IMAGE IS LOADING, PLS BE PATIENT.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

ahhhh.....

how y'all doin? i'm bored. You wanna see a paper I had to write for my creative writing course? Ok. I got an A!

Interview with Anna Fitzgerald

Anna Fitzgerald is thirteen and a constant medical donor for her sisters Kate. I'm the only reporter to be allowed to come and interview Anna Fitzgerald right after her trial. I feel pretty honored to be here but even more honored when I see Anna walking towards me, hand out, looking flushed. I asked if we could sit in the planning room so she doesn't get bombarded even more with photographers and reporters. She quickly agrees. I sit down in one of the hard, wooden chairs and she asks if I want anything to drink.. I refuse, thank you. She finally sits down and makes herself "comfortable". It's hard for me to understand how you could ever get comfortable when looking at your watch every minute. I ask if she's ok and she responds, "My sisters going into dialyses today so..." and shrugs. I decide to get started.

Claire Putchinski: "Hello, how are you today?"
Anna Fitzgerald: "Pretty stressed"
CP: "I understand, so lets try to make this as quick as possible so I can get out of here, huh?"
AF: "Sounds good. Sorry, it's just that I really need to go see my sister."
CP: "Ok, let's get started then. Why did you wait so long in trying to stand up for yourself and just go to court sooner?"
AF: "I waited so long because (pause) I didn't think that people would really listen to a 10 or 11 year old. So I waited until a respectable age to talk about it."
CP: "Was it hard to talk about with a lawyer?"
AF: " Yes, I'll admit to that. It was hard to talk to talk about my sisters situation and mine and I also didn't know what my final decision was."
CP: "Why did you decide to sue in the first place if you didn't know how you felt about it?"
AF: "I had had enough. I was sick of (pause, clears throat) uh, I was sick of being a donor for Kate for so long. I was just done with it."
CP: "What were you suing for? Was it one thing in particular or was it everything?"
AF: "They wanted my kidney. The doctors did. I felt so bad but I had to say no. What ifmy other kidney failed? Then I would die also.
CP: "Did you know the serious consequences?
AF: "Kind of. I thought I did bit it still didn't reach my mind that someone would be killing my sister and that someone would be me."
CP: "What did your lawyer, Campbell Alexander, have to say?"
AF: "He just asked me questions about why and how I made my decision and why I’m doing this and I said that I was sick of just giving my body away when the doctors "needed" it. I wanted control of MY body".
CP: "What did your sister, Kate, have to say?"
AF: "She said that whatever I needed to do, do it. She was tired of being sick and she wanted out.
CP: "Did you ever regret your decision?"
AF: "A part of me did. I hated myself for going to court and making a big deal out of it but I also know that I was finally ready to be heard and this was my time. I think that it was during this time that I had to do something otherwise I never would."
CP: "Do you ever blame yourself for what happened in court?"
AF: "Absolutely."
CP: "Really."
AF: "Yeah, I can’t help it. I feel it was my fault for the whole thing and trying to stand up for myself and my rights just wasn’t enough. I needed a better reason to be doing all of this."
CP: "Where’s your sister now?"
AF: "The hospital. Probably going under transfusions and all that fun stuff. Room 813, I bet. That’s where they always put her."
CP: "I heard that your sister was pretty much always in the hospital growing up. Even for a nosebleed. Were you there, also?"
AF: "Yup..... yup. I had to be. They {the doctors} needed me for every little thing. I wasn’t Kate’s sister anymore. I was "The Donor".
CP: "Wow. That must’ve been tough to live with."
AF: "Yeah, especially when you’re that young. I mean I was only three or four at the time."
CP: "Wow. I can’t even imagine."
AF: " yeah, I get that–
Anna Fitzgerald’s mom, Sara Fitzgerald, pops her head into the room.
SF: "I’m so sorry to disturb you but, Anna, we need to go see your sister. The hospital just paged. We really need to go."
AF: "Oh, okay. I mean, is that okay with you?"
CP: "Oh, absolutely. I’m fine with it. Go see your sister."
AF: "Thank you for understanding."
CP: "No problem."
AF: "Thank you. Can talk some other time maybe?"
CP: "Oh, absolutely. I’ll give you my card. There you go. Now go, your sister needs you."
AF: "Thank you. Talk to you soon."
And I watched as Anna and her mom walked off, into the warm afternoon sun.


Cool, eh?

3:37 PM

I will never be with you.