Kayla Mchill

• Isabella Azzena, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2008

My name is Kayla Mchill, and I want to tell you a story about my sister Luca. She was born with a rare heart condition. Every week since she was born my mum had to drive her to the doctors for a check up. When she turned five instead of going to Kindergarten, she got admitted to hospital as her heart condition was getting worse.

Since the doctors at the hospital said she wasn’t going to get any better any time soon, my mum, my dad and I had to move to a smaller cheaper house closer to the hospital in case of an emergency and to pay for her medical bills.

When she turned six, the doctor said that she would be aloud to go home to sleep at her new house for the first time since we moved. The plans were set she’d come over at 4:00. We’d watch a movie, and Mum would order Pizza for us.

As soon as she came through the door she wanted to see her new room. All our lives we could afford to have separate rooms. But, because of all of her hospital bills we could only afford to move into a two bedroom instead of three bedroom house.

She loved her room and the fact that when she got better she would be able to share her room with me. The room wasn’t actually that big. Just big enough for two beds, a bedside table and a closet. But she loved it.

The movie wasn’t scary but I guess for Luca, who was only seven, it might have been scary. Toward the end she started gasping. I told her it was alright, but she kept gasping. I sensed something was wrong so I went and got my Mum and Dad. They screamed and ran down stairs. Dad screamed something about calling an ambulance.

Forty-five minutes later, we were in the emergency room. Mum was in with Luca and Dad was talking to the doctor. Mum came out of the room crying. She sat down next to me. I started to ask if I could go and see Luca, but she cut me off. She told me that Luca’s heart had stopped, while she was watching the movie. I asked if Luca was going to be ok.

Mum started crying again. She wiped her tears away with her sleeve, and told me that the doctors said that there is a high percentage that Luca won’t pull through. I was silent, she told me that Luca was awake if I wanted to go and talk to her.

I went into her room, she looked asleep. I whispered that I would just come back later. She opened her eyes and said that it was ok for me to come in. I came in and had a better look at her. She looked different than when I’d seen her before. I couldn’t handle to see her like this. I left the room.

She died later that night.