My Sister's Keeper

A beautifully written novel by Jodi Picoult. It was given to me by the students of Lower Six Science.

The story revolves around the Fitzgerald family. Sara Fitzgerald's daughter Kate is just two years old when she is diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. Kate has to undergo a bone marrow transplant in the hope of getting well but no one in her family is a suitable donor.

To save Kate, Sara has another baby - a baby genetically engineered to match Kate. Anna Fitzgerald is an allogeneic donor - a perfect sibling match - specifically designed to save her sister Kate.

When Kate needs leukocytes or stem cells or bone marrow, Anna provides them. Nearly everytime Kate is hospitalized, Anna winds up there, too.

Sara wants Anna to donate one of her kidneys to Kate. Anna, now aged thirteen, decides that she does not want to help Kate live anymore. She hires a lawyer to sue her parents for the rights to her own body.

How does the story end ? Actually the ending of My Sister's Keeper is surprising and terribly sad.

Read the book!!! :)

Anyway, after finishing the novel, I did something that I have always wanted to do but kept on postponing. Yes, I signed up as an organ and tissue donor.

Have you signed up as a donor ? You can download the National Organ Donor Registration Form at http://rayma.com.my/giftoflife/signup.html and post the completed form to :

National Transplant Resource Centre,
Main Lobby, Hospital Kuala Lumpur,
Jalan Pahang,
50586 Kuala Lumpur.

Remember, "Organ Donation is a Gift of Life".