This is Alice. She really wants to share her story, because she needs to know that she’s not alone. A year ago she was a happy girl, and her biggest problem was backtalking at school. Now she so wishes that she could turn back the clock and tell herself that life was great! She’s only 13, and she’s so tired…
It all started one day when she was at school, in her English class. The headmaster came in and asked her to leave the room. He looked very worried, and Alice immediately felt nervous. When they sat down in his office, he urged her to sit down and told her that something bad had happened in her family. Her mom had been on her way to the school to take Alice home, and got caught up in a bad car crash. It was really, really bad, he said. Be strong, Alice, he said, she was alive but at the hospital, and the doctors were evaluating how serious her injuries were. Now she had to stay at the school until her dad came to take her home.
Alice didn’t cry; she was in some kind of nervous shock. He gave her some water and called in the school psychologist, who tried to talk to her but Alice stayed silent. She didn’t talk even when her dad came in for her and took her home. There was only one thought in her head: “Dear God, if you exist, make my mom live and be healthy and I’ll be a good girl forever”. Then some very shocking news came from the hospital – her mom was in a coma, and she had very serious brain damage.
All they could do was pray that she woke up. This situation lasted for quite a long time – several weeks at least. Both Alice and her dad lived a robotic routine – waking up, having breakfast, going about their business, going home, watching TV, going back to sleep. Alice had only that one thought, and couldn’t concentrate on anything else. She felt as though she was physically ageing as the days went by; she was so tired of waiting, and felt that if she looked into the mirror she’d see someone with white hair and their first wrinkles.
When the news came, Alice didn’t know how to accept it. She finally woke up, that was the good news. But the bad thing was that she had suffered grave brain damage, meaning that she could no longer talk or react to people, or even recognize anyone. They called it a vegetative state, but actually it’s a “vegetable” state – all the individual can really do is breathe, and not much else. The feeling for Alice was one of pure horror. She went to see her mom quite often, but whenever she looked at her all she saw was a shell of a person, not her actual mother. She fantasised about her coming back, but the doctors said no one knew how she would react to the treatment.
The doctors and nurses, as well as Alice and her dad themselves, did absolutely anything they could to wake her up. She spent long hours reading stories to her, hoping that something would penetrate.
It all started one day when she was at school, in her English class. The headmaster came in and asked her to leave the room. He looked very worried, and Alice immediately felt nervous. When they sat down in his office, he urged her to sit down and told her that something bad had happened in her family. Her mom had been on her way to the school to take Alice home, and got caught up in a bad car crash. It was really, really bad, he said. Be strong, Alice, he said, she was alive but at the hospital, and the doctors were evaluating how serious her injuries were. Now she had to stay at the school until her dad came to take her home.
Alice didn’t cry; she was in some kind of nervous shock. He gave her some water and called in the school psychologist, who tried to talk to her but Alice stayed silent. She didn’t talk even when her dad came in for her and took her home. There was only one thought in her head: “Dear God, if you exist, make my mom live and be healthy and I’ll be a good girl forever”. Then some very shocking news came from the hospital – her mom was in a coma, and she had very serious brain damage.
All they could do was pray that she woke up. This situation lasted for quite a long time – several weeks at least. Both Alice and her dad lived a robotic routine – waking up, having breakfast, going about their business, going home, watching TV, going back to sleep. Alice had only that one thought, and couldn’t concentrate on anything else. She felt as though she was physically ageing as the days went by; she was so tired of waiting, and felt that if she looked into the mirror she’d see someone with white hair and their first wrinkles.
When the news came, Alice didn’t know how to accept it. She finally woke up, that was the good news. But the bad thing was that she had suffered grave brain damage, meaning that she could no longer talk or react to people, or even recognize anyone. They called it a vegetative state, but actually it’s a “vegetable” state – all the individual can really do is breathe, and not much else. The feeling for Alice was one of pure horror. She went to see her mom quite often, but whenever she looked at her all she saw was a shell of a person, not her actual mother. She fantasised about her coming back, but the doctors said no one knew how she would react to the treatment.
The doctors and nurses, as well as Alice and her dad themselves, did absolutely anything they could to wake her up. She spent long hours reading stories to her, hoping that something would penetrate.
Category
🎥
Short film