Anna's Struggles

a response to My Sister’s Keeper

Every night I wonder What if Kate died? I am sure my whole family is thinking that but for me it means a lot, because I am the reason Kate is alive today, I am her protector, I give her life, but my family doesn’t recognize me as much as they should. Not only is Kate at risk of dieing so am I.

My life has probably been the craziest out of everyone in the world, I was born for one reason, and one reason only that is to give my sister what she needs when she needs it. Kate has leukemia and I am the recognized donor, but now besides donating blood and cells I am being forced into donating one of my kidneys. It’s one thing to find out that you were born for one reason, and now I am being held to donating organs to my sister. One minute it’s a kidney, what’s next?

I had to take a stand, stand up for what I believe in, I must fight back. It’s not that I don’t love my sister, it’s that I should have a choice on if I want to keep donating to her. Sara, my mother, would not listen to me she would not understand my reasoning, saying that people might actually realize why I had to get help, from a lawyer.

My case must’ve been a weird one for my lawyer, I don’t think he knew what to say. He probably thought Oh look it’s just another kid wanting to sue their parents, but he was wrong I just wanted a right to my own body. Kate was devastated that I made my choice, she told me that I was her only friend. I worried that she would die every night and that my choice could impact her disease. Of course I felt bad and didn’t know if I should go through with my decision, but what I needed was for someone to support me, to comfort me, so I moved in with my Dad at the fire station.

Sara is furious with my choice to move in with my father down at the station, but he will not tell me that what I believe in is wrong or that I should be ashamed of my self for choosing to kill my sister. I wish they would just give me a choice. I don’t want to kill my sister, but I need to do what my gut is telling me.

AUTHORS NOTE: I wrote this piece based off of the book My Sister's Keeper. This is a great book about a family struggles while their daughter has cancer. I wrote in the perspective of one of the main charaters who has to fight for the right to her own body.

Seasons of the Earth

AUTHORS NOTE: I wrote this piece before spring break when I was wishing for summer to be here, but then I realized why rush the beauty of the four seasons? I thought that winter was a drag, but when you look at it in the view of being part of something greater it is beautiful. The four seasons are a truly beautiful thing that are part of something bigger, the world.

Everything happens,
whether we like it or not
that makes the world spin round.
When the world is spinning the weather changes
creating the four seasons.

Everything’s dead,
silent,
Nothing happens in the cold crisp air
but when the snow melts and the grass shows
only one thing can be coming,
spring.

The flowers bloom and the birds chirp,
to mean that there’s hope,
a new beginning.
Humid air rolls in bringing new fashions,
swim suites which indicates that…
Summer has come.

Warm air fills my lungs as I run to the beach
the cool water rushes against my feet
I know this won’t last long though,
because the crisp air whips through my hair.
School shopping is right around corner,
Autumn is here.

Yellow, red and orange fill the sky
As the leaves fall from the trees
And shorter days approach.
The snow begins to fall just as quickly as the leaves did,
Winter is back.

The seasons brings beauty to the world,
giving us a change,
a new outlook on things.
The four seasons give us a new vision for the world.

A Day at the Beach

AUTHORS NOTE: When I was in Florida I went to the beach daily to search for shells and shark teeth. It was truly an adventure with my family and that's where my inspriation came from.

A day at the beach is supposed to be relaxing right? That's not the case for my family though, because there is always something going on when we're at the beach.l This hectic day is a true adventure.

Hitting the beach is an adventure, as always but during our Florida vacation this year we spent our time at the beach searching for sea shells and shark teeth. Many of the Florida beaches we went to this year were known for their spectacular shark teeth finds and beautiful shell discoveries. Of course my siblings and I dove into the finding opportunity.

Heads low, eyes sharp, searching for just one thing, shark teeth, although along the way you may find some neat shells.You want to quit but you know that the next time the water level falls there will be shark teeth waiting for you to snatch the up. Finding shark teeth is not an easy task, because you have to have good eyes and quick hands which many people do not have as a skill. To put the art of finding shark teeth into three simple words, concentration, luck, and patience. Those are the three key things you need to have to be successful.

Besides working hard to find sea's creation while you're on the beach a little relaxing never hurt anyone. Being at the beach with my family is crazy and for sure I have some great memories that I will never forget. One thing is that beaches are the building blocks for great memories.