My parents forced me to donate a kidney to save my younger brother, which led to my death.
Chapter 1
Mom was pregnant with baby number two.
Because they were worried I wouldn’t
understand, they straight–up lied and told me
her tummy was getting big because she had
cancer.
I smashed my piggy bank open and pulled out
all my allowance money, crying and begging
them to get Mom the best doctors.
I swore off toys.
No more candy.
All I wanted was for Mom to be okay.
Then, a few months later, she came home
holding a baby.
“It’s your little brother, Ashley!” she said, all
smiles.
They promised they’d treat us the same, but
then all the new toys and snacks went
straight to Mikey.
My piano room became Mikey’s playroom.
My bedroom turned into his game room.
Then Mikey got diagnosed with kidney failure.
My folks pressured me to donate a kidney,
and I died on that operating table.
く
I woke up, Mom was gently patting her
stomach.
“Honey,” she said, her voice all choked up,
“Mommy has a tumor…”
This time around, I decided I didn’t want any
part of this family.
…
“Ashley, honey, Mommy has a tumor. The
doctor thinks it might be cancer, so…”
Mom was looking at me, her eyes all watery.
She glanced down at her bulging stomach
and then choked up like she was about to cry.
My head was spinning.
I just stared at Mom’s pregnant belly, feeling
this weird kind of déjà vu.
I’d heard this exact line before.
Last time, they told me Mom had cancer and
that if I didn’t behave, it would be my fault if
she died.
For a nine–year–old, that’s a pretty crushing
burden.
So, I smashed my little piggy bank to bits.
I was practically sobbing as I pulled out every
single penny to help pay for Mom’s treatment.
I gave up my favorite toys.
No more candy.
I just wanted to save up money to make Mom
better.
Mom’s stomach got bigger every day, and
everyone else seemed so happy.
I was the only one kept in the dark, filled with
anxiety, not understanding why Mom’s illness
was getting worse, even though I was being
so good.
Finally, they rushed her to the hospital, her
face all contorted in pain.
I stayed home alone, crying until I was
shaking.
Г
I prayed that this awful “cancer” wouldn’t take
Mom away.
But a few months later, Mom came home
holding a baby with the biggest grin on her
face.
She announced that he was my little brother…
The memories were crashing down on me.
I clenched my fists so tight my nails were
digging into my skin.
Mom must have thought I was just freaked
out.
She came over and ruffled my hair, using that
extra–gentle voice of hers.
<
“Mommy’s sick, Ashley. You need to be a
good girl now, okay?”
More of the “be a good girl” routine?
Even though I was trying not to care about
what these people thought of me, hearing the
same lies all over again still stung.
Dad came over too, holding out his hand.
“Ashley, don’t worry. Mom and Dad will still
love you just the same.”
They were waiting for me to say something.
They wanted me to promise I’d be a good,
obedient kid.
Г
But this time, I just pointed at Mom’s
stomach, my voice flat.
“Isn’t she just pregnant?”
The look on their faces was priceless.
Total shock and embarrassment.
The air in the room just seemed to thicken.
I didn’t want to look at them anymore, so I
just mumbled a goodbye and headed upstairs.
Last time, when I heard about Mom’s cancer,
I was a total mess, crying my eyes out.
In my little nine–year–old world, cancer was
this terrifying monster, and I was so scared it
<
would take Mom away.
I promised I’d be good, I’d do whatever they
wanted.
Thinking back on it, it was all so pathetic.
Mom kept me in the dark right up until the
day she went into labor.
So, this time, I decided to drop the act.
I laid it all out on the table.
I didn’t want anything to do with these fake
and selfish parents, or their phony love.
I locked myself in my room and went over
everything in my head all night.
I finally realized that there was no way a
nine–year–old could stop Mom and Dad from
having another baby.
What I needed to do now was focus on
school and get the heck out of this house
filled with lies.
Last time, I was so worried about Mom’s
“illness” that I rushed home after school every
day to fetch her drinks and do whatever she
wanted.
And after the baby arrived, I was so jealous of
all the attention he was getting that I couldn’t
focus on my studies. I ended up going to
some community college.
Mom and Dad just shrugged, saying girls
く
weren’t as smart as boys anyway, and went
right back to praising Mikey’s every move like
he was some kind of genius.
Not this time.
This time, I was going to start studying hard,
starting in elementary school.
So, I threw myself into my schoolwork,
coming straight home and going straight
upstairs to study. I barely hung out downstairs
anymore.
Mom and Dad noticed, of course.
At first, they didn’t really care.
But as Mom’s belly kept getting bigger, and
the month she went into labor, I still went
<
straight to my room on the second floor as
soon as I got home, Dad got antsy.
