart transplanted from another child, who was terminally ill. Due to the serious nature of the illness and the fact that the doctors had to transplant a heart that had been freshly pumping, the decision was imminent.
“Yes, I will sign it,” she spoke aloud, to no one in particular. She reached for the black pen and signed her name clearly. Immediately, a sense of relief flooded her veins. Anthony would be saved to live a full life.
She climbed into her Jeep and drove to the hospital, with the signed contract sitting on her passenger seat. She drove carefully, trying not to dislodge it, otherwise the contract could end up on the dirty floor.
As soon as she was in the reception area of the hospital, she handed in the form, feeling acutely aware that she couldn’t change her mind now. The contract was processed, and she was asked to go to the donor child’s room, which was alongside Anthony’s room. As she walked into the sterile environment, she could smell the disinfectant and hear the laboured breaths of the young patient. She gazed upon the face of the donor with sadness in her heart. Why would one child need to die to donate their heart to another child? It was a healthy heart, as the specialist had run tests and confirmed this. A tear ran from her eye, down her cheek, and dripped onto the white sheet. The donor child awoke and stared at her. She spoke and asked, “Did you sign the contract?”
“Yes, I have done that now”.
With a sigh, the donor smiled, closed her eyes and the last words that she uttered were, “Thanks, mom, I hope that my brother Anthony can use my heart well”.
Signature at Sunrise(Debra Widdicombe)
The long, arrow like rays of the sun swept across the morning sky. They were yellow in hue and the light spilt over the horizon, lighting every tree and fence. Gone was the dark of the night.
Finally, the rays spread through a window, onto a contract. It awaited a signature of the parents of a young patient at the local hospital. The paper rustled as the tearful mother walked from the breakfast table to the contract, lent over and picked it up. She read the contract for the third time, ensuring that she understood all the Terms and Conditions of the organ transplant.
A glint out of the window, off the silver handles of her child’s bicycle, caught her attention. She briefly looked up at the bicycle and considered the choice she had to make. Time was of the essence.
Her mind filled with memories of her child, Anthony. She remembered the pain and joy of giving birth to him, the toddler years, the early teenage years and now he had reached 15 years old. This meant that he was not considered a consenting adult and she would have to make the choice for him. The choice was between getting a new heart transplanted from another child, who was terminally ill. Due to the serious nature of the illness and the fact that the doctors had to transplant a heart that had been freshly pumping, the decision was imminent.
“Yes, I will sign it,” she spoke aloud, to no one in particular. She reached for the black pen and signed her name clearly. Immediately, a sense of relief flooded her veins. Anthony would be saved to live a full life.
She climbed into her Jeep and drove to the hospital, with the signed contract sitting on her passenger seat. She drove carefully, trying not to dislodge it, otherwise the contract could end up on the dirty floor.
As soon as she was in the reception area of the hospital, she handed in the form, feeling acutely aware that she couldn’t change her mind now. The contract was processed, and she was asked to go to the donor child’s room, which was alongside Anthony’s room. As she walked into the sterile environment, she could smell the disinfectant and hear the laboured breaths of the young patient. She gazed upon the face of the donor with sadness in her heart. Why would one child need to die to donate their heart to another child? It was a healthy heart, as the specialist had run tests and confirmed this. A tear ran from her eye, down her cheek, and dripped onto the white sheet. The donor child awoke and stared at her. She spoke and asked, “Did you sign the contract?”
“Yes, I have done that now”.
With a sigh, the donor smiled, closed her eyes and the last words that she uttered were, “Thanks, mom, I hope that my brother Anthony can use my heart well”.
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Kevin Hughes
10/12/2022Debra,
I wasn't expecting that ending, and I burst into tears. Most of us seventy year old folk would have. Heartwrenching and a true story of real love. Oh. My. God.
Smiles, Kevin
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Shirley Smothers
10/12/2022Bittersweet story. This would be a very difficult decision. Well told. Congratulations.
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Lillian Kazmierczak
10/11/2022Great story about a heartwrenching decision a mother has to make. I can't even imagine having to make a decision like that. Congratulations on short story star of the day!
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Radrook
04/08/2021Thanks for sharing this story about a mother who has two kids she loves and her intense emotions in seeing how one of her babies must surrensder part of herself just to keep the other alive.
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Debra Widdicombe
04/10/2021Thank you so much for your encouragement and understanding of my story about difficult choices mothers sometimes have to make. I wondered whether readers understood my story upon reading the last paragraph. You have confirmed that it is clear to the reader.
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Gail Moore
04/06/2021Well written story.
In Nz we have a choice on our driving license to become donors but not a lot do.
I don’t understand why not. It’s a very giving thing to do.
My brother lived in Australia and the day after he was cremated my mum got a letter in the post to say he wanted his body donated.
She felt quite sad that she didn’t receive that letter a day earlier.
:-)
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Debra Widdicombe
04/10/2021I agree, Gail. Organ donation should be encouraged but it is still a personal choice and if someone has an objection to donating their organs then they don't need to do it. Within a family, the organs are often a match though.
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JD
04/06/2021I thought I knew where your story was going, but you really threw me for a loop at the end, leaving me very confused about what I just read. I still have no idea what was really going on there and it turned your story from something both sad and inspirational into what seemed like a horror story without the catharsis that horror-stories sometimes provide, since it was so confusing. Other than that, I thought it was well written, and definitely thought provoking.
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JD
04/11/2021I guess I got that part, what I didn't understand is why/how the sister-donor was still alive at the time, nor how/why it was that she died. There was no mention of her 'condition' that caused her death, so that opened it up to the imagination and speculation, which could easily lead one to horrific conclusion. That open-endedness and lack of clarification about what was happening is what was confusing for me. But thanks for your explanation.
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Debra Widdicombe
04/10/2021Hi JD, Apologies that it was confusing. It was about a mother having to decide whether to donate her dying daughter's organs (heart) to keep her son alive. It was about the ethical choices we sometimes have to make in life that require careful consideration.
COMMENTS (10)