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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Life Changing Decisions/Events
- Published: 01/29/2013
A Change of Heart
Born 1997, F, from Vancouver, Canada.jpg)
Swinging his bag as he walked down the hospital hallway, the doctor heaved a sigh. It was only ten o’clock in the morning, and he was already exhausted.
“It doesn’t help that my next patient isn’t going to be any easier.” The doctor thought ruefully. He approached his patient’s room with lagging steps.
An elderly woman was sitting up in bed. She had graying hair, was wrinkled, and was physically quite frail and weak. However, as soon as one made eye contact with her, one could sense a fiery personality. Gianna, as was the woman’s name was hooked up to several tubes which kept her alive. However, her eyes still sparked with that same fire that defined her personality.
At the moment, she was having a heated argument with Jonathon, the eldest of her five adult children. Five out of eight of her grandchildren were scattered around the room. Some played games; others were reading picture books, while still others sat in their parents’ laps. Their ages ranged from zero to eight years old. The doctor silently stood unnoticed in the doorway.
“How contradictory,” he thought, “that a woman with so much life around her would want to die.” He smiled ironically and set his bag on a nearby chair. The woman sensed his movement and immediately turned her face towards the doorway.
She impatiently beckoned him over even though he was already approaching her bed.
“Doctor Pierce, have you thought about my request?”
Uneasily Dr. Pierce replied, “Yes but-“
“No buts,” She interrupted him, “I want to know your answer. Is it a yes or a no?”
“Well, yes. However, I was going to say that despite the fact that euthanasia is legal, there are many factors involved. First of all, your health may improve and-“
“This is a waste of my time. I’ve stated before that there is no use for me here. I’m just a pain to everyone. Also, when I first came here, I heard you saying that I had a slim chance of recovery.” Gianna said, counting her explanations off her bony fingers.
Her eldest daughter, Catherine, protested saying, “But mom, you’re not a pain! The kids can’t wait for you to return home!”
“In fact,” Jen, her second daughter continued, “Catherine has already gotten all the kids to help prepare a room in her house for you!”
“Yeah grandma!” Joseph, her eldest grandson chimed in. He was eight years old with curly brown hair. “We got to paint it and make your bed! I also helped to bring your favourite rocking chair into your room!”
Irritated, Gianna asked them to give her and the doctor a few minutes alone.
As everyone slowly trickled out of her room, Gianna’s youngest son, Sean, squeezed her arm, and pleaded softly, “Please mom? Do it for Dad’s sake? Stay with us until God calls you?”
Gianna hesitated for a split second, but her stubbornness soon reasserted itself. “No, just go and leave me and the doctor to discuss final details.” She said coldly.
Sean strode out with a sad sigh and closed the door.
As soon as the room was empty, Dr. Pierce pulled up a chair and sat down beside the bed with his elbows on his knees.
“As you can see, your decision is very hard on your family.” The doctor began slowly.
“They’re just being selfish.” She quickly replied. “They don’t know what it’s like to be the last one left.”
After a slight pause, she continued, “Is it possible for me to do it as soon as my documents are ready?”
After a longer pause Dr. Pierce responded in the affirmative.
“Good,” The woman murmured contentedly.
She lay back down and dismissed the doctor after he had checked all the tubes and charts.
Just as he was about to open the door, she said, in an almost inaudible voice, “Tell them that things are settled. Nothing can or will change my mind. They need to accept it and move on with their lives.
He nodded and quietly exited the room.
Her children were huddled together discussing the problem that had arisen before them.
As the doctor slipped past, he heard Jen saying, “She’s not even seventy yet.”
“And Sean and Therese haven’t gotten married yet.” Jonathon added clapping a hand on his younger, twenty four year old brother’s back and winking at his 26 year old sister.
“Cut it out, Jonathon, it’s not funny!” Catherine cried with tears in her eyes.
Just then, Sean caught sight of the doctor tiptoeing down the corridor. He quickly rushed after him and grabbed his arm.
Surprised, the doctor spun around.
“Did she change her mind?” Sean inquired hopefully.
“No, she asked me to tell you that things are settled and nothing will change her decision.” Dr. Pierce replied.
At this new piece of information, Therese, Gianna’s youngest daughter, sank into a chair and began sobbing quietly. Until this point, she had been quietly and solidly standing in a corner, listening.
Embarrassed, the doctor muttered something about lots of patients and a busy schedule and hurried away.
When he left, Jen sat down thoughtfully, and sighed, “Is it just me or does the doctor seem reluctant to discuss this with us?”
“No idea” Jonathon replied, scratching his curly head.
“Mommy, I’m hungry. Can we go somewhere else?” begged four year old Marie.
“Yes dear. Just give us a few minutes.” Catherine said, absently patting her daughter’s head, her mind focussed on the other problem.
“There’s not much we can do though.” Therese said dejectedly. “We can only say goodbye and see her again for the last time tomorrow.”
“Well, let’s go then.” answered Jonathon. He swung Joseph up into his arms and began striding down the hallway, leading his siblings and their children.
The elevator ride to the parking lot was quiet, occasionally broken by a quiet sniffle. The children seemed to sense the seriousness of the situation and kept their mouths shut. Once in the parking lot, everyone agreed to meet at 7:30 am the next morning and scattered to their various vehicles. That night, each family recited the rosary for Gianna.
After completing the documents and reports for his patients, Dr. Pierce packed his bag for the next day. Although his hands were busy, his mind was in a tumult.
“Why does she want to euthanize herself?” He thought. “It’s not as if her family rejects her. They actually care for her well-being, which is unusual in most cases when the patient has a slim chance of recovery.”
A painful memory suddenly overwhelmed him. It had been plaguing him since Gianna had first requested euthanasia. When he had first begun his career as a doctor, euthanasia had been legalized. As a doctor, he was prepared to perform it. However his mother and father had similar dying wishes.
His mother had whispered, “Life is not something for us to end whenever we want. We are in the hands of God; let him decide when our time is due.”
Whereas his dad, who had not believed in any religion, had said strongly, “Don’t kill, all life comes from a higher force. It won’t do you any good to interfere with it.”
However, just a week after his father’s death, an elderly man had requested euthanasia and he had complied. When the man had been given the shot, he had suddenly gripped the doctor’s arm and had rasped, “I change my- “. The old man had died with his eyes open. Ever since then, his eyes had haunted Dr. Pierce every time someone brought up the subject of “euthanasia”.
Now, the doctor realized that he had begun dialling his colleague’s number. This colleague was a senior doctor and treated Dr. Pierce as an older brother would. A deep voice answered.
Dr. Pierce suddenly blurted out, “Hey Allen, Can you do me a favor tomorrow? There’s a lady who wants to be euthanized. I don’t believe I can do it.”
“Of course. Why?” Allen asked.
“Just personal reasons. One of them is to keep my sanity.”
“Oh all righty then. Just make sure you pass me all those legal documents before I get busy. Hmmmm…. How about at seven thirty tomorrow morning?”
“Sure, thanks a lot Allen. See you tomorrow.”
“Yup, have a good night.”
Back in the hospital, Gianna was tired out. She had expected to sleep well as tomorrow was the day she had been looking forward to for a while. When she finally managed to sleep, she had a dream which she would later describe as life-changing.
In her dream, she was sitting beside her husband Maximilian on the balcony of their former apartment. For some reason, Maximilian was telling her, “Remember that time when our parents were swapping stories about us as babies and children?”
Gianna nodded and commented, “That was quite embarrassing”
“Not only that but do we recall why you were named with Gianna and I was named Maximilian?”
Closing her eyes, Gianna slowly replied, “You were named after St Maximilian Kolbe, the patron saint of the pro-life movement and of families.”
“And yourself?” Max asked, urging her on.
“I was named after St. Gianna Beretta Molla, not yet canonized at the time of my birth. I think she is also another patron saint of the pro-life movement. After a pause, Gianna suddenly asked, “Wait, why are you asking me this?”
Maximilian just smiled his blue twinkling. “When you wake up, you’ll know. But look over there.” He pointed to the sunset and gripped her hand.
However, instead of seeing the sun, Gianna seemed to see the scenes of the hardest moment in her life. The first was her encounter with bullying in school. The second was when her father died in a car accident. The next one was when Jonathon was unconscious in the hospital because of an accident at his construction worksite. As each scene was played before her eyes, it became harder and harder to watch, but Maximilian’s grip grew stronger with each scene. The last scene was at his funeral.
As it all gradually faded, she heard Max whisper, “you made it through all those tough times with God at your side. He wants to help you again. I’d give anything for you to see Him in our children right now. Crying as they cry, trying to help you. Don’t give up this incredible gift of life and love. You still have much to enjoy.”
With that last word, Gianna awoke and realized she was in tears and still in her hospital room. She looked at the clock, seven in the morning. She realized that she had never felt so peaceful in a very long time. When all her children, grandchildren and relatives arrived, she smiled at them cheerfully. They and Max had been right. She had no right to take her own life.
Taking a deep breath, Gianna spoke, “I’ve changed my mind.”
There was a minute of silence, and then the room exploded into cries of joy, hugging, laughing.
When Dr. Allen walked in at 8:30 am, he had a shock. There were balloons and streamers hanging from everywhere even on the medical machines and tubes. The room quieted long enough for him to learn the recent turn of events.
Then he turned on his heel and abruptly announced, “I’ll get Dr. Pierce.”
When Dr. Pierce entered, he was filled with apprehension. However, when Gianna beamingly informed him of her change of heart, relief washed over his face. Wordless, he examined her charts and medication and exclaimed, “You’re condition is much improved!”
“I feel perfect!” Gianna stated.
Two days later, Catherine arrived to take her home. All the funeral arrangements had been cancelled as well as the legal documents. At Catherine’s home all of Gianna’s friends and relatives were gathered for a welcome home party.
A slideshow was playing in a corner on a screen. Glancing at it, Gianna saw a picture of her and Max on their wedding day. He seemed to be telling her that she had done right.
That night, in her sleep, she heard Max whisper, “I’m proud of you.”
Two years later, Therese married and soon had a daughter whom she named after Gianna. Gianna’s number of grandchildren soon increased from eight to fifteen. Later, many more also joined the happy and prosperous family.
Five years later, she was seated in a garden with all her children and grandchildren at a family gathering, in Jonathon’s home. Everyone was enjoying each other’s company and thankful for this precious moment when they could all be together. It was then that Gianna truly realized how much she would have missed had she not had a change of heart.
A Change of Heart(JK)
Swinging his bag as he walked down the hospital hallway, the doctor heaved a sigh. It was only ten o’clock in the morning, and he was already exhausted.
“It doesn’t help that my next patient isn’t going to be any easier.” The doctor thought ruefully. He approached his patient’s room with lagging steps.
An elderly woman was sitting up in bed. She had graying hair, was wrinkled, and was physically quite frail and weak. However, as soon as one made eye contact with her, one could sense a fiery personality. Gianna, as was the woman’s name was hooked up to several tubes which kept her alive. However, her eyes still sparked with that same fire that defined her personality.
At the moment, she was having a heated argument with Jonathon, the eldest of her five adult children. Five out of eight of her grandchildren were scattered around the room. Some played games; others were reading picture books, while still others sat in their parents’ laps. Their ages ranged from zero to eight years old. The doctor silently stood unnoticed in the doorway.
“How contradictory,” he thought, “that a woman with so much life around her would want to die.” He smiled ironically and set his bag on a nearby chair. The woman sensed his movement and immediately turned her face towards the doorway.
She impatiently beckoned him over even though he was already approaching her bed.
“Doctor Pierce, have you thought about my request?”
Uneasily Dr. Pierce replied, “Yes but-“
“No buts,” She interrupted him, “I want to know your answer. Is it a yes or a no?”
“Well, yes. However, I was going to say that despite the fact that euthanasia is legal, there are many factors involved. First of all, your health may improve and-“
“This is a waste of my time. I’ve stated before that there is no use for me here. I’m just a pain to everyone. Also, when I first came here, I heard you saying that I had a slim chance of recovery.” Gianna said, counting her explanations off her bony fingers.
Her eldest daughter, Catherine, protested saying, “But mom, you’re not a pain! The kids can’t wait for you to return home!”
“In fact,” Jen, her second daughter continued, “Catherine has already gotten all the kids to help prepare a room in her house for you!”
“Yeah grandma!” Joseph, her eldest grandson chimed in. He was eight years old with curly brown hair. “We got to paint it and make your bed! I also helped to bring your favourite rocking chair into your room!”
Irritated, Gianna asked them to give her and the doctor a few minutes alone.
As everyone slowly trickled out of her room, Gianna’s youngest son, Sean, squeezed her arm, and pleaded softly, “Please mom? Do it for Dad’s sake? Stay with us until God calls you?”
Gianna hesitated for a split second, but her stubbornness soon reasserted itself. “No, just go and leave me and the doctor to discuss final details.” She said coldly.
Sean strode out with a sad sigh and closed the door.
As soon as the room was empty, Dr. Pierce pulled up a chair and sat down beside the bed with his elbows on his knees.
“As you can see, your decision is very hard on your family.” The doctor began slowly.
“They’re just being selfish.” She quickly replied. “They don’t know what it’s like to be the last one left.”
After a slight pause, she continued, “Is it possible for me to do it as soon as my documents are ready?”
After a longer pause Dr. Pierce responded in the affirmative.
“Good,” The woman murmured contentedly.
She lay back down and dismissed the doctor after he had checked all the tubes and charts.
Just as he was about to open the door, she said, in an almost inaudible voice, “Tell them that things are settled. Nothing can or will change my mind. They need to accept it and move on with their lives.
He nodded and quietly exited the room.
Her children were huddled together discussing the problem that had arisen before them.
As the doctor slipped past, he heard Jen saying, “She’s not even seventy yet.”
“And Sean and Therese haven’t gotten married yet.” Jonathon added clapping a hand on his younger, twenty four year old brother’s back and winking at his 26 year old sister.
“Cut it out, Jonathon, it’s not funny!” Catherine cried with tears in her eyes.
Just then, Sean caught sight of the doctor tiptoeing down the corridor. He quickly rushed after him and grabbed his arm.
Surprised, the doctor spun around.
“Did she change her mind?” Sean inquired hopefully.
“No, she asked me to tell you that things are settled and nothing will change her decision.” Dr. Pierce replied.
At this new piece of information, Therese, Gianna’s youngest daughter, sank into a chair and began sobbing quietly. Until this point, she had been quietly and solidly standing in a corner, listening.
Embarrassed, the doctor muttered something about lots of patients and a busy schedule and hurried away.
When he left, Jen sat down thoughtfully, and sighed, “Is it just me or does the doctor seem reluctant to discuss this with us?”
“No idea” Jonathon replied, scratching his curly head.
“Mommy, I’m hungry. Can we go somewhere else?” begged four year old Marie.
“Yes dear. Just give us a few minutes.” Catherine said, absently patting her daughter’s head, her mind focussed on the other problem.
“There’s not much we can do though.” Therese said dejectedly. “We can only say goodbye and see her again for the last time tomorrow.”
“Well, let’s go then.” answered Jonathon. He swung Joseph up into his arms and began striding down the hallway, leading his siblings and their children.
The elevator ride to the parking lot was quiet, occasionally broken by a quiet sniffle. The children seemed to sense the seriousness of the situation and kept their mouths shut. Once in the parking lot, everyone agreed to meet at 7:30 am the next morning and scattered to their various vehicles. That night, each family recited the rosary for Gianna.
After completing the documents and reports for his patients, Dr. Pierce packed his bag for the next day. Although his hands were busy, his mind was in a tumult.
“Why does she want to euthanize herself?” He thought. “It’s not as if her family rejects her. They actually care for her well-being, which is unusual in most cases when the patient has a slim chance of recovery.”
A painful memory suddenly overwhelmed him. It had been plaguing him since Gianna had first requested euthanasia. When he had first begun his career as a doctor, euthanasia had been legalized. As a doctor, he was prepared to perform it. However his mother and father had similar dying wishes.
His mother had whispered, “Life is not something for us to end whenever we want. We are in the hands of God; let him decide when our time is due.”
Whereas his dad, who had not believed in any religion, had said strongly, “Don’t kill, all life comes from a higher force. It won’t do you any good to interfere with it.”
However, just a week after his father’s death, an elderly man had requested euthanasia and he had complied. When the man had been given the shot, he had suddenly gripped the doctor’s arm and had rasped, “I change my- “. The old man had died with his eyes open. Ever since then, his eyes had haunted Dr. Pierce every time someone brought up the subject of “euthanasia”.
Now, the doctor realized that he had begun dialling his colleague’s number. This colleague was a senior doctor and treated Dr. Pierce as an older brother would. A deep voice answered.
Dr. Pierce suddenly blurted out, “Hey Allen, Can you do me a favor tomorrow? There’s a lady who wants to be euthanized. I don’t believe I can do it.”
“Of course. Why?” Allen asked.
“Just personal reasons. One of them is to keep my sanity.”
“Oh all righty then. Just make sure you pass me all those legal documents before I get busy. Hmmmm…. How about at seven thirty tomorrow morning?”
“Sure, thanks a lot Allen. See you tomorrow.”
“Yup, have a good night.”
Back in the hospital, Gianna was tired out. She had expected to sleep well as tomorrow was the day she had been looking forward to for a while. When she finally managed to sleep, she had a dream which she would later describe as life-changing.
In her dream, she was sitting beside her husband Maximilian on the balcony of their former apartment. For some reason, Maximilian was telling her, “Remember that time when our parents were swapping stories about us as babies and children?”
Gianna nodded and commented, “That was quite embarrassing”
“Not only that but do we recall why you were named with Gianna and I was named Maximilian?”
Closing her eyes, Gianna slowly replied, “You were named after St Maximilian Kolbe, the patron saint of the pro-life movement and of families.”
“And yourself?” Max asked, urging her on.
“I was named after St. Gianna Beretta Molla, not yet canonized at the time of my birth. I think she is also another patron saint of the pro-life movement. After a pause, Gianna suddenly asked, “Wait, why are you asking me this?”
Maximilian just smiled his blue twinkling. “When you wake up, you’ll know. But look over there.” He pointed to the sunset and gripped her hand.
However, instead of seeing the sun, Gianna seemed to see the scenes of the hardest moment in her life. The first was her encounter with bullying in school. The second was when her father died in a car accident. The next one was when Jonathon was unconscious in the hospital because of an accident at his construction worksite. As each scene was played before her eyes, it became harder and harder to watch, but Maximilian’s grip grew stronger with each scene. The last scene was at his funeral.
As it all gradually faded, she heard Max whisper, “you made it through all those tough times with God at your side. He wants to help you again. I’d give anything for you to see Him in our children right now. Crying as they cry, trying to help you. Don’t give up this incredible gift of life and love. You still have much to enjoy.”
With that last word, Gianna awoke and realized she was in tears and still in her hospital room. She looked at the clock, seven in the morning. She realized that she had never felt so peaceful in a very long time. When all her children, grandchildren and relatives arrived, she smiled at them cheerfully. They and Max had been right. She had no right to take her own life.
Taking a deep breath, Gianna spoke, “I’ve changed my mind.”
There was a minute of silence, and then the room exploded into cries of joy, hugging, laughing.
When Dr. Allen walked in at 8:30 am, he had a shock. There were balloons and streamers hanging from everywhere even on the medical machines and tubes. The room quieted long enough for him to learn the recent turn of events.
Then he turned on his heel and abruptly announced, “I’ll get Dr. Pierce.”
When Dr. Pierce entered, he was filled with apprehension. However, when Gianna beamingly informed him of her change of heart, relief washed over his face. Wordless, he examined her charts and medication and exclaimed, “You’re condition is much improved!”
“I feel perfect!” Gianna stated.
Two days later, Catherine arrived to take her home. All the funeral arrangements had been cancelled as well as the legal documents. At Catherine’s home all of Gianna’s friends and relatives were gathered for a welcome home party.
A slideshow was playing in a corner on a screen. Glancing at it, Gianna saw a picture of her and Max on their wedding day. He seemed to be telling her that she had done right.
That night, in her sleep, she heard Max whisper, “I’m proud of you.”
Two years later, Therese married and soon had a daughter whom she named after Gianna. Gianna’s number of grandchildren soon increased from eight to fifteen. Later, many more also joined the happy and prosperous family.
Five years later, she was seated in a garden with all her children and grandchildren at a family gathering, in Jonathon’s home. Everyone was enjoying each other’s company and thankful for this precious moment when they could all be together. It was then that Gianna truly realized how much she would have missed had she not had a change of heart.
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Valerie Allen
06/06/2023Oh, so lucky to be so loved! Thanks for a look at this end-of-life decision making.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
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Kevin Hughes
06/25/2019Jk,
I wish this ending was true more often. It isn't. I am old now, and am familiar with pain- and how hard it is to "let go". There have been some painful discussions about this topic here on StoryStar- as folks have written many possible outcomes about the end of life. Miracles, like the one you have in this story...are rare.
The research shows that even when the Patient has the right, and the chance, to end their life, almost two thirds - do not. But all want to skip the pain. But knowing they had a choice to die on their own terms, with dignity...seems to be enough for most to hold on to life a bit longer.
I, myself, have never witnessed a "miracle" like the one in your story. I watched loved ones writhe in agony, days after they should have passed on...simply because a relative couldn't - or wouldn't ...let them go. I hope to go in my sleep. But I definitely do not want to linger because my body is strong enough to take pain and suffering, even after I wanted it to end.
Choice...is not something I would take from someone. Your story will touch a lot of folks. Hope is as hard to kill as life is to end. I hope you have peace, and some lucky person gets the kind of five year life filled with joy gift that your main character got.
Smiles, Kevin
COMMENTS (3)