Winning

Ok,this was written during my Sec 2 mid-years.Yeah,I know the language isn't like wow but what do you expect?It was SEC 2!But I got 22/30 though.Anyway,this is also a product of reading too many Lurlene McDaniel books.

Winning means a lot to everyone such as winning the lottery, winning a competition and winning an award for your achievement in a certain area. Everyone wants to win and no one would want to lose. To most people, winning means to win competitions. However, in my friend’s case, she won a battle against heart failure.

I have a friend call Mitzie Andrews who was the best runner in the whole school and represented our school in many competitions and always won almost all of them. She was also a model student and always attained excellent grades. She was a sociable and outgoing person so she was popular among her peers and her teachers. She loved helping others and always puts others before herself.

Unfortunately, one day while running in a four hundred metres race, she suddenly collapsed and fainted on the track. She was rushed to the hospital and I followed her. I waited with her parents in the waiting room and the doctor came in announcing that Mitzie had been diagnosed with heart failure. He also added that Mitzie had been putting too much strain on her heart while running, causing her heart to pump harder and after some time, her heart would become exhausted and gradually wear out. He went on to say that the only way for Mitzie to be well again was for her to have a heart transplant. Mitzie’s mother burst into tears at the news and I buried my face in my hands thinking why this misfortune must happen to my friend. Her father fought back his tears and said he was willing to pay whatever amount of money as long as his only daughter was able to lead a normal life again.

Although Mitzie regained consciousness, she was not fit enough to return home yet. She was discharged two days later after the doctors ran some tests on her. She was also put on a beeper so that she could be alerted if a suitable heart donor was found. I called her home almost every day to give her encouragement. I convinced her to not give up hope and hold on to her unwavering faith in God. I also prayed for her every night before going to bed. A few days later, Mitzie’s mother called me and told me a heart donor had been found. I rushed all the way to the hospital and I silently thanked God for answering my prayers.

When I reached the hospital, I joined Mitzie’s parents in the waiting room while Mitzie was being operated on. I was told by them that the operation would take about four to five hours. I also found out that the heart had belonged to a man who had died in a car crash. I felt kind of sorry for him but at least he helped someone live which I thought was a great deed.

After four hours, the doctor came and told us that the operation was a success and we could see her. We rushed to her ward but Mitzie was still ‘asleep’. When she woke up, we hugged her and were glad she was going to be alright. Then she said she had been told that her new heart might face rejection. My face fell at that but she simply laughed and said she would make sure it would never happen.

Unfortunately, it did happen and she was re-admitted into the hospital and put in the Intensive Care Unit. Her condition was rather critical and the doctors had to run some tests on her. The test results showed that she was facing rejection from her new heart. She had to take pills to suppress the rejection. Her condition improved after a few days and the doctor said her body was gradually getting used to her new heart. However, she was still rather weak.

I was at Mitzie’s bedside almost every day. She was starting to lose hope but I kept saying words of encouragement to her. I urged her to hold on and not let go of her life. I also prayed constantly for improvements in her condition.

Finally, the final round of tests conducted proved she was fit enough to be discharged from the hospital, return to school and lead a normal life. She had to take pills forever to prevent rejection of her heart. She also could not run for at least four months. She was depressed by the news but I told her it was only for a short period and it would soon be over in the blink of an eye.

Mitzie had been fighting an almost losing battle against heart failure but with sheer determination and willpower, she emerged victor in the battle. It truly was a great win and she agreed with me that it was better than winning competitions after competitions. Besides that, the whole incident also drew Mitzie and her family even closer than ever.