Changed My Life

Changed

I remember the day my life changed.

I was twenty-one years old. A single mother. 

I fell pregnant at sixteen and my family turned against me because of it. I dropped out of school and got a job to raise my daughter.

Then one day I get a phone call saying that Monica had been rushed to hospital. Someone had left the gate open at her pre-school and she had wondered out and got hit by a car.

It was terrible. I was alone and scared and my whole life was on the table inside the operation room.

While I waited I met a man. He walked past with a little girl with a shaved head. The girl stopped when she saw me.

"You okay?" She was tiny, fragile and maybe younger than Monica. I shook my head.

"It is going to be okay," the little girl promised. I looked up into her big blue eyes. "Just believe" I nodded and managed to say thank you. She smiled then walked off with the man.

Hours passed and I still hadn't heard about Monica. But the little girl walked past again and this time she sat down next to me and slowly placed her hand on mine. The man hovered opposite us, I didn't say anything and neither did the girl.

An hour passed when finally the man introduced himself. He had disappeared earlier and came back with two coffees and a hot chocolate. He said his name was Todd. The little girl told me her name was Hope. Hope started talking then, trying to ease my tension - it worked. Todd is her father, he would visit her everyday at the hospital. She told me that she had cancer and that she was being treated for it. She was a very beautiful girl with a very pretty smile.

When the doctor did finally appear. He told me that Monica was in a coma, he explained more but I didn't quite hear, I was just so happy to know that she was alive. The doctor then said I could go in and see her. I waved goodbye to Todd and Hope came and touched my hand. "Everything is going to turn out okay" she told me. Then she walked away with her dad.

I stayed with Monica that night. Around early morning there was a knock on the door and Todd walked in with more coffee. I had thought he'd be gone already. He told me that Hope had gone to sleep. We sat together and spoke about things. We had a lot in common.

He was a single father, Hope's mother fell pregnant with her when she was nineteen and 

left when Hope was diagnosed with cancer. Todd was only twenty-two at the time of Hope's birth. He was still young. He didn't know how to raise a child. He spoke more of Hope, she was what he lived for. I then found out that Hope and Monica were the same age. We spoke until I started falling asleep. He gave me a blanket and I fell asleep 

on the couch beside Monica.

The next day I didn't see Todd until around lunch time. He told me that Hope wasn't doing well. I went and visited her. She looked fine. Happy, colouring a picture in. She was on a drip though. "How is Monica?" She smiled at me. I told her that Monica was still the same. "Can you do me a favour?" She stopped colouring and took my hand again. I was surprised by this. I nodded and she continued. "Pray. Just pray, pray for you, pray for Monica. Pray." I hadn't even thought about praying. I stopped believing when my parents disowned me. I squeezed her hand. Then she started telling me what she was going to do when she got better and what she wants to be when she grows up. She wanted to be an artist so that she could paint her thoughts and dreams on walls of hospitals for the children.

Months passed and I got closer with Todd and Hope. She was getting worse. Her kidneys were failing. She was looking a bit yellow. The doctor said it wasn't good.

Monica was improving though. The doctor told me that she can hear me, when I talk her heart-rate increases slightly.

Todd and I went out for dinner one night together - Hope encouraged it - it was a wonderful night. When we got back to the hospital the doctors told me that Monica had moved! Todd and I rushed into her room and sat by her side. Talking to her and holding her hand. Telling her to move her fingers if she can hear us. Her fingers moved! Todd and I were so happy that we embraced eachother and it was such an amazing moment.

Then a nurse ran in and told us that Hope... That she wasn't going to make it. She was lying in bed. Looking more purple now and very weak. Her blue eyes sad and droopy. She was skinny when I met her. Now she is just skin and bone. We sat with her and told her that she was going to be okay. But she stopped us. She said she knows what is happening, she said that she was going to be okay. That she'll be with God and he will protect her. I hugged and kissed her goodbye and when I pulled away I started crying. I left Todd with her and I went and stayed with Monica.

The next day I woke up to someone tickling my arm. I had jolted up to see Monica smiling at me. I screamed and hugged her and kissed her and stroked her hair. She was alive. She was okay. I told her to wait a few seconds, I left and ran to Hope's room to go tell them that Monica was awake. When I got there the room was empty besides Todd standing by the window, gazing out emotionless. When I realised what had happened I went and hugged Todd. And I just held him as he let himself fold.

Now, two years later, Monica is healthy and seven years old.

She loves Todd and Todd loves her and there isn't a minute that passes that 

we don't think about Hope.In memory of Hope we made her dream come alive by painting the walls of the children's hospital rooms, lots of people volunteered to help, Hope was 

known around the hospital. She was a friendly girl who had so much life and hope.

When we spoke to Monica about her coma. We asked if she was scared. But she said no. And her words were, 

"I wasn't scared because a man was with me, he held my hand and promised that 

everything would be okay".

That Day, the day that Monica woke up and the day that Hope died. 

The day that I realised I was in love with Todd. That same day, changed my life forever.

And a little girl told me that everything would be okay...