A Tragedy To Save a Life

To save a life

My eyes were heavy from the lack of sleep from the night before. As I slowly made my way down the what seemed to be endless white hallway I approached the ICU. There they were holding two patients of mine that I have been seeing on and off the past couple months. Both the same problem and both only a week apart from their first admission to the hospital.

I walked into the ICU and could see to my left was the nurses station. Lined with desks and any supplies they may need caring for all the children in this wing of the hospital. To my right was rooms 635 to 655. Most of these rooms were taken up by children that needed our help, but only two of them were in my care today. I made my way closer to their rooms. Nancy Drake, a 12 year old African American girl that was just admitted yesterday evening for the same problems as usual. Chest pains, shortness in breath, occasional fainting, and dizziness. She was diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Which can affect anyone at any age, and for this sad girl... Meant heart failure.

Nancy was in room 637. Right next door Alec Beckins, an 11 year old white boy who was diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy only a week after Nancy. Both children I have been seeing ever sense they were babies. Whenever they were sick they both came to me. Now for some reason both their fates have made their way to my life. And I have to choose between them. Normally the first in line to get their heart transplanted would get the heart. But these two cases are irregular. Both children's conditions are growing worse by the hour and they have been moved to the top of the waiting list. They both need a heart badly, and just this morning a heart from a young man that passed had put himself in the arms of the hospital. Any organs that could save a life would be used if needed.

We have one heart and two children, both only have days left until they pass. And I must make the choice on who gets the heart. Now the first patient I talk to is going to be the one that I saw first. That would be Nancy Drake. As I step in front of the door to her room. I take in a deep breath, and walk in.

-6 Months earlier-

I walked into the colorful room with a smile on my face. "Good morning Nancy!" I said, "What could I help you all with today?" Nancy's father gave me a quick grin and held his daughter close. She looked at me and gave me a quick smile before burying her head in her fathers chest.

"Doc I don't know. Nancy has been seeming off lately. She getting tired easier and is complaining about chest pains and dizziness. I'm not sure what is wrong with her." Mr. Drake said. "No worries Mr. Drake I've been seeing Nancy ever sense she was a little fella!" I said cheerfully. "I'm sure it is just her growing. She is getting close to becoming a teenager and that hanged the body a lot. But I'll give her a check up and we will take a couple scans to make sure everything is alright."

After talking with Mr. Drake he seemed reassured that Nancy was fine. She was a strong little girl and I knew there couldn't be anything serious behind this. She couldn't be going through anything like Tyler is going through.

We had brought Nancy to the x-Ray room for some tests. To make sure her lungs, heart, stomach, and rib cage seemed normal. I was conducting the test myself so I brought her in the room. "Ok Nancy I'm gonna need you to wear this!" I handed her a gray vest that is needed for patients to wear during x-rays. "Why do I need to wear this?" Nancy asked. "Well kiddo the material of the vest protects the rest of your body and let's us see exactly what we have to." I said strapping her in.

I walked behind the protection glass and started the test. Just then my phone began to ring. The light up screen on my phone read "Alice" I quickly turned my phone to silent and continued with the tests. If whatever she was calling me about was about Tyler than I don't want to hear about it. I've been through too much already. "Ok Nancy I need you to take in a big breath!" I said as the machine took pictures of her heart. Once the images were done I had Nancy and her father wait outside. I looked over the images and noticed something strange about the pictures of the heart. The tissue around her heart was abnormally large.