Reflections of life

A Reflection

I find my reflection in punk rock,

because they tell the story

of kids with no hope.

—Austin, 16, kidney transplant

The Reflection

I See

I see my reflection in that dirty, contaminated water

And what I see is a very, very unique teenager:

Me, waiting to do great things for the rest of my life

Until the end of my life, and I will know

I have helped one person in my lifetime.

That is the reflection I see in the pond of destinies.

My destiny is to reach out and teach different cultures

About Christ, and the Bible. That is my destiny.

—Cameron, 13, kidney transplant

Colors in My Braces

My braces, they hurt

and they suck,

because you can't eat gum

or popcorn.

But you can see a rainbow

of colors shining

down in the dark for everyone to see

in the cold, dark night.

—Melissa, 15, kidney transplant

At Camp

I feel full of light.

I feel like I can relax.

I can do anything

New challenges seem smaller,

Because my true friends are here.

The week goes by too quickly.

Too quickly.

We part.

I slip back into sameness.

—BreaAnna, 15, two liver transplants

Deep dark pools of black

I see myself staring back.

The image so small

I can hardly tell

what I am seeing at all.

A blurry and dark face

looking back at me.

I pull back

as fast as a lightning strike.

Scared I'll look too deep

And lose myself in the others' eyes.

—Tara, 16, heart transplant