The Short Story of April Rivers

I was born 1979 on April 1. I was the second girl in my family. When I was born I was very sick. The doctor that was helping my mother said, “She is not going to live for long. I’m very sorry.”

My mother and father were devastated. Mum couldn’t believe her eyes. She said to the doctor “What is going on with her? Why is she sick? Lisa wasn’t like this when she came.” (Lisa is my older sister that helped me with everything.)

The Doctor said “we will have to run tests on her very soon to know what is happening. Are you ok with us doing the tests?”

Mum looked at me in her arms and then looked at Dad, and said “Yes you can.”

They took me into a room and did all the tests on me. After, they gave me back to Mum and Dad. Mum told me that she cried every time they took me and ran tests on me.

After 3 weeks the doctor told my mother and father that I have very small tumours behind my eyes and that I would not be able to see. 

My mother told me that she cried for days and prayed that it wasn’t true. But it was.

I couldn’t see. The only thing I could see was colour.  From a young age I started to paint, because it was the only thing I could see was paint and colour. My sister told me it was beautiful. 

When I was old enough to go to school they took me to a school up the road from our house. It was for blind children.  I loved it. I loved to read and write. I knew I couldn’t see very much but when I read Braille I was in a world that I could see in my mind.  My sister helped me with math and science because it was hard for me to do.  All my teachers said that I was wonderful at everything.

The only thing I hated was when I was sick. Because of the tumours I got sick a lot and I was in the hospital too much I thought.  After a bit everyone knew me at the hospital. But I didn’t have that many friends.  But I had one friend that was my best friend for life.

His name was Thomas.  He helped me with everything: school, painting and life.

He was always helping me when I was sick, and when my sister or parents were tired.

I loved him for everything.

We grew up together all the way thru school.

I passed everything in school with flying colours.

At nineteen I got very sick and was in the hospital for days on end. The doctor told me that the tumours were getting bigger because of all the stress from uni; they would get bigger if I didn’t slow down a bit. I wouldn’t live to see my twenty first birthday. I cried for days because I had dreams what my twenty first would look like and I couldn’t wait until my twenty first.  Thomas told me that night at the hospital that I would see my twenty first birthday, no matter what the doctor says.

It made me happier to hear that from Thomas.  I gave him a big hug and said in his ear “I love you.”

He looked at me and leaned down and kissed me. 

After another week in the hospital I got to go home but I was very weak so I had to finish Uni at home with Thomas is help. 

One year later Thomas and I were graduating from Uni. On our granduation day Lisa took me to a friend who did my hair and my makeup and nails and then Lisa gave me a dress. From my eyes it looked good I could just see the colour in it.

When I graduated Mum and Dad took me and the family out for dinner to me favourite place to eat.

 It was a year to the day before my twenty first birthday. I was doing well I hadn’t been sick for a year now. But it could change any minute.