Pieces Of Me

Pieces Of Me

YA fiction
Wednesday (in advance of the predicted monster storm that would
wreak havoc with Red Cross operations) I donated blood. I donate five
times a year, as close as possible to: Valentines Day, Mothers Day,
my anniversary, my birthday, and Thanksgiving. It's my way to say,
"L'chaim!" (to life). It's also a way to take a little time to rest
up. When I get home I collapse on the sofa with books, replenishing
snacks and beverages, and my companion cat Joey. No one dares to turn
on the tv. :)
In what I call a beautiful instance of serindipity (amazing
grace disguised as coincidence) the top book on my stack was Amber
Kizer's Pieces Of Me. I was in the frame of mind to dive right into
the spell binding world Kizer created. You see it has to do with
organ donation. Jessica, a high school student who sees herself as
invisible to both her parents and her peers, becomes an organ donor
when she dies. She becomes an unseen presence in the lives of four
teens who are recipients, able to experience not only their actions
and words, but their underlying emotions, the complexities of their
beings. Through her musings you get to know:
*Samuel. His pre transplant life revolved around regular dialysis and
a miracle focussed blog and gaming community he created to feel hope
and a reason for being. It's hard for his mother who has centered her
life around care taking to realize that he is capable of and needing
the increased autonomy of growing into adulthood.
*Vivian. She has grown up with cystic fibrosis. A frequent hospital
inpatient, she's come to know other medically fragile kids. Too often
she's attended their funerals. Her painful awareness of her
potentially short life makes the "normal" finish high school, get into
college scenario her parents envisage seem really pointless. She,
however, can't stand to look far enough into the future to know what
she wants.
*Leif. The athletically gifted son of two sports superachievers, he
is being groomed for football greatness. A serious injury sustained
in a game requires donor tissues to repair his joints. His father is
certain he'll rebound as good as ever from his injuries and be able to
get his life back on track. Leif, however, is not sure this is what
he wants. Maybe the injury is a blessing in disguise, giving him the
chance to discover where HIS passions lie.
*Misty. Her family is desperately poor. The only reason she gets a
transplant when her liver fails is that her little brother sees how
sick she is and calls an ambulance. Her father thinks they should
never have authorized the life saving operation. He grandmother
thinks she is demon possessed. There is so much bitterness and anger
in the home she lives in a library and thinks she might have been
better off dying.
Now you have to remember that even as she experiences their
lives, Jessica is also grieving, for her life being cut short, but
possibly even more for her parents not getting to really know her
while they had the chance. One of her thoughts seems to sum up the
gist of the book: "There are a thousand million miracles that when
done right make a human being live. And yet none of these turn a
living body into a life worthwhile. Lives are lived beyond the
numbers. In the space between the miracles.". YOWZA!
Pieces Of Me was not a book I could just zip through. It
engaged me, touched my heart, made me think. It made me wish the
author lived in Veazie so I could invite her over for a supper of my
homemade soup. If you can deal with a book that might have you seeing
and treasuring life in a whole different way you will find it a real
blessing.
Kizer believes very strongly in the importance of organ and
tissue donation. I love it that she reminds us one needs no cape and
superpowers to save lives. Even the easy act of giving blood can
qualify. There are also ways of giving of self that don't involve
even needles. Jessica feels invisible to her peers and parents. A
lot of people feel this way. Maybe they're shy. Maybe they have
disabilities like my sister, Harriet. If you keep your eyes open and
take the first step you may very well be the one who can help another
feel seen and valued, living as well as existing.
On a personal note, that is why I am open about the role anorexia has
had in my life. After 14 months of maintaining a healthy weight and
relationship with food and my body, you can't look at me and tell.
People say I can put it behind me, let people who meet me be
clueless. In my mind that's a mandate for openness. That person
might be struggling with it or love someone who is. One day I was in
a lounge at the University. Someone said something about stupid
people starving themselves. I explained how, as someone in recovery
from anorexia, I found that comment inappropriate and hurtful. After
the person left two students came up to me. They said they are
struggling with eating disorders. One told me that to her I look like
hope. How could I not want to look like hope?
To my readers, have a Happy Valentines Day!
A great big shout out goes out to all in the donor family and those
whose professions hook our gifts up with those who need them. A
prayer for healing goes out to the person or people who, thanks to our
Maine Red Cross nurses, get a very little piece of me. :)
Julia Emily Hathaway


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