Amanda
by Andrea
Mast
As I sit in the
waiting
room of the New York Beth Israel Hospital, all I can think about is
how strong my sister Amanda is. I recall the many times I have sat in
the waiting room, in a hotel, or in the comfort of my home while I
await news about her surgery. I think of the changes it will bring to
her face once she heals. Being only thirteen, she has had eleven
surgeries --- the first one when she was merely three years old.
My sister was born
with
hemangioma, an abnormal buildup of capillaries under the skin and the
internal organs. The day she was born, everything seemed fine, then a
few days later, purple and blue marks started appearing on her face
and she started having trouble breathing. The local doctors in
Antofagasta, Chile, prescribed cortizone to help her breathe better.
This was to no avail, and no one seemed to know how to relieve my
sister's distress. At night, she herself would incline her head all
the way back to open her airway to help her breathe, since she had
trouble breathing because the hemangioma was starting to grow inside
of her throat and slowly close her airway. Thankfully, friends of my
parents recommended a doctor in New York City who specialized in the
removal of hemangioma.
My parents knew
something
had to be done. If not, the consequences would be horrific. We
travelled together to New York to embark on a journey that would we
hoped would change Amanda's life for the better. The process of
surgery is not easy for most, especially not a three year old. It
requires not eating for a long time before the operation, being moved
about a sterile building with strangers trying to comfort you and
tell you everything will be fine, and it requires injections that
will make you suddenly drift away into sleep. However, my sister was
strong through it all and managed better at age three than I would
now at sixteen. The healing process after the operations is tough and
requires a lot of care to make sure nothing happens to the affected
area. She emerges from surgery bewildered, lost, and in pain. I often
think 'Why did this have to affect her? Why does she have to have
hemangioma?"
All of her life,
Amanda
has been getting looks from strangers who can see that she's
different. But to me she has always been, and will always be, my
beautiful sister. Sadly, however, many get a thrill by pointing and
laughing at the little girl with red marks on her face. I ignored
that she had red marks all over her face and could not speak properly
because of the medicine she was taking. No matter what comments
people made, or the stares she got, she has always held her head high
and simply enjoyed life, without caring what other people thought of
her appearance. I admire this about her. It makes her the strong
person she is today. Regardless of the results of a surgery, she is
always willing to try again in a couple of years. As a family we are
thankful to the doctor who was able to remove most of the hemangioma
from her face. This has lessened the stares and comments of
strangers, who have no clue about what she has been through.
Situations like Amanda's should teach us to be more sensitive towards
others who may not look like us.
What my sister has
had to
go through is not easy. I have seen how it has changed the way she
views life, making her a stronger and better person. One of the
moments that made me realize how strong my sister Amanda is was after
her fifth surgery. When she was released from the hospital, I was the
one crying. I could only imagine the pain she was going through,
judging by the stitches and bruises all over her face. Amanda, on the
other hand, was ready to go out and enjoy New York City a few hours
after the surgery. It is during moments like these that I learn
valuable lessons from my sister. By simply being the strong,
determined person she is, she has taught me that we must move on,
accept the changes in life and, most of all, accept the way we are,
who we are, and learn to love people who are different irrespective
of how they may look.
Andrea
Mast is a junior at Balboa Academy.
